I went again for my second time and omg it's very delicious. It doesn't disappoint! I tried a New dish the broccoli salad and omg it was so tasty and delicious. I really enjoyed the experience again . And the service is always amazing and kind . The ambiance was nice and comfortable. read more

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Just plain goodness. For whatever reason, Ember was exceptional this visit. I was so grateful. We took our best friend there for her birthday and this needed to be a special birthday. Ember delivered all the way through. The ambiance was lovely. They provided a s'more goo Turkish delight (not really, but...) Staff was warm and lovely. Thinking? Yes! Do it! read more

Ember - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Why have we not come here sooner?!? We have been to Arroyo many times but never Ember, and boy were we happy to find our new fave spot!! Farm to table style with a seasonal rotating menu. Last night we got the Fried Green Tomatoes, Pepperoni Pizza, and the Ribeye. The service was excellent, particularly Joey with the menu recommendations! The vibe inside is cozy and was fun to watch them work the pizza oven. Highly recommend, and we will be back!! read more

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We were just looking for a somewhat late dinner and we stumbled upon this gem. Service and food were fantastic! Ambiance was great! The kitchen is open concept and you get to witness the chefs attention to detail while they make your dish presentable in a timely manner. We had the oxtail appetizer topped with a nice jicama salsa that complemented it well. We also shared a chorizo/tomatillo pizza which had an amazing dough/crust. The service was delightful and friendly (even though we came in less than an hour before closing). read more

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Years ago I was driving Uber and brought some friends of the chef that had newly opened...Ember. I've since dropped several folks off for dinner but never have I actually eaten here. So dating a gal close by I thought it the perfect opportunity to check it out and here we are. I booked a table on line a couple days ahead of time, it was easy and fast. Two at 630 on Friday, patio please. We were promptly greeted and offered a beverage as it would be a few minutes before seating. M ordered a red wine which was in her hand at the same moment our table is ready...cool. Back to the patio we went a lovely duce under heater and a rather larger table than most. Hmm...quite the menu, short but with a original twist or variant for each item. What to try? Small plates, pizza, entrees and deserts...thinking...so picking our favorites, we shared and good thinking. Tada! roasted Chioggia Beets, Wagyu Beef Tartare. Followed by a Shaved Zucchini pizza and we finished with the Sablefish. Each item was perfectly fabulous on it's own, presentation, combination of complimentary items matched well. The Beets and the fish were my favorites, I brought home most of the pizza (12"). We skipped desert but would have ordered the strawberry pavlova. The experience was overall perfect without being pretentious, greeting, table service, knowledge and timing, kitchen no doubt cranking it out perfectly on a busy Friday night. I found Extraordinary flavors well combined to create a dining experience to be acknowledged and commended with five stars Thank you Crew good date meal Foodguy-martin read more

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The menus is great, serve was excellent and the ambience was also excellent. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Omg! Just Omg! This place is amazing! The food is so good! I got the half chicken and OMG! So flavorful! My husband got the rib eye and it was also super flavorful! Can't wait to come back! And the dessert!!!! Again omg! You have to try this place! read more

Wow wow someone please call an ambulance because I stuffed face that hard!!! This is an absolute jewel on the central coast! One of the best meals I've had in many years!!! But before the food- I first just fell in love with the building and decor. It's a refurbished barn, and the warm wood, copper bar and overall craftsmanship is superb! The executive chef is also a carpenter who helped create this amazing space. And the food! There is a strong emphasis to source and showcase central coast ingredients. Carissa at the bar was fantastic and friendly, and made me a custom boulevardier, which, who knew, made an excellent pairing with the pillowy rosemary focaccia!! The citrus salad was absolutely heavenly- the fruit was so fresh and juicy, with wonderful texture from the pistachios and salty bite from the feta. The mushroom pizza harkened back to a street fair in Naples, with rollable slices although I wish there had been more of the fabulous fungus- sourced right from Paso. For dessert, I nearly inhaled the entire mocha trifle. The mocha foam topping made this a dream come true, and I wish there had been an additional layer in the middle. But maybe I'm being greedy...it was a full house on a Thursday night with a good local crowd. I will absolutely be back. Thank you to the amazing crew at ember!!! read more

