2 SLO County sports bars closed suddenly — but a familiar name is moving into one
Two SLO County sports bars closed up shop recently, but luckily for pizza lovers, a familiar name is already moving into one of them.
After three years of business, Marv’s Pizza and Sports Bar has closed its doors at 729 12th St. in Paso Robles, former USC basketball coach and Paso native Bob Cantu announced on July 1.
“I have sold Marv’s Pizza and Sports Bar in Paso Robles,” Cantu posted on social media site Threads. “I will keep the naming rights and trademark and will be able to sell it to someone who wants to continue the Marv’s Pizza tradition since 1991. Please contact me. Very fair price.”
“It’s time to attempt to get back into basketball full-time,” he said.
Keeping the location’s 35-year-long pizzeria tradition alive, however, is Antonia’s Pizza, currently located at 891 Higuera St. in downtown San Luis Obispo.
“New owners, same love for pizza,” Antonia’s Pizza owner Shadi Bashi posted on Facebook July 1.
Bashi told The Tribune they hope to open up in Paso before the Mid-State Fair on July 15.
“It’s the same Antonia’s as our downtown San Luis Obispo spot, which is definitely staying open,” he said. “We’re just growing to share what we do with the Paso community too.”
History of Marv’s Pizza location
Marv’s Pizza shop has seen various owners throughout its 35 years of operation, but it was basketball coach Cantu who reimagined the existing pizza spot into a pizzeria and sports bar in 2023.
The remodeled restaurant featured sports memorabilia such as autographed jerseys, plus several large TVs displaying a variety of different sports games, which were inspired by Cantu’s lengthy sports past having played on the Paso Robles High School varsity basketball team before graduating in 1992, then coaching at Mission Prep, Cuesta College, Cal Poly and Sacramento State before heading to USC and University of Texas at El Paso.
The menu included pizza, chicken wings, pasta, sandwiches and salads.
SLO pizza, sports bar also closed
Cantu also owned another sports bar in downtown SLO — Bob Cantu’s Pizza and Sports Bar at 1131 Broad St. — which opened in February 2025.
While Cantu did not specify if the SLO location was for sale in the Threads post, upon walking by, Bob Cantu’s Pizza and Sports Bar did appear closed as well — devoid of tables, chairs and TVs on July 7. There were no signs displayed to clarify the future of the sports bar, either.
Bob Cantu’s Pizza and Sports Bar’s website was not accessible as of Tuesday, and its location was listed as “temporarily closed” on Google search.
Cantu did not respond to The Tribune’s request for further comment.
