San Luis Obispo Restaurants

This is the San Luis Obispo hot spot for breakfast. If you get here after 9am there is a line outside. Excellent food in a old school style. In other words, heaps of hash browns, huge ham slices. Big Omelets and never ending coffee. No fu fu crap here! Bring an appetite and a book in case you are caught waiting. WELL worth the wait though, and reasonably priced, (for California anyway).

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We had a very nice meal at the Gardens of Avila at the Sycamore Springs Resort a few days ago while on a day trip to the Central Coast. The ambiance is very nice, I enjoyed the Salmon entree with a glass of local Pinor Noir. We also shared the Spinach & Prawn salad which was great. The bread here is very fresh, housemade with fresh herbs, served warm and very yummy!

Favorite Dish: Spinach Salad, Salmon

Was on a bike ride and came across this little cafe. After I was done, I picked up my friends and we headed over here and ate the most amazing French toast! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! The people are nice and the atmosphere just is so relaxing! It's a must see if you want to go to a place that's off the map for the main Sunday brunchers!!!!

Favorite Dish: The French Toastman

Firestone's is one of the most popular places to eat in San Luis Obispo. On any given evening the line stretches out the door. There are several dishes to choose from including chicken strips, fries, drinks (there is a bar there also), tri-tip sandwiches, salads, and hamburgers. It does tend to get a little pricey, but is worth it. This isn't the restaurant you'll want to attend for a nice, quiet dinner as there are big screen TV's in the bar area, and lots of noise. There is indoor seating as well as outdoor.

Favorite Dish: Firestone's is famous for many dishes, but my personal favorite are their chicken strips. They are very tasty and cost $5.50 which gives you a large enough portion to share. The fries are also delectable, due to their spicy seasoning. The fries come as a "side of fries" or a "basket of fries." These are LARGE portions. Unless you have a lumberjack joining you for dinner, I would recommend the side. This usually is enough for a party of 3 or 4.

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Walking around San Luis Obispo at the lunch hours and the aromas of cooking foods fill the air from the many restaurants, pubs, and bars on the main street, Higuera. All that walking in the morning can build up a hunger in one and the scent of Chinese food wafting through the air, caught my nose.

Walking inside the Golden China Restaurant, I went to the long tables of Chinese dishes filled with many different types of foods, from rice and noodles to beef & broccoli and Egg Foo Young. Oh, I didn't see my Kung Pao Chicken or the Mu Shu Pork that I crave, but it looked decent and inviting. I tried many of the dishes and although the flavors started to all taste the same there were several that stood out. All in all, not bad for all you can eat Chinese food.

Favorite Dish: I tried the Egg Foo Young first because that to me is a good indicator of quality and I must admit that the dish was done quite well. The egg was kept a little moist and the flavors all came through. A beef & broccoli dish was to my liking because the broccoli was al dente and the beef had a nice sauce. Surprised to see vegetable tempura but there it was with onion rings and sweet potato slices. The Wontons were nice as well. I felt that the soft noodles were done to perfection.

The problem is that many of the dishes were without a sauce as the sauces were separated and you had to try about five different sauces to find the one that seemed to fit the dish. Once the right combination was found, the different dishes had a more pronounced flavor all it's own. As I said before, not bad for all you can eat Chinese.

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Capturing the essence of Mardi Gras, Bon Temps Creole Cafe has all the foods of Cajun country. Not that much to look at, sort of a roadside cafe feel, but there is everything from red beans and rice to gumbo ya ya. Bon Temps serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, opening at 7 am till 9 pm closing.

The ambiance is casual and friendly and helpful staff to make sure you are happy. Mardi Gras beads are scattered about and the colors of Mardi Gras shine on the glitter streamers on the walls. The night that my wife and I were there, a father and son duo gave us some good times songs and great guitar picking to liven things up.

Favorite Dish: I ordered the seafood gumbo and it was s-p-i-c-y. Lots of seafood portions in the dish but I would have preferred a thicker gumbo. My wife had the shrimp & andouille pasta jambalaya which she said was great. I was able to sample this dish and it should have been my choice. Yummy. All in all, if you are looking for that New Orleans taste, go to Bon Temps.

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Heading for the coast of California near Pismo Beach or San Luis Obispo? Well, right in the midst of the ocean and sand to the Mission in SLO sits a must do restaurant if you love steak or western theme diners. F.MCLINTOCKS SALOON & DINING HOUSE is off Hwy 101 in Shell Beach. You can't miss their signage, a big carved wood cowboy.

Now, if you don't have the time to wait for 4pm to roll around, then San Luis Obispo's F.MCLINTOCKS SALOON is for you. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served at this location. It may not be as nice or interesting location as Shell Beach but it is in downtown SLO. The luncheon menu not only has western style foods but also great sandwiches and that ever lovin' Rib-Eye Steak, medium rare, please. Breakfast starts at 7:00am, Lunch and Dinner at 11:30am with Dinner ending at 9:00pm.

Favorite Dish: Hold onto your hats! Turkey Nuts! Yep, ya heard right pardner. NUTS! They are a hit with the diners and patrons gobble up over 10,000 pounds of Nuts a year. Ouch! Bad pun! Of course, a great Rib-Eye with all the fixin's taste mighty good too, pilgrim..

Jaffa Cafe offers many tasty varieties of wraps, gyros, kabobs, etc... with choices of chicken, lamb, or vegetarian. There is a big menu behind the counter, and the drinks are over to the right behind the glass doors. Good amount of seating available, with a few TVs against the wall (I've seen football and soccer on when I've been there). The owners are very friendly (they are often there) and every dish I've sampled has been great. The last time I was there they gave us complimentary baklava (highly recommended) along with overall great food and service.

Favorite Dish: My favorite is the plate of lamb shawarma - you get about twice as much meat if you get the plate as opposed to the wrap. Very tasty meat, seasoned well, served with hummos and homemade pita bread. I've only tried about 4 dishes here, but they were all very good.