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San Luis Obispo has a popping food scene and I can’t wait to dig into more! It’s a university town close to wine country, has countless breweries, and offers many mid-to-upscale dining experiences right in the heart of downtown.
In San Luis Obispo, you can also expect to find a collection of great pizza spots, varied world cuisines, donut shops, and a nearly century-old deli. There’s a lot of ground to cover here – more than any long weekend trip can cover. Multiple visits will be required!
Where to Eat in SLO
Here are my picks of where to eat in San Luis Obispo, plus my recommendations on what to order.
Mistura
Website | 570 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
This Peruvian restaurant in Downtown SLO is one of my favorite spots to eat in the city! At Mistura, you can expect bold flavors of Peruvian cuisine showcased in traditional and inventive ways. Start off with a Pisco sour cocktail (I recommend the maracuya (passion fruit)) before digging into one of the many ceviches they offer. My pick is the El Misti, which is a hot stone ceviche with shrimp, salmon, avocado, cancha (Peruvian corn), sweet potato and crispy quinoa. Aji amarillo sauce is poured tableside over the hot stone at service and that sauce is dynamite!
The Acevichada causa is also a must-get, with seasoned whipped potatoes stuffed with king crab, avocado, ahi tuna Nikkei style, aji amarillo sauce, roe, and crispy quinoa. This dish is typically served in a stack, but at Mistura, they blend in some Japanese influence and present it like a sushi roll (which is perfect for sharing!).
Lastly, for mains, try the traditional Lomo Saltado with tender bits of filet and veggies stir fried in a savory vinegar sauce over fries and rice. This dish has influence from Chinese and Peruvian cultures and is packed with flavor! I also recommend the Del Mar grilled Spanish octopus – they know how to cook it perfectly.
Luna Red
Website | 1023 Chorro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
If you’re in search of a happy hour spot in SLO, Luna Red is the perfect pick! The patio area has a great vibe with string lights, towering trees, and views of The Mission. Their nachos (only available on the happy hour menu) are some of the best restaurant nachos I’ve ever had! Their crispy homemade chips are topped with melted cheese, creamy queso, and pico de gallo. If you’re a meat eater, you must get the birria as an extra add-on topping. The birria meat is so flavorful and portions are generous.
Pair your nachos with a refreshing margarita – one of the best I’ve had in a long while.
Señors Kitchen Food Truck
Instagram | Located at Liquid Gravity
Señors Kitchen food truck is churning out delicious tacos on freshly-made corn tortillas at Liquid Gravity Brewing several days a week. I recommend the shrimp tacos from Señors, which are a nice, light bite and super flavorful. Tacos are the perfect pairing to an ice cold beer!
San Luis Obispo Public Market
Website | 3845 S Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Want to try a few different restaurants all in one space? Visit the SLO Public Market! Choose from casual stops like Bing’s Bao Buns or Jay Bird’s Hot Chicken, grab a beer from the Bottlecraft Bar, and take a seat in the central dining area of the market. For more of a restaurant atmosphere, check out Todo Bueno or Cali Tacos Cantina & Distillery. There are so many cool options to choose from here!
A word to the wise if you choose Jay Bird’s: the spice levels can be a little unbearable – choose life and go with the medium spice.
Bear & The Wren
Website | 570 Higuera St #2, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
SLO has a slew of highly-rated spots for pizza, but you won’t be disappointed sinking your your teeth into one of the stellar wood-fired or Detroit style pizzas at Bear & The Wren. We scarfed down our Detroit-style Four Meat pizza from one of their spring menus, loaded with sausage, pepperoni cups, thick cut bacon, and capicola. It was phenomenal!
Pro tip: get a side of hot honey if you order a pizza that doesn’t come with it. The combination of savory and sweet will want to make you devour every last bite.
We were lucky to also taste their seasonal asparagus dish, smothered in a rich brown butter hollandaise and topped with bacon lardons. I’m not typically a huge hollandaise fan, but this was probably the best rendition I’ve ever had. The beet salad was also a great appetizer! And if you’re a sweets lover, make room in your stomach for a cast iron cookie with ice cream. We had the butterscotch flavor and it was divine.
I do also recommend dining on the patio if the weather permits. They’ll have gas heaters on if it gets chilly!
Note that the menu at Bear & The Wren does change seasonally, which includes changes to their appetizers, salads and their pizzas.
Gold Land BBQ
Website | 570 Higuera St #135, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
The Central Coast of California is known for having some pretty darn good BBQ. This region is even famous for Santa Maria-style tri tip! When you’re in the Central Coast area, it’s definitely a good idea to try out a couple of BBQ spots.
At Gold Land BBQ, located in The Creamery, you’ll find a variety of different meats like brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and smoked chicken. You won’t find Santa Maria tri trip here, but their chopped brisket is pretty delicious. Their vinegar slaw and pickles make excellent sidekicks to the meats too.
High Street Deli
Website | 350 High St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
High Street Deli has been slinging out the sandwiches of our dreams at this little shop for nearly a century – since 1927! Their enormous sandwiches are filling and still reasonably priced. They also have rotating daily specials, which you can view on their online menu ahead of your visit.
Here are two sandwiches that I’ve tried and I think you’ll love:
- The Dutch Punch packed with smoked turkey, extra bacon, jalapeño Havarti, red onion, tomato, romaine, avocado, and chipotle mayo on a Dutch crunch roll.
