Location: San Luis Obispo
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Best Italian food near San Luis Obispo, California, United States
Best Italian restaurants nearby. Discover the best Italian food in San Luis Obispo. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Italian restaurants near you.. Halfway between San Francisco and L.A., San Luis Obispo can be a relaxing getaway or a buzz of activity. For serenity, pack a lunch and head to one of dozens of wineries or take a drive to the beach for a leisurely swim. For a dose of history, visit the heart of the city at the beautiful Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Kids will love the Children’s Museum or Skate Park. Be sure to stroll along the creek downtown, where there are breweries, wine bars, restaurants and shopping for all tastes.
Things to do in San Luis Obispo
10. Pizza Solo
Overall Ratings
4 based on 35 reviews
Pizza Solo has been open for over 20 years on the beautiful Central Coast. We serve a variety of Italian cuisine and pride ourselves in our homemade sauces and dough. Customer service and a quality product are our main goals. Stop in and try our famous So
Reviewed By Supermomgeorgetown
Pizza was great. Lots of choices. Nice seating outside. Was a beautiful day outside and we enjoyed good food and atmosphere.
9. Upper Crust Trattoria and Catering
Overall Ratings
4 based on 129 reviews
Reviewed By BrunoCarreiroDaSilva
Very good Italian and Mediterranean style food. The service was very nice and we liked the food a lot. The menu offers a variety of options. If you want a comparison, I would say it is a little more sophisticated than Olive Garden but not a restaurant chain, so the price is higher at Upper Crust as expected and acceptable.
8. Olive Garden
Overall Ratings
4 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By gottcoke
Went here with wife, son and his girlfriend and her daughter. The food was great and soup and salad were also good. The waiter was giving my sons girlfriend a little extra helpfulness so we laughed at this but it was not over the top. Kids took leftovers with them and we all left full. Would eat here again.
7. Cafe Roma
Overall Ratings
4 based on 183 reviews
Since 1980, the Rizzo family has been serving authentic Italian cuisine in San Luis Obispo's Historic Railroad District. Enjoy homemade pastas, steaks, and seafood made from the finest local ingredients--classic dishes like Osso Buco with Saffron Risotto
Reviewed By jonr105
We love Cafe Roma and have given it five stars on prior reviews. We love the warm and comfortable ambiance as soon as we walk in. We enjoy the location, away from downtown. The staff are always exceptionally friendly (weâre talking about you, Marcus!). The wine selections are very good and the menu choices are interesting and dependable. Weâre always intrigued by their daily specials and have had an excellent experience with them. On this visit we ordered both of the specials, an Eggplant Parmesan and Halibut. The halibut was very good, although a bit understated in its seasoning and flavor. The eggplant dish was only average, both in presentation and preparation. Itâs the first dish Iâve had here that I would not order again. Before the entrees we shared a Cafe Roma Salad, which we think is one of the best in town. Itâs big enough to share.Service on this visit was as personable as always but somewhat slow and inattentive, which we felt was mostly a kitchen issue. The restaurant wasnât very crowded so there wasnât an obvious reason for the delays. Because we had an engagement later in in the evening, the delay kept us from ordering dessert, which weâve often thoroughly enjoyed here.So, a bit off step on this visit, but nothing that will keep us from returning again very soon.
6. Gennaro's Grill & Garden
Overall Ratings
4 based on 97 reviews
Gennaroâs Grill & Garden is located in a delightful Old Victorian setting. The cuisine is classic Northern Italian with a Continental flair that includes fresh seafood and vegetarian dishes. All our pastas are homemade, and our breads and desserts are pre
Reviewed By RICHARD C
This is in many ways one of the best Itallian restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Excellent food, attentive service, reasonable prices and an atmosphere that makes you want to stay and visit with your friends. It is truly a European dining experience not to be missed.