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First time here.... This place came recommended and now we know we know why. Amazing food (filet mignon and duck), but highlight was marshmallow+ice cream. Great place, very friendly, nice atmosphere. We'll be back. Ask for Megan as your waitress ;-) read more

Ember - Dessert - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Have been at least 30 times over the past 8 or so years. The first 4 or 5 years when they first opened were great, an easy five star. The last 3 or 4 years have been 3+ star visits. It is noticeable as years ago you couldn't get in without a reservation, and for the past 3 years or so we have been able to just walk-in. You would think the strengths would be pizza and steaks with the wood burning oven style kitchen, but sadly these are not at a Michelin mention level areas of the menu. Pizza is an under cooked mess, and we have ordered many times thinking it's a fluke, but it is the style. The dough cannot hold the toppings and the deck is obviously not hot enough to cook the middle of the pie. To add to it, the pie is cut in a way that accentuates the under done middle. Steaks are decent, but not the best in the area. Apps are great, fish dishes are good, and sometimes the pastas are good but under seasoned. Desserts are very good, with maybe a few misses over the years, but generally worth it. Cocktails have always been solid. A good thing, since the wine list is limited. The ambiance is rustic, but nice. It fits. The service has been really good most of the time, an occasional bad server. Can't fault the restaurant for an employee's bad day. 4 stars for still being one of the best restaurants in southern SLO county. We will still keep it in the rotation as we drive through the area once or twice a year. read more

My fiancé and I visited this restaurant for the first time today. Fresh rosemary focaccia bread and butter was delivered promptly with water. Our drinks arrived shortly thereafter and were delicious, he had a beer and I had a specialty gin cocktail. We started with the fried green tomatoes, which were topped with a shrimp ceviche and served over an avocado crema of sorts, this dish was absolutely delicious, perfectly balanced and crispy. We then shared the pepperoni and roasted pepper pizza, which arrived hot, this was also fantastic, house made dough and sauce. We also shared the 14oz ribeye with potatoes au gratin, roasted broccolini and cauliflower, served with an avocado chimichurri. The steak definitely left more to be desired, although it was cooked to our liking (medium rare), it lacked flavor overall and was a bit tough to chew. The au gratin potatoes were delicious as were the charred broccolini and cauliflower. The steak is the reason I'm giving four stars instead of five. Service was prompt and pleasant, we will definitely return in the future. read more

I LOVE ember! Food is always delicious! Every visit in the past, food was perfect. We had a girls night last night. Had reservation for 7. I checked in and table wasn't ready. It took about 10 minutes for them to get us a table ready. I always order the rib eye. I asked about the beef cheeks but it sounded like the portion would be too small so I ordered the rib eye and you really can't go wrong with it. I love the sides it comes with. The broccolini and cauliflower was delicious. The potato gratin is always amazing. Of course my steak was cooked to perfection (medium). I ordered the organic lemonade and that was really refreshing. The ambiance is great. We were able to hang out and talk. It was too quiet and wasn't too loud. It was BUSY when we got there. We were one of the last tables to leave. I will always come back to Ember. I love it for date night, special occasion, girls night, etc. can't go wrong. I wish I had room to try the desserts because they looked amazing! I saw the table next to us order 3.. yum! read more

Ember - Rib eye steak - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

The food and the service was amazing! It's a bit chilly in there so I would dress warm.

