This California Cowboy Bar Lets You Walk Into The Wild West In A Pair Of Borrowed Boots

When you go bowling, you have to wear bowling shoes. It's just the way of the world. And when you dine and drink at Cattlemen's — a real-life cowboy bar in Paso Robles, California, that reopened in early 2026 — you have the opportunity to spend your visit in a pair of cowboy boots, loaned to you for free. There are some cowboy bars, like the Arizona saloon that Wyatt Earp once drank in is still serving whiskey today, still operating today. But at Cattlemen's, the cowboy bar experience isn't just about drinking the drink — which, if it was whiskey in the 1800s, probably tasted awful — it's about walking the walk. The cowboy boot walk, that is. 

Cattlemen's Bar has deep roots in the Old West. It is located upstairs at the Paso Robles Inn, and according to lore, the inn's original owners, the Chandler family, rode into the bar on the backs of their horses. That's the real cowboy spirit the current owners of Cattlemen's are trying to preserve by offering footwear for all their patrons. All you have to do when you enter is head to the Boot Bar and trade your sneakers or sandals for a pair of cowboy boots in your size. Austin-based Western shoe brand Tecovas provides the boots, and if you like the pair you borrow at Cattlemen's, you have the option to purchase them right then and there. Some customers borrow hats too. 

Per the Cattlemen's Bar website, "Cattlemen's is where Paso pulls up a stool — a place for strong drinks, familiar faces, and cowboy comforts. Nothing fancy, just the kind of bar you come back to time and time again." In your cowboy boots, of course. 

It's not just the cowboy boots that preserve the Old West aesthetic at Cattlemen's. Chef Charlie Palmer's menu provides an elevated cowboy experience that entices customers to come back again and again. There are real cowboy offerings, like meat pies, chili, and steaks, but also dishes like raw oysters, a hot honey chicken biscuits, and a roasted beet and citrus salad. 

As for drinks, you can put your cowboy-booted foot up on the bar and sip cocktails with names like the Goldrush, High Horse, Ranch Hand, Rattle Snake, and the Godspur, which is an intriguing combination of scotch, amaretto, orange, and apricot bitters. Paso Robles is also wine country, so there's an extensive, quality wine list to wet your whistle. 

Cattlemen's is part of a movement to restore the experience of the Western cowboy bar or saloon. There's a whole list of historical restaurants you can visit for a taste of the Old West around the U.S., but very few of them let you actually walk in a cowboy's shoes for the duration of the experience. That's what sets Cattlemen's apart.