San Luis Obispo (SLO) is a beautiful, green town with a lot of character and charm. If you live anywhere near California, it’s perfect for a weekend trip! My sister, Priyanka, kept mentioning how we should plan a sisters’ trip to SLO, so when I realized I had Good Friday off, I figured why not! We decided to leave after work on Thursday, which ended up being 8pm! And while there was zero traffic, let me tell you the 4 hour drive was not fun. I also took the second shift for the drive, so I was pretty exhausted. Definitely do not recommend this. Other than that, our trip was absolutely fabulous, and so I decided to make a quick travel guide on things to do and see!
Place to Stay:
We stayed at the cutest AirBNB located very close to downtown. It was a cottage style home with a gorgeous backyard with beautiful plants and lots of greenery. Staying at an AirBNB is probably the most cost efficient way to go, but if you are interested in staying at a hotel, I would recommend The Butler Hotel or Madonna Inn. When doing my research, I was drawn to the style of both these hotels.
Where to Eat:
Novo Restaurant and Lounge: My sister and I were invited to have a nice lunch at this very trendy restaurant, which is actually located inside an old historic cigar building! However, I recommend sitting outside on their patio, which is shaded by a ton of trees. It overlooks the SLO creek and has a really peaceful atmosphere and perfect to enjoy with a crisp glass of rosé! For lunch, Pri and I decided to split a peppered turkey and avocado sandwich as well as a bowl of salmon bisque. The sandwich was fresh and very filling. It comes with jarlsberg cheese, red onion, lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes, and chipotle aioli. We swapped the croissant out for whole wheat bread instead and were not disappointed with that decision. We were also very impressed with the flavors of the salmon bisque–super creamy and rich. I definitely recommend both! Next time, I would love to try their nachos. Check out their menu here.
Old SLO BBQ Co: This BBQ joint is located in the heart of downtown SLO as well. In fact, it’s walking distance from Novo. It’s a casual spot with lots of indoor and outdoor seating options available. They actually have a self serve bar tap where they offer 38 locally crafted beers as well as a few types of wine. The coolest part is you can drink as much as you want and not get charged an exuberant amount. They assign an automated card that will track how much you serve yourself. Essentially, you can have 10 sips of different types of beers and only pay for that quantity. Pretty nifty concept! Pri and I decided to try the rosé cider (yes I know, I’m obsessed). For lunch, two large plates filled with popular menu items were brought out. Let me tell you, we devoured everything! On our plate, we were served the strawberry field salad, Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip, slow cooked pulled pork, grilled chicken breast, cowboy corn pie, pinquito beans, and homemade garlic bread. Everything except for the garlic bread is gluten free! Also, all the sauces are homemade and so interesting (and tasty)! Have you ever had cilantro garlic BBQ sauce? My sister and I could not stop raving about the salad, which is odd for me, because I don’t usually like my greens. It was really fresh and the candied pecans with the gorgonzola cheese paired really well together. And of course, the meat was cooked to perfection! All the meat was really tender and you can tell a lot of thought and pride went into choosing the flavors and ingredients for their menu. If you’re ever in the area, you will not be disappointed checking this place out. Here is a link to their menu as well! And for any engaged couples who are planning to get married in SLO, they do have a large catering business!
Flour House: If you like Italian cuisine, then you should definitely check this place out. We came here for dinner with one of Pri’s friends from high school, and ordered a few items to share. We ended up choosing a cheese charcuterie board, a pacherri pasta, and a simple margherita pizza. The first two are pretty straight forward. I do need to call out the dough they use though. Absolutely to die for! I think Pri ate all the bread, which is good for me, since I’m trying to be low carb! (Akshay’s note: She’s definitely not trying to be low carb. Like…at all.) For those who don’t know, the pacherri pasta is large tube pasta filled with stracciatella (type of Italian buffalo cheese) and topped with taleggio cream sauce, crispy mortadella (reminded me of bacon), and a pistachio crumble. These dishes were so delicious I failed to take any photos, but here is the link to their menu!
Things to do
Tolosa Winery: This winery is a breathtaking place with amazing photo opportunities. We decided to do the $25 1772 wine tasting package where we enjoyed 4 of Tolosa’s signature wines. Pri and I decided to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the views of the lush greenery and beautiful mountainside. If you’re hungry, I recommend eating prior to visiting as they do not serve any food. It’s also a great place for photo opportunities (hence featured image). Why I brought a pineapple? Who knows!
Avila Beach: You definitely have to make time to visit this beach if you can! We came around sunset and parking was feasible, which is nice. A few restaurants and bars line the beach, so I would recommend grabbing a cocktail and watching the sunset. Unfortunately, we had plans so we couldn’t stick around for too long! Also, I’m not sure if this is a common event or not, but there was a farmers market with vendors selling food, fruit, and other small items. It smelled so good, we had to walk away.
Avila Ridge Trail: This trail is actually right next to Avila Beach and gives some pretty amazing views of SLO’s beach town. Let me tell you, the hike up was not fun, especially since I had a huge bag filled with an outfit and some canned wine I needed to shoot. Luckily, I had my hiking gear on (see proof below) because the hill is very steep and you definitely feel the burning lung sensation while climbing up. The hike up is only about 10-15 minutes and the views are absolutely stunning once you reach the top. Also, there’s a wooden swing that hangs from a tree that is perfect for photo shoots, so don’t miss out on that!
If you’re not able to drive around, then hanging out in downtown SLO is also fun! They have plenty of bars, shops, and food to explore.
While we were there for about a day and a half, I felt like it was the perfect amount of time to really get acquainted with the town. We were able to see a lot, but also relax and catch up. Paso Robles isn’t too far from here, so if you have more time, I definitely recommend venturing up there as well. Here’s a link to that blog post as well!
