Nautical Bean opens new SLO County coffee shop. Take a look inside ‘quirky’ cafe
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Nautical Bean opened its fifth cafe in Morro Bay over Labor Day weekend 2025.
- The cafe features 80s and 90s memorabilia and seating for over 40 patrons total.
- Owner Brett Jones cited food range and decor as key brand elements and draws.
Popular local coffee chain Nautical Bean has launched a new location in San Luis Obispo County.
The funky, memorabilia-filled shop opened its doors at 911 Main St. in Morro Bay just ahead of Labor Day weekend to a rush of customers, Nautical Bean owner Brett Jones told The Tribune.
“Friday, Saturday, Sunday — bangers,” he said. “We didn’t do any kind of grand opening. It was just ... you turn on the lights and let people come in.”
The string of family-owned cafes is well-known for its “pop culture personality” and unpretentious coffee, according to its website.
Nautical Bean’s new Morro Bay coffeehouse is the chain’s fifth location in SLO County — and its first in the coastal city. Nautical Bean also has a cafe in Baywood and three sites in San Luis Obispo.
Nautical Bean opens new SLO County location
Jones said he chose to open a new cafe in Morro Bay since it’s one of his favorite spots to visit in the county.
“We’re a little bit quirky as a coffee shop,” he said of Nautical Bean. “It seemed like we’d be a good fit.”
Jones said he spent more than two years searching for a storefront in Morro Bay before he discovered the perfect Main Street spot: the former location of Morro Bay Butcher & Deli. The butcher shop closed in April after five years in business.
Jones told The Tribune that he admired the 76-year-old building’s Art Deco look and decades-old history in the coastal city.
The Main Street storefront was built for food service, he said, and electrical and plumbing fixtures were already in good condition.
It only took a few months to get Nautical Bean’s new location up and running, he said.
The Morro Bay cafe officially opened Friday, Aug. 29.
“We just had to put a little bit of makeup on it and build some seating, some benches,” Jones said. “It came out great.”
The coffee shop seats around 22 people inside, while outdoor tables can accommodate about 20 patrons.
New Morro Bay cafe packed with pop culture memorabilia
At the new Nautical Bean, an array of antique lunches boxes fill the space, along with framed posters of old movies, actors and boy bands.
Dozens of skateboards perch on the walls — representing only a small fraction of Jones’ 400-piece collection.
“People always joke, and they say, ‘Brett, you only open cafes because you have a lot of crap you want to put up on the walls,’ ” Jones said with a laugh. “And I go, ‘Well, that’s probably about 50% of it.’ ”
He said stepping into a Nautical Bean coffee shop is like taking a peek inside his brain.
The 1980s and 1990s objects decorating the Morro Bay cafe are essential to the blast-from-the-past brand Jones has spent more than two decades building, he said.
“This one comes after about 23 years of making bad mistakes,” Jones explained.
“I learned in the other cafes of what not to do, and we’re able to implement those things here,” he added, such as how to make drinks and food more efficiently.
What’s on the menu at local coffee shop?
The new Nautical Bean in Morro Bay serves a similar menu to the chain’s locations in Baywood and San Luis Obispo, Jones said.
The beverage menu offers a wide range of pump drip coffees, espresso drinks, teas and blended drinks.
The coffee shop also sells a variety of breakfast and lunch items, including pastries, bagels, burritos, salads, sandwiches and wraps.
Jones said Nautical Bean’s extensive food and drink options are what sets it apart from other coffee shops in the area.
“We’re almost kind of like a bistro, so I think that kind of separates us a little bit,” he said. “We still do a lot of those iced and blended drinks that a lot of people don’t do as much anymore.”
What are open hours at Nautical Bean in Morro Bay?
Jones said open hours at Nautical Bean’s newest coffee shop are still in flux as the cafe completes its first week of business.
Currently, the Morro Bay Nautical Bean welcomes customers from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
