Hungry in SLO County? These restaurants, bars and coffee shops opened in 2021
The food and dining industry is still rebounding from the COVID-19 restrictions and closures, but these local business owners were undaunted by uncertainty.
In 2021, everyone from first-time entrepreneurs to longtime restaurateurs opened new establishments in San Luis Obispo County.
These San Luis Obispo County restaurants, sweet shops, breweries and other dining establishments opened in 2021:
Restaurants, coffee and sweets
Six friends pooled their money together to open Beerwood, a restaurant with a menu featuring a variety of options, including paninis, sliders and bratwurst as well as pasta, salads, soups and charcuterie. Drink options include beer, wine, seltzer and hard kombucha.
The restaurant opened at 690 Santa Maria Ave in April at the property that used to be Baywood Tavern.
Benny’s Pizza Palace and Social Club, San Luis Obispo
The new Detroit-style pizzeria moved from online orders to a brick and mortar location at 1601 Monterey St., where Pepe Delgado’s Mexican Restaurant used to be.
The restaurant, which has a devoted 6,000 Facebook followers, also serves mixed drinks, beer and wine for relatively low prices.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, San Lus Obispo
A sandwich shop franchise once honored for having the “Greatest Sandwich in America” opened its first Central Coast location in May.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is located at 791 E. Foothill Blvd., in the Foothill Plaza shopping center near Panda Express and California Fresh Market.
For adults, dining at Chilly Cones is a blast from the past — or a visit to the Midwest — with menu items like sloppy dogs and Frito Boats and nostalgic frozen treats like vanilla soft serve in a chocolate dipped cone, Dole Whips and ice cream sundaes.
Chilly Cones opened in May at 1474 E Grand Ave. in Arroyo Grande in the building that once housed another sweet treat shop — Gerald’s Old Tyme Chocolates.
Scoops of cookie dough that are egg-free and safe to eat? That’s what the Dough Connection, which opened in July at 913 Embarcadero in Morro Bay, is serving up.
The confectionery shop serves cookie dough scoops, cookie dough sundaes, dough-stuffed cookies, homemade Pop Tarts and dough-stuffed Rice Krispies.
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In its first month in Arroyo Grande, the Portland, Oregon-based coffeehouse chain, Dutch Bros, donated 100% of profits to medical first responders.
Dutch Bros is known for serving an eclectic mix of coffee, energy drinks, smoothies and other drinks at its two-lane drive-through and walk-up counter. The coffeehouse is located at 1259 E Grand Ave., in the old Broadway Bagels building, in Arroyo Grande.
Haute Sugar Company, San Luis Obispo
The San Luis Obispo business that offers “couture cotton candy,” ice cream and beverages expanded with new products and a small fleet of food trucks in 2021. The catering line now has three new concession trucks to better accommodate events.
The business serves up classic sodas, sheep’s milk ice cream from Negranti Creamery in Paso Robles and Cali-Squeeze beer.
The restaurant at 1019 Santa Ynez Ave. in Los Osos, formerly Jimmy Bump’s Pasta House, reopened this year with a new name, Hazards, and a new chef, Sarah Mavety.
Diners can expect house-made versions of pastas, pizzas, salads, appetizers and desserts from Mavety’s restaurant, named for Hazard Peak at nearby Montana de Oro State Park and a much-loved local surf spot.
In July, the owner of the popular San Luis Obispo sandwich shop, High Street Deli, opened a second location at 1326 Second St. in Los Osos.
The deli also has a kid-friendly patio complete with a play kitchen and bottle shop selling beer and wine from small, family-owned wineries, beer and other curated goods.
Jimmy D’s Spaghetti Joint, Grover Beach
James “Jimmy” Delmore aims to bring the families of San Luis Obispo County together over a comforting bowl of spaghetti at his new casual, friendly restaurant in Grover Beach.
Delmore is no stranger to the San Luis Obispo County culinary scene having opened at least three restaurants, but the spaghetti joint at 1301 West Grand Ave. is his first in Grover Beach. Diners can expect Italian classics like eggplant Parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs and more at the latest joint.
A new Cambodian restaurant serving tapas, wine and cocktails opened in September at 1035 Chorro St. near Luna Red and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in downtown San Luis Obispo.
The restaurant draws on flavors from the owners’ Khmer heritage in tapas, wraps, tacos and skewers, according to the restaurant website.
The Turkish-style dessert shop opened in September at 715 Higuera St. between Blackwater clothing store and Buffalo Pub and Grill.
Like its sister location in Santa Barbara, Lokum specializes in traditional desserts such as baklava and Turkish delights, as well as authentic coffee and tea drinks.
Monika’s Macarons, San Luis Obispo
The San Luis Obispo bakery opened for takeout at 1127 Broad St., Suite A, in January.
Monika’s Macarons specializes in French-style macarons — delicate meringue-based cookie sandwiches in a variety of colors and hand-painted with artistic designs — as well as gluten-free eclairs and other pastries.
Nate’s on Marsh, San Luis Obispo
“Deep down, people just want a really good pasta, and steak and red wine,” said Nathan Long, a Cal Poly graduate and the owner of the new Italian eatery that opened in October.
The upscale casual restaurant located at 450 Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo serves American cuisine with an Italian soul, Long said. Diners can expect to find steak, pasta and, of course, red wine.
Negranti Creamery, Atascadero and Paso Robles
It was a busy year for Negranti Creamery, which specializes in sheep’s milk ice cream.
The Paso Robles-based business, which launched its first brick-and-mortar location in Tin City in 2017, opened its second scoop shop at 211 Pine St. in Paso Robles in May and opened a third ice cream store at 6090 El Camino Real in Atascadero in August.
Drinks are paired with dishes at this gourmet market, delicatessen and restaurant, which opened in February at 1039 Chorro St.