Food is great, but ambiance was terrible. Extremely hot inside in a summer afternoon, no ac snd the few fans are slow and aimed at a few tables. Their mussic was terrible and seemed aimed to get you out of there asap: noisy disco music from 70 80s that was playing loud and dimished their experience. Pizza had good flavor but an itallian would have been horrorized at the way it was cut: mesh like! Salad are very small but flavorful, steak was well cooked read more

Great place with delicious food. We had a great evening. The service was spot on and the food was excellent. It's a busy place (they do take reservations) and well worth it! read more

The food here is really good. Started with the roasted beets, pork ragu and fried green tomatoes. The beets came with a ricotta cheese great balance with balsamic. The pork ragu I ate it with the bread that is served complimentary; don't really need it but wanted to use it as a vessel. Fried green tomatoes were breaded and very delicious. I had the rib eye for my main dish it was cut where parts of it was thicker so it came out medium rare (which I ordered) and rare on some parts but I was okay with that. Did not have room for dessert. Service was good considering it was very busy for a Wednesday. Our waiter Michael was excellent the supporting staff is still going through the learning curve; not an issue with me; gotta start somewhere. Ambiance is like a n elevated roadhouse; with a huge wood fire oven and grill on the left as you enter. read more

Ember - Beets - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

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We were in San Luis Obispo for the weekend and a friend of our recommended this place. We made reservations and luckily we were seated in about 10 min. (The place was packed!) Great layout and open kitchen concept loved it! This place was very happening being a Saturday night. We ordered few different things: Winter Tricolored Salad: Toasted walnut, burrata and oranges tasted and paired really well. There was a great crunch and the dressing was really good. Totally worth it! Chanterelle Toast: This was off-menu special of the night. Very well prepared by the chef- buttery stock with mushrooms, toast and parsley! Absolutely delicious. Hope they add it to their menu. Rib Eye: Decent size rib eye; perfectly grilled with some charcoal flavor served with chimichurri sauce. It was perfect combination served with potato gratin, broccoli, and cauliflower. If you are looking for a steak - you will not go wrong with it! Stuffed Sole: Fish itself was great! Well presented but to me personally it lacked some flavors. Not my favorite for the night. My partner being pescatarian she felt like they didn't had much option among main course dishes. But over all it was great experience and I would definitely come back to try others dishes if I am in the area! read more

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The Ember is a hidden gem. While the menu is limited, it packs a punch. We had the pepperoni pizza and Alaskan King Salmon. Both dishes were excellent. The rustic decor and music was appreciated. It fills up fast and I understand why. The staff's customer service was excellent. Not only were we welcomed in by the staff, we were also thanked for coming by our waitress, Clarissa, the hostess, the manager her stopped by to check on us but also the chef. Excellent. Make your reservations early. read more

Make a reservation, this place is just THAT good and everyone knows it!! You can smell the nice char of the open kitchen's wood fired grill. EVERY dish was yummmmy as were the cocktails ---wood oven roasted squid: the flavors were so above and beyond, yum ---roasted beets: I've been sick of beets but this dish was addictive ---albacore crudo: a light refreshing dish ---lasagna and duck ragu: the pasta dishes! ---steelhead trout and chicken: the meat dishes! NOTE: They change the menu every month which keeps things fresh! read more

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Came here with a large party of 15 for a 50th birthday dinner and had an incredible experience. We sat in the covered, heated patio area and ordered three of the salads and each one was amazing, but the 2 peas roasted romanesco was exceptional. The trifle dessert also blew our minds. Had delicious rib eye, tasty extra dirty and espresso martinis. Great service, lovely atmosphere. We'll be back when we're in the area. read more

Food and service were fantastic. Ribeyes were cooked perfectly great flavor nice char on the steaks... read more

Ember - Ribeye, scalloped potatoes delicious broccolini. - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Fancy restaurant in an unassuming neighborhood. Small plates were delicious. We had the beef cheeks & yellowfin and both were melt in your mouth yum. I wouldn't order the pizza there again, just cause the bottom was black and didn't taste as good as it could. Top notch service. read more

We had never been there before. We were greeted with a smile and taken to our seats right away. Our waiter Michael was the best! He greeted us, helped us with the menu, made great suggestions, and gave us the right amount of time to decide. The food was so delicious. We both got excellent pieces of filet mignon. The au gratin potato's were very good. We tried the fried green tomatoes also and they were twice as good as we expected. We will definitely be back. read more

Always a great spot for dinner, drinks and appetizers or happy hour!! We especially love to go to Happy hour. The price is right!

