New cafe to open in downtown SLO as ‘little sister’ of nearby Italian restaurant
When walking down quaint Garden Street in downtown San Luis Obispo, one can’t help but notice a new bright pink storefront — the soon-to-be Frankie’s Garden Street Caffè.
Located at 1129 Garden St., nestled between Hotel Cerro and Dunites Wine Company, the vibrant shop’s owners have visions of opening a simple Italian sandwich and coffee shop that serves nothing but an authentic experience one could have in Florence, Italy.
Nicole and Artin Safari purchased the space after it went up for sale when the former SLO Delicious bakery closed up shop in November 2025. The Safaris also own the neighboring restaurant La Locanda, so one could say, the couple know their way around Italian cuisine.
Their business model lies in their culture, she explained.
Her being Armenian, and her husband Armenian and Italian, the two have found that the roots of both cultures are food and family, which is the type of atmosphere they want to create in their restaurants.
Nicole said that this new café is considered the “little sister” of La Locanda, which will serve light eats and coffee during the day, while La Locanda serves dinner at night.
“We started brainstorming what could we do, and we’re like, we can make a sandwich shop, a daytime cafe,” Nicole said. “It’s going to be an elevated cafe where we can bring our neighborhood customers here during the day to Garden Street because we have a great following and so many regulars that we’ve developed relationship with.”
But the two of course had to include their 4-year-old “firecracker” daughter named Frankie.
“She’s just a fun ball of energy,” Nicole said. “She loves food — pasta, pink ham. We have a pink ham sandwich for Frankie’s. And she knows she has a restaurant. She’s telling all her friends. She comes in here, and she rearranges all the cups.”
Artin added with a laugh, “Maybe we should start putting her on the payroll.”
What’s on the menu at Frankie’s?
Artin’s the brains in the kitchen, who’s designed the menu for Frankie’s cafe.
“The menu is basically all kinds of like Italian prosciutto, mortadella,” he said. All of which are imported directly from Florence.
Alongside sandwiches, the menu will include salads, soups, pastries, coffee, wine and beer — but the Safari’s want the shop to be best known for its sandwiches.
Nicole said, “We’re really excited to offer like another place where people can come grab a coffee, a sandwich, a pastry you know, just have a glass of wine with friends.”
Frankie’s Garden Street Caffè is anticipated to open around the end of July if everything goes according to plan, the couple said.
