Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where San Luis Obispo actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where San Luis Obispo actually eats.
Woodstock's Pizza has fed Cal Poly students at Higuera and Osos for over three decades, the default late slice and pitcher stop in San Luis Obispo.
Signature: Pizza with cornmeal-dusted crust
Order: A large pie on the cornmeal-dusted crust, split over pitchers.
Tip: It serves until midnight most nights and 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, one of the last kitchens open downtown.
Old SLO BBQ Co. smokes Santa Maria-style tri-tip over red oak on Higuera Street, and keeps carving until 02:00 on San Luis Obispo's weekend bar nights.
Signature: Santa Maria-style tri-tip, Ribs
Order: Oak-smoked tri-tip by the plate, with pinquito beans and salsa.
Tip: There is a second counter at 3870 Broad Street; downtown is the late one, open to 02:00 Thursday to Saturday.
High Street Market & Deli has stacked sandwiches in a 1927 corner grocery since before San Luis Obispo had a food scene, with a cult 4:20 pm discount.
Signature: Stacked deli sandwiches
Order: Any signature sando made stoney, which piles on extra ingredients.
Tip: After 16:20 every day the sandwich price drops; students with ID get the deal all day Tuesday.
Lincoln Market & Deli, a 1941 corner store on Broad Street, stacks sandwiches like the Pastrami Sensation for San Luis Obispo families and Cal Poly students.
Signature: Pastrami Sensation, Almost Famous Breakfast Burrito
Order: The Pastrami Sensation on Dutch crunch, plus a fresh-baked cookie.
Tip: Morning pastries come from Back Porch Bakery and the coffee is Joebella; go early for the breakfast burrito.
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.
San Luis Taqueria grills burritos and enchiladas on Chorro Street until 01:00 on weekends, downtown San Luis Obispo's dependable after-bars kitchen.
Signature: Burritos, Enchiladas
Order: A carnitas burrito, which also happens to be downtown's best 00:30 decision.
Tip: Thursday to Saturday it serves until 01:00, later than nearly every kitchen downtown.
Ziggy's flips plant-based burgers and black bean taquitos near the Cal Poly edge of San Luis Obispo, with shakes that hide their dairy-free build well.
Signature: Black bean taquitos, Plant-based burgers
Order: Black bean taquitos under kale slaw and chipotle sauce.
Tip: The vegan menu is clearly labelled; order the house Ziggy patty over the Impossible if you want the original.
Seeds blends acai bowls, smoothies and paninis on Court Street plaza, San Luis Obispo's default refuel after a morning on the Cerro San Luis trails.
Signature: Acai bowls, Paninis
Order: An acai bowl and a pressed juice after the Cerro San Luis hike.
Tip: The Court Street patio catches morning sun; vegan and vegetarian builds are marked across the menu.
Del Monte Cafe has run as a family diner in San Luis Obispo's Railroad District since 1981, cooking breakfast through dinner a block from the Amtrak depot.
Signature: Chicken fried steak, Breakfast plates
Order: The breakfast plates before an Amtrak departure two blocks away.
Tip: Sunday service stops at 14:00; on weekdays it is one of the few diners serving dinner.
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.
Corazon Cafe is a family-run counter on Higuera Street pouring Southern Mexican coffee drinks with a rotating Latin brunch menu in San Luis Obispo.
Signature: Cafe de olla, Chilaquiles
Order: Cafe de olla with the rotating Latin breakfast plate.
Tip: The cafe de olla, spiced with cinnamon and piloncillo, is the order that sets it apart downtown.
Madonna Inn Copper Cafe serves all-day diner classics under hammered copper and pink leather, with the famous cake case by the door in San Luis Obispo.
Signature: Pink champagne cake, Diner classics
Order: Any diner classic followed by pink champagne cake from the bakery case.
Tip: The bakery counter sells whole pink champagne cakes to travel; slices go fastest on weekend evenings.
Mee Heng Low Noodle House has cooked chop suey on Palm Street since 1927, the last kitchen of San Luis Obispo's once-thriving Chinatown block.
Signature: Chop suey, Chow mein, Bao
Order: Chop suey from the wok, the dish this room has cooked since 1927.
Tip: The Kwong family took over in 2009, the third to run the house since 1927; the Ah Louis Store faces it across Palm Street.