Have since been back several times because the food is just that great. The chicken is back on the menu. The toasted marshmallow dessert is still so good. I have had many wonderful waiters ( Gabriel tonight) and waitresses and they now ask if we would like more bread. Have not gotten another Mai tai but have enjoyed cosmos and espresso martinis greatly. read more

This is truly an elevated experience. The food is always masterfully prepared. Staff are top of the line from front to back. The atmosphere is always pleasant and inviting. Always a good time. read more

My fiancé made a reservation here for my birthday and it was great! We got seated immediately, I will admit the restaurant was quite cold but no one else seemed to mind as everyone had their jackets off so maybe it was just me. They had a drink they took off their menu I had been eyeing, Snow Day at the Beach, but they were very kind and made it for me anyways! They start you off with free focaccia bread, while was lovely. I got the lasagna and my fiancé got the mushroom pizza. Both dishes were amazing. Honestly, the best lasagna I've ever had! We finished the meal off with the toasted marshmallow dessert, since it was so popular, but honestly it didn't live up to the hype for us. Just too many temperatures and flavors... we felt it would have been better with the marshmallow and cake, no ice cream. But others seem to love it! I would definitely be back here, I loved our main dishes that much. The service was great, we always felt attended to and our waiter was so nice. read more

Ember - Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream Coco Cake. - New American Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

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I have gone twice in the last 5 days. The ambiance is amazing the dining area and bathrooms are spotless. The service is impeccable you can get dressed up or you can wear jeans and a T shirt. The fried green tomato's and the pork belly appetizers were prepared nicely. Both had a depth of flavor that made you want to eat more. The 50 layer lasagna was one of the best I have tried. The hint of smokiness from the open fire cooking they are doing set this lasagna apart. The ribeye was cooked to perfection with a very complimenting avocado chimmichurri that elevated the beef. The chocolate cake with marshmallow topping and the play on strawberry shortcake we're both amazing desserts that were just rich enough to make you keep eating more. The attention to detail, the cleanliness and the great service make this one of my favorite places I have found to dine at on the central coast and I look forward to my next visit. read more

I've been coming to ember for over 6 years and love this place! Pizzas are extraordinary, the brick chicken is moist and flavorful. I've been to Chez Panisse and the taste at Ember is much better. read more

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Service was exceptional every step of the way. The food was amazing from the appetizer to the main course to the dessert. The vibe was awesome as well. read more

a good lean toward 3.5 stars Arroyo Grande is sleepy town and Ember is a beacon of light around these parts - it's the type of place you go if you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary or if you're from out of town looking for a nice dinner option. I was the latter. To start my friend and I shared the smoked steelhead trout ($14) with Belgian endive, fennel, golden beets, parsley, almond salsa, horseradish crème fraiche. This was very good. The endive/ fennel / golden beets combination offered a refreshing contrast with the smokey trout and welcomed spring in February with one fell swoop. And we ordered a pizza because I could never not. The pepperoni & fired roasted peppers pizza ($26) was fire. It comes topped with tomato sauce whole milk mozzarella, red onion, herbs & Parmesan. The whole milk mozzarella was a nice binder and better yet provided a nice stingy cheese pull. The crust was a little lacking. - a little undercooked and a little less than impressive undercarriage. For my entree, I opted for the house made boudin blanc sausage ($35). This came with buttermilk mashed potatoes + apple-braised cabbage. What is a boudin blanc sausage? Tis a mixture of lean white meat, milk, eggs, butter and lard. It tasted exactly as it is described - a tad mushy and overtly bland. It didn't do it for me flavor or texture wise. I would describe Ember as the nicest restaurant in a small town - a little fanciful and a little different than the typical, but the rickety wooden chairs, awkward dining configuration and subtle menu misses are just reminders that you're in Arroyo Grande. read more