In addition to picnic baskets, Park 1039 plans to offer private wine dinners and launch a wholesale business providing cheese and charcuterie plates to winery tasting rooms, hotels and markets.
Suprema Meat Market, Atascadero
Experience more than 10 different marinades on chicken, seafood, pork and cuts of Harris Ranch beef at the new Mexican-style meat market in Atascadero.
The meat market and taqueria opened at 8950 Montecito Ave, the former Tastee Freeze location, in Atascadero in July.
SLO Delicious Bake Shop, San Luis Obispo
Fresh-baked pastries, handmade chocolate truffles, sandwiches and more are on the menu at this boutique bakery, which opened at 1129 Garden St. in June.
The space was previously occupied by Fromagerie Sophie, a cheese shop that closed in 2019.
Teazer World Tea Market, San Luis Obispo
In March, the chain opened its first teahouse outside the Central Valley in the former home of Peet’s Coffee at 1075 Court St., Suite 110. Teazer also has locations in Clovis and Fresno.
The popular Southern California sandwich chain opened a second location in the county at 924 Rancho Parkway in Arroyo Grande in November.
The fast casual spot already has a location in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Here are some of the other eateries that opened last year:
- Golden Corral in Santa Maria
- Scout Coffee at Cal Poly and in Morro Bay
- See’s Candies in Pismo Beach
- The Perfect Scoop in San Luis Obispo
Bars, breweries, cannabis and wineries
Ancient Owl Beer Garden and Bottle Shop, Atascadero
The family-friendly Ancient Owl Beer Garden and Bottle Shop opened in June at 6090 El Camino Real Suite C and is part of a new development made out of shipping containers.
The owners have set out to serve beer options at their outdoor beer garden that can’t be found elsewhere in San Luis Obispo County. So far, they’ve discovered brews in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego and Monterey, and plan to keep exploring California’s beer selection.
The Carrisa at SLO Brew, San Luis Obispo
The owners of SLO Brew closed the establishment as a full-scale bar and restaurant in March due to COVID-related concerns and reopened the space at 736 Higuera St. under a new business model.
The Carrisa at SLO Brew is a venue for weddings, parties, corporate events and holiday gatherings, and the company continues to operate SLO Brew Lofts, a collection of five luxury short-term vacation rentals located above The Carrisa building.
Crazy Women Cellars, Paso Robles
In July, a new tasting room opened at 1244 Pine St., Suite 106A in Paso Robles that celebrates the women who changed history.
“It’s meant to be an homage to all the women who made a dent in the universe,” said Crazy Women Cellars owner and winemaker Chris Bennett, who started making wine with locally sourced grapes in 2020.
Bennett offers six wines at his tasting room: viognier, grenache blanc, rosé, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and Brooklyn ‘37, grenache merlot blend.
Kulturhaus Brewing Company, Pismo Beach
Octoberfest is year-round at Kulturhaus Brewing Company — a new Pismo Beach brewery serves German-inspired cuisine alongside its own brews.
Every beer is given a German name and is designed to balance the flavors of the German-style cuisine like sausages, house-made pickles and more that are served at the brewery, located at 779 Price St.
Pair with Dead Oak, Atascadero
In September, Dead Oak Brewery expanded to Pair with Dead Oak, adding an upscale pairing menu and open air kitchen to its Atascadero location at 5925 Entrada Avenue near the Sunken Gardens.
Patrons can enjoy nontraditional wine and beer pairings, like white wine and chocolate cake, with a menu designed around the beverage options.
Natural Healing Center, Morro Bay
The Natural Healing Center carries more than 1500 cannabis products and opened its second location in Morro Bay in April. The company was started by a Cal Poly graduate and features non-psychoactive products to suit the needs of every customer. The cannabis store is at 495 Morro Bay Blvd. and has two other San Luis Obispo County locations.
Announced in 2021 and coming soon
Jay Bird’s Chicken, San Luis Obispo
Fried chicken lovers know there is nothing like a Nashville hot chicken, which is the belle of the ball at Jay Bird’s Chicken, coming to the San Luis Obispo Public Market at Bonetti Ranch at 3845 S Higuera St.
Diners will order fried chicken at five different spice levels and have it as tenders, chicken and waffles, and even the MacDaddy, a sandwich featuring chicken breast topped with mac ‘n’ cheese.
Cane Tiki Room, a coming Paso Robles-based establishment, will serve Tiki and craft rum-based cocktails, like Mai Tais, mojitos and punch bowls, plus Polynesian finger food.
The bar will be located at 1240 Park St. in Paso Robles. Cane Tiki Room is the fourth local establishment launched by the owners of Paso Robles restaurants Fish Gaucho and Pappy McGregor’s and cocktail bar Eleven Twenty Two.
Torricella Pizzeria, San Luis Obispo
Torricella Pizzeria started as a Central Coast catering business but will soon have a brick-and-mortar location where it will serve Italian favorites like Neapolitan-style pizzas, salads, pastas, gnocchi and risotto.
The restaurant is coming to San Luis Obispo Public Market at Bonetti Ranch at 3845 S. Higuera St.
LouLou Cheese Girl, Atascadero
Maliysa Lou, who owns the catering company LouLou Cheese Girl, is open a brick-and-mortar store with the same name in Atascadero’s new development, La Plaza.
The shop will serve everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to carefully arranged charcuterie boards, as well as beer and wines. Maliysa Lou started her business about three years ago by catering cheese boxes and specialty grilled cheese sandwiches out of her trailer at wineries.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Hungry in SLO County? These restaurants, bars and coffee shops opened in 2021."
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to note that Jay Bird’s Chicken, LouLou Cheese Girl, Toricella Pizzeria and Cane Tiki Room have not yet opened.
