SLO County’s only Moroccan restaurant to close as building faces demolition
Starting early next year, San Luis Obispo County will be without a Moroccan food restaurant for the first time in more than 30 years.
Oasis Restaurant & Catering, which can trace its time in the county back to its original 1994 opening on Foothill Boulevard, will close its current Pismo Beach location in February.
Chef Karim BenBrahim said that after three decades in SLO County — the past six of which were spent in Pismo Beach after Oasis’ San Luis Obispo location on Higuera Street closed in 2020 — he’s sad to see his doors close for reasons outside his control.
Next year, the current Oasis location, along with the neighboring abandoned gas station and a handful of small homes, will be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use project by developer Coastal Community Builders.
While the closure of Oasis in Pismo Beach isn’t easy, BenBrahim is already planning his next moves — including bringing his talents to the North County.
“The landlord sold the building and the gas station and the apartments to do the renovation here and to build apartments and all that stuff,” BenBrahim said. “I still have time left on the lease, but it’s easier to move out and take up your business and find somewhere else.”
Oasis to close its doors early next year
BenBrahim said when his building was sold to Coastal Community Builders, he didn’t find out until June when one of the nearby residents whose home was also sold let him know.
Since the Gateway project started making its way through the Planning Commission process that same month, business at Oasis has taken a hit, even as the restaurant has kept its doors open through its remaining lease, BenBrahim said.
Almost every day since then, Oasis has received calls from longtime customers asking if the restaurant is still in business.
“That’s where we started thinking to come up to an agreement where we can move out and find somewhere else,” BenBrahim said. “It’s not fun anymore.”
BenBrahim said he was particularly disappointed with the timing of the property’s sale because he had just invested in reworking the entrance of the building into a cafe space.
The century-old building on Price Street is a high-value piece of land due to its ocean views. It was formerly home to the Shell Cafe.
BenBrahim said he hopes to be able to get back to serving his customers soon.
“They are very loyal, but we apologize (and) we thank them for their support,” BenBrahim said. “Now it’s time for us to figure out the positive, to be able to redo the business again.”
Moroccan restaurant eyes Paso Robles location
As Oasis’ time in Pismo Beach comes to a close, BenBrahim and his wife Chantale BenBrahim — who’s co-owned the business since the mid-2000s — said they’re already looking for a home for their next venture in Paso Robles.
“We’d like to be in downtown,” BenBrahim said. “We always like to be in a nice location, but right now, every single spot is taken, but we’ll wait.”
For more information on the restaurant’s future, customers can keep an eye on its Instagram, @oasispismo.
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