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I've been treated well by the cuisine I've had in the SLO/Pismo area and Ember really follows suit. I found out they have 2 seatings per evening. An early seating and a later seating. If you are trying to have a longer than 90 min dinner, def choose the second seating as the first there will be a soft time limit. Check in with the server and they will let you order a drink and bring it to you while you wait for your table. I ordered the Purple Haze and it was really nice. I hat the tuna crudo as my late lunch had tied up some space in my stomach. It was FANTASTIC. I abstained from desert so I can't make any recommendations there but I will say if you choose to eat at Ember, you're probably gonna have a better meal here than you would elsewhere in SLO/Pismo. read more

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This is our first time in Arroyo Grande, coming from Oregon. Ember was highly recommended by a local. When we arrived around 7pm (w/o reservations) on Thursday night, there was a line out the door, with a packed parking lot. We decided to stand in line, and were seated right away. There were plenty of open tables, yet we were given a choice of the drafty table at the entrance or the table by the kitchen (which was almost in the kitchen, such that we found it entertaining watching the pastry chef make Yellow Peach Crostata. We were so close to the pastry chef, that we could chat with him) The Wood Oven Roasted Monterey Squid & Chorizo was so crazy delectable that I was looking forward to the entrées. The Paccheri Pasta & Duck Regu was equally worth ordering. Coming from Oregon, I ordered California Halibut. It was fresh and delicious, but underwhelming compared to the Halibut in Oregon. After watching the pastry chef make Yellow Peach Crostatas for over an hour, we decided to order it. It was also delicious but underwhelming. I expected fresh yellow California peaches but they were over cooked and wilted, such that I will pass on them next time. The overall ambiance and wait staff were great. After reading other Yelp reviews, if I ever come to Ember again, I will order 3 Starters & Share Plates and skip the entrées and dessert. read more

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Had my birthday dinner here and it was amazing. The food was great. The service was great. The drinks were fantastic. We both had the ribeye and it was cooked to perfection and the bread is always good. I hundred percent recommend this place. read more

Our waiter Bill was fantastic, and the ancillary wait staff was great too. Very attentive, filling water, offering more bread, promptly checking in to see how things were. The lasagna was DELICIOUS. I have never had any taste quite like it. It was so very flavorful! The pizza was also delicious as were the cocktails. We were too full for dessert, but they sounded really good. Great music playing and added to the vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant. All ages seemed to be there. read more

Never...have I enjoyed cauliflower. But the way they cooked it. Here was amazing.. Anastasia was our waitress and she was on point! Definitely coming back here! read more

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When I mentioned to someone about coming to ember, he said, oh it's not good. Don't go there. We had a reservation so we ignored his advice. So glad we did. Crispy quail - Absolutely delighted. Crispy and spicy. Loved it. So much flavor. Squid - Another surprisingly delicious appetizer. Spicy and crispy squid. Three white beans was nicely flavored and the charizo was very flavorful. Spicy and delicious dish. Pepperoni pizza - Very good pizza. The crust was fresh and charred to perfection. I believe there were anchovies there, a bit overwhelmed but still, along with the greens made it quite tasty. Surprising, I prefer the bianco because the pepperoni was on the salty side. Filet mignon - didn't taste the beef but it looks like the medium rare was done perfectly. The potatoes gratin was excellent. Doesn't have much cream but tasted the butter flavor it was really savory. Bianco pizza - The quality of cheese just exploded in your mouth. Though it didn't have anything but cheese yet it's delicious! read more

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Great service and delicious food - highly recommend! We had the Pizza Bianco (great for sharing as an app with a group). The fried green tomatoes app was also delicious. We also had the butter lettuce salad app which was fresh and delicious. I had the Halibut entree and it was also delicious. A few of us ordered the halibut and the portion sizes were inconsistent but the dish tasted great. Great restaurant for a date, group of friends or family! read more

Absolutely stunning. From the moment you walk in- beautiful vibe, extremely helpful staff, and off the charts food. I had the 50 Layer Lasagna, hands down amazing. Great high end old fashioned from the bar. We had a large party for a birthday and it was fantastic! Highly recommend. read more

Every time I've tried ember it's delicious and special! It's so funny the area is not really assuming, you'd think this places belongs more in the village but when you walk in the ambiance is great. We've tried the meats and pastas and pizzas and never had a dish we didn't like. read more