Hungry Mother folds Southeast Asian and Southern flavours into banh mi, po'boys and rice bowls on Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo's weekday lunch secret.
Signature: Banh mi, Rice bowls
Order: A banh mi, or the weekly special, which is usually a curry.
Tip: It closes at 15:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays and does not open weekends; plan a weekday visit.
Taqueria Santa Cruz Express turns out fast al pastor tacos and burritos on Monterey Street, the taqueria San Luis Obispo locals default to on a work night.
Signature: Al pastor tacos, Burritos
Order: Al pastor tacos with everything, plus a horchata.
Tip: The Foothill Boulevard branch at 862 Foothill runs later into the evening for the campus crowd.
1865 Craft House & Kitchen pairs modern American plates with a deep Central Coast tap list on Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo's motel-row gastropub.
Signature: Smash burgers, Craft beer flights
Order: A smash burger with a flight of Central Coast taps.
Tip: Weekend brunch starts at 10:30; book ahead if you are bringing a group.
Field Day Coffee pours precise pour-overs and espresso on Monterey Street, the light-flooded modern counterpoint to San Luis Obispo's older coffeehouses.
Signature drink: Seasonal single-origin pour-over
Tip: It holds the same 07:00-18:00 hours every day of the week, rare among the city's independents.
Taqueria Santa Cruz Express keeps tacos in the single digits on Monterey Street, the cheapest dependable hot meal in central San Luis Obispo.
Try: Al pastor tacos and burritos
Tip: The Foothill Boulevard branch at 862 Foothill runs later into the evening for the campus crowd.
Apple Farm Restaurant has poured coffee and scratch pancakes at its Monterey Street inn since 1977, San Luis Obispo's country-breakfast standby.
Order: Apple Farm pancakes with a side of the house apple butter.
Tip: Everything stops at 14:00; the French toast and eggs Benedict are the two orders locals defend.