Where to Eat in San Luis Obispo: The Best Restaurants and Bars
5. Flour House
Overall Ratings
4 based on 110 reviews
Reviewed By laurennharvey
Flour House is unassuming -- it's name and decor is simplistic, sleek and modern. A stark contrast to the food, which is, as a whole, vehemently steeped in Italian tradition, executed with compassion, care and obvious knowledge of the cuisine. This place does not look like your run-of-the-mill 'upscale' Italian eatery, because, simply put, it's not. There is a bar complete with sports TV, where you may sit and simply enjoy a cocktail, and a fair sized floor for table seating as well as a heated back patio. I recommend eating inside, primarily because of two glass paneled sections where you can watch the creation of pizza and the fabrication of pasta, respectively. Yes, you can literally watch your pasta being made, pressed and carefully cut all before you eat it. Pizza making on display is not uncommon in any place -- but the making of the pasta is a different story. The fact that they take the time to handcraft their own pasta, is something they should rightfully be proud of. I recommend ordering like you really should at any Italian eatery -- family style. Share everything, that way you can try more. For four people, we ordered the Pane al Forno (Pizza Bread, basically), Arancini to share, and the Carpaccio di Bresaola salad to start. The Arancini was crispy on the outside and lusciously cheesy inside, just as expected. The Bresaola salad was a highlight. Thin slices of Bresaola (wine-cured beef) topped with arugula, tomatoes, Parmesan and a light lemon pesto dressing. Refreshing, salty and delicious!For Napoletana pizza, we ordered two: the Americana and the Capricoisa. Both were great, though I favored the Americana, with sopressata and basil. The pizza selection is generous, and there is something to satisfy everyone's appetite. A note on the pizza: as the menu explicitly states, it is in the style of Naples pizza. That means fired in a 1,000 degree oven. The fresh mozzarella (clearly sitting at the edge of the pizza prep table, slowly draining in a giant colander), is left melty and moist, so the bottom of the crust is not firm. It may not be what you are expecting, but it is how traditional Naples pizza is made. And in Naples, they are dead serious about pizza. On to the pasta. You can try whatever you'd like at Flour House, but please, you must order the Paccheri. Handmade pasta stuffed with crispy cured meats (mortadella), a decadent cream sauce and topped with a pistachio crumble. It is possibly one of the best pasta dishes I've had. Yes, I'd rank it next to the handmade gnocchi I ate in a back alley of Florence. It was that good. In general, the pasta dishes at Flour House have a creative edge. Not your standard meatballs and marinara, Flour House balances Italian tradition with culinary creativity. Simply put, Flour House did not dissapoint. But wait, dessert! The tiramisu was moist with a perfect balance of espresso bitterness and sugary sweet. The Millefoglie with pistachio and Chantilly cream was equally delightful. Overall, the Flour House was a worthy experience. The waitstaff was friendly and cheerful and the experience of watching our food made by hand was at the same time fascinating and familial. One last note: order a Chinotto (Italian Coke). It's a San Pellegrino beverage with hints of orange and anise. Palate cleansing and complimentary to the heavy cheese-laden Italian dishes, it's as unique as the experience Flour House offers: classic Italian food, prepared with respect for antiquity and just a dash of modern experimentation.
Best American food near San Luis Obispo, California, United States
4. La Locanda
Overall Ratings
4 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By MrandMrsJAS
We picked La Laconda because it was a block from our hotel and we were glad that we did. We had a delicious meal and received excellent service from our server, Luis.I had a buratta cheese and tomato salad, which was very similar to a caprese salad. It was so delicious that I could have had a second salad and that would have enough. For the main course, I had Duck a l'Orange with potatoes and green beans. My husband had a veal dish. We had also had wine.This is not a mass-market place with a multi-page menu. I recommend it to anyone who wants quality food in an intimate atmosphere.
Top 10 Asian food in San Luis Obispo, California, United States
3. Mama's Meatball
Overall Ratings
4 based on 276 reviews
Mama's Meatball offers authentic, homemade Italian dining & catering, Our chef cultivates and harvest most of the organic produce to be used in our menu from our garden's rich soil. The idea of a garden in the city is fascinating and it allows us to keep
Reviewed By MrGaucho1987
Mamaâs is popular for a good reason. They offer tasty Italian fare in a pleasant setting. Plus it looked like they do a good takeout business. The room is not classic American-Italian kitchen. It has a modern feel. The service, regretfully, was a little slow. But in this case, I blame management, not the server. I suspect they were a touch understaffed during our visit. As for the food, everyone enjoyed their meals, all served piping hot, with the exception of my daughter who thought the sauce was way too sweet. I always do chicken parm when I try a new Italian place and I loved the parm here. Well prepared and solid flavor. All in, there are a lot of places to eat in SLO and Mamaâs deserves your consideration. Make a reservation.
2. Buona Tavola
Overall Ratings
4 based on 349 reviews
Reviewed By traveldiva97
Iâm picky about my Italian food and thought this was great! Great service and nice atmosphere. Pricy but thought it was fair for the quality of food. Homemade pasta excellent. Was too full for dessert so canât comment. We sat inside, but looks like they have a nice patio. Will definitely go back.
Where to eat Japanese food in San Luis Obispo: The Best Restaurants and Bars
1. Giuseppeâs Cucina Rustica
Overall Ratings
4 based on 534 reviews
Welcome to Palazzo Giuseppeâs, downtown San Luis Obispo! Our Italian regional specialties are indicative to the Pugliese region in Italy, particularly Bari, a seaport on the Adriatic Sea from which most of our recipes originate. We hope you will enjoy and
Reviewed By Soulefulltraveler
We went twice for happy hour before the busy Thursday evening market. In nice weather the patio in back is really super. Cute. Quiet. Nice options of food and drinks for happy hour. Inside is also very nicely decorated. Very popular place right downtown.
Most Popular Deli food in San Luis Obispo, California, United States
