The Tribune visited 7 SLO County spots on a $25 budget. Here’s what we tried

Tribune reporters have been fanning out across San Luis Obispo County to test reader-recommended restaurants, shops and activities on a strict $25 budget. From an Indian buffet in SLO to a used bookstore with resident cats in Grover Beach, here’s a rundown of the “On a Budget” series so far this year.

Here are key takeaways:

• Shalimar in San Luis Obispo offers a $17 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet with more than 15 options including tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala and palak paneer. SLO resident Kay Gore recommended a visit to the authentic Indian eatery because, “you will never leave hungry.” A reporter’s meal came out to $22.19 with tax and tip, according to a Tribune review of the Broad Street eatery.
• The Salon at Lucia Mar in Arroyo Grande offers haircuts, manicures, facials and other beauty services for $20 or less, staffed by Arroyo Grande High School and adult cosmetology students in a fully state-licensed program, per a Tribune reporter who got a $10 haircut and a $10 manicure.

• Bon Temps Creole Cafe on Osos Street has served New Orleans-style Cajun breakfast and lunch for 31 years, with new owner George Parsons taking over from Phil Lange in November while keeping the same staff and menu, as detailed in a Tribune visit where the Faitdodo skillet totaled $24.06.

• A reporter tried three thrift stores lining Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo — SLO Thrift, Fred & Betty’s and Lumina Thrift — with proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation, SLO Classical Academy and Lumina Alliance, where a reporter spent $15.22 on a sweater and a copy of the Odyssey.
• Bayside Cafe at 10 State Park Road in Morro Bay has served American and Mexican meals for 40 years next to the Marina Peninsula Trail. Owner Dawn Borst started the spot in June 1986 as a walk-up window and said it’s now a “mainstay in Morro Bay,” as the Tribune reported after ordering a $14 fish burrito.

• Nan’s Books and Crystals in Grover Beach stocks more than 75,000 used books and is owned by Grover Beach Mayor Kassi Dee, who took over from her grandmother Nan Fowler in 2020 and keeps two resident cats, per a Tribune bookstore visit. Another local bookstore, A to Z Books in Arroyo Grande, carries more than 40,000 books and was started in 1988 by Laura Mullen and her mother in Grover Beach. The store relocated to East Grand Avenue in 2008, with most titles priced at half their cover price, as the Tribune noted while picking up a $9.99 copy of “Notes from the Underground.”

• The Porch Cafe & Bar in Santa Margarita functions as a community living room for the town’s roughly 1,100 residents, with weekly bingo nights and Saturday live music. Chef Trevor Rocco and his wife Nikki reopened the restaurant in February 2023 after moving from Los Angeles. A Tribune reporter tried a $16 adult grilled cheese and a Coastal Peaks mango iced tea for $3.50.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.