The Abridged version:
- Penryn Grill, a gas station restaurant off Interstate 80 in Placer County, punches well above its culinary weight.
- Its two chefs churn out dishes such as fried pickles, shrimp tacos and short rib burgers, with beer on specialty taps and a full wine list.
- Penryn Grill even has its own garden in raised beds, which have produced lettuce, peppers and tomatoes for the restaurant.
There aren’t many restaurants where you can dine on a grilled salmon and rice bowl — accompanied by a locally-brewed IPA — and also get your car some gas and a wash. But you can do just that at Penryn Grill, and maybe even catch a band while you’re there, depending on the day.
Penryn Grill is right off Interstate 80 in the 1,114-person town of Penryn, which falls between the larger communities of Roseville and Auburn. It’s the vision of proprietor Valarie Peluso, and it’s an ambitious one.
The 76 gas station that adjoins Penryn Grill and was built by Peluso’s father has been around since 2002, but the full-service restaurant only opened in October 2024. The event she planned for the official grand opening in October 2025 typified her go-big mentality. Or events, rather, four of them, which included a carnival with a roller coaster and a classic car show.
Hot items to order
The 98-seat restaurant has an enclosed patio with gas fireplaces to gather around and a seated bar. The bar centers around a visual showpiece of three vintage gas station pumps that have been customized to house 12 taps, including one for ultrasmooth, nitro cold-brewed coffee. The remaining taps are devoted to beers, both local and mainstream national, and a full menu of wine is offered as well.
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Penryn Grill’s menu ranges from fried appetizers (wings, pickles, calamari) to wedge and Caesar salads and entrees such as sandwiches and burgers. It also offers a variety of flatbreads topped with buffalo chicken, pepperoni or Italian sausage.
The tacos loaded up with plump shrimp and wrapped in both tortillas and griddled cheese skirts are one of the most popular mains. A hearty side of jambalaya has a subtle, lingering heat, and seafood Fridays are quickly becoming a community tradition as the restaurant’s biggest night.
How it started
Peluso took over the gas station shortly before her dad died in July 2016, retiring from her former career as a radiation therapist. She set about modernizing the operations and building infrastructure for the expansion, which includes an incipient micro-farm and greenhouse on the premises to supply the kitchen.
In 2017, Peluso added a branch of Krispy Krunchy Chicken inside the gas station (a chain with some loyal devotees) and tapped chef Scott Norris from Fat’s Asia Bistro in Roseville to run it. He expanded offerings from fried chicken to dishes for catered events and eventually a roster of sandwiches, which still can be ordered to-go on the gas station side. Peluso recently hired a co-chef, Alfredo Hernandez, as well.
She built out the restaurant somewhat piece-by-piece. A patio led to the idea of getting an on-premise beer and wine license. Once the license was in place, a bar made sense, and then the indoor dining space followed.
The farm has already supplied the kitchen with rosemary, lettuce, peppers and tomatoes, and garden manager Cameron Ellis is planning more. He proudly showed off his budding greens, tomatoes and even some dwarf citrus (blood orange, lime and lemon), many of which sprouted from seeds in the greenhouse. And lest anyone worry about produce grown within spitting distance of a gas station, everything is grown in raised beds with organic soil and natural fertilizer.
A traveler-friendly joint built for locals
When asked why she wanted to get into the restaurant business, she laughed and said, “I have no idea! It’s so hard.” But then she continued to say, “I love food. And I like pairing food with wine. I like the camaraderie of people. … I wanted it to be like a ‘Cheers.’”
Several customers seemed to agree that Penryn Grill is a place where everybody knows your name, including Jarvis Mullican. He comes with his family about once a week and praised their regular server as well as the shrimp tacos, salads and short rib burger, saying he’d recommend “nearly everything.”
Another satisfied regular customer was eager to share his thoughts on Penryn Grill. John Morningstar lives nearby and said he has found the “sweet spot” for his keto diet in both the salmon and the brisket entrees, minus any carb-y accompaniments. He was surprised to find such a unique place attached to the town’s gas station.
“It’s kind of a hideaway,” Morningstar said. “It’s a hidden gem right here in the middle of nowhere.”
Penryn Grill
Address: 3142 Boyington Road, Penryn
Phone: 916-259-7781
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday
Website: penryn-grill.com
Vegetarian/vegan options: Options include veggie rice bowls, margarita flatbreads and grilled cheese with locally-produced brie.
Drinks: Full bar
Reservations: Available over the phone, but not essential
Becky Grunewald is a freelance journalist in the Sacramento region.