- Tuesday Special (The Italian Summer) filled with roast turkey, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, mayo (we got ours without), homemade basil pesto, pepperoncini, red onion, arugula, and balsamic reduction on a French roll.
Budget Tip: If you’re on a tight budget, from 4:20 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, you can get the 420 discount where sandwiches are only $8.50!
Do note that High Street Deli is a popular spot. I highly recommend ordering online ahead of time or getting there right at opening to avoid a long line and wait times.
Sweet Shops in SLO
If you’re looking to satisfy some sweet tooth cravings, here are a few spots to get your sugar rush:
Lokum
Website | 715 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
For a really unique sweet treat, stop by Lokum to try some Turkish delight! I’ve been searching for a spot that sells Turkish Delight ever since I fell in love with it at Borough Market in London. So, when I stumbled across Lokum, I had to stop in when visiting SLO.
This shop is quite pricey, but you can just pick out a few different pieces (with or without nuts) to try different flavors. My favorites were the pomegranate and orange without nuts!
SloDoCo
Website | 793F Foothill Blvd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
SloDoCo has a ton of different fun donuts to choose from – so much so that I was a little overwhelmed with what to choose when we walked in the shop!
I was actually drawn to SloDoCo by their ultra pretty and colorful marshmallow galaxy donuts, but ended up loving the maple buttermilk bar and white chocolate chip old fashioned best. Sometimes, the more simple donuts are the best.
Brown Butter Cookie Co
Website | 897 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Brown Butter cookies are a quintessential treat from SLO County, with locations in Cayucos (the original location), San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles. These crumbly cookies are so tasty! I try to get a pack every time I’m visiting the area. I personally like the original and cinnamon cookies out of all their cookie offerings. Another example where keeping things simple is the best idea!
Breweries (+ a Distillery) in SLO
San Luis Obispo is a fantastic town to visit for beer lovers! There are more breweries and taprooms than I can count. Below is a list of some of the breweries that we’ve visited so far and enjoyed, along with a cool distillery (that happens to be right next to one of my brewery picks).
Liquid Gravity
Website | 675 Clarion Ct, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Liquid Gravity is one of my favorite breweries that we’ve visited in San Luis Obispo. They’ve got great-tasting beer, especially for IPA lovers! Give the Miami Heist a try if you like those hazies.
They also have an awesome location, with a vast outdoor patio that hosts music events several days a week and has rotating food trucks to keep you full. I highly recommend the shrimp tacos from the Señors Kitchen truck!
There Does Not Exist
Website | 4070 Earthwood Ln Suite 110, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
There Does Not Exist is a unique one on the beer scene of San Luis Obispo. A visit here will greet you with a pristine taproom located in a quiet industrial neighborhood with outer space vibes and trippy wall art. They are brewing some pretty awesome IPAs, but do also generally have a stout on tap, along with lighter beers like lagers and pilsners.
BarrelHouse Brewing
Website | 1033 Chorro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
I’ve been a fan of Barrelhouse beer since we first visited their main brewery location in Paso Robles! Their SLO location is a small cozy taproom located right in Downtown serving up the same great beer. Some of my favorites include their Mango IPA, Passion Fruit Hazy IPA, and their Hazed and Confused Tropical IPA. Not an IPA fan? They’ve also got lighter beers on tap and you can generally find a stout too.
This taproom is located below ground like a basement, so you’ll have to go down some steps to get your pints. It sort of feels like you’ve found a secret club there, almost like a speakeasy! Very cool vibes.
Oak & Otter
Website | 181 Tank Farm Rd #110, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Oak and Otter is a little brewery that I recommend for non-IPA lovers. While they do have hoppy beers on their menu, I think they excel with their other styles of beer – particularly stouts and porters. If you’re a peanut butter fan, you’ll want to try their Anybody Want a Peanut? peanut butter milk stout.
They also serve food here! While I haven’t got the chance to try anything off their restaurant menu, they do have some tasty-looking pub grub, including pretzels, platters, nachos, flatbread, sandwiches, and different sausages/hot dogs.
Central Coast Brewing
Website | 1701 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
While Central Coast Brewing has two locations in SLO, I recommend visiting The HUB location so you can pop over to the Krobar Distillery before/after the brewery. It’s a fun, lively and open space, perfect for hanging out and having a few beers! They have several TVs as well to catch up on some sports games.
In terms of beer, Central Coast has a wide range of brews on tap at any given time, including IPAs, kettle sours, and lighter ales. They had a raspberry imperial kettle sour on tap when we visited last and it was delicious!
Krobar Distillery
Website | 1701 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
For a change of pace from beer, hop over to the Krobar Distillery before or after a visit to Central Coast Brewing and try a flight of their vodka, gin, and whiskeys or a craft cocktail! Flights are $10 for 3 tastings, or $20 for 6 tastings. Being whiskey fans, we chose to do all whiskey, of which my favorite was the Single Barrel Cask Bourbon.
The tasting room is also very modern and a fun spot to grab a bar seat at!
Will you be visiting San Luis Obispo soon? If you were wondering where to eat in San Luis Obispo (and where to find a good drink), hopefully you’ve got some good recommendations for your trip now. And as always, if you think I should visit a new spot to add to this list, please drop a comment below.
Happy eating and drinking in SLO!
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