In SLO for a business trip.... First meal and it was absolutely delicious! From first bite to last,…read moreand the service throughout, this will be a list-repeat spot for sure! Pros- service (Macon) was great from the moment we sat down at the bar. My husband and I came in at 6pm, on a Tuesday, and this place was hopping! The complimentary bread and dip were a delicious start to a truly tasty meal. I'm planning to replicate it at home! We had the beet salad, carne (skirt steak special), and the best carrot cake I've ever eaten. The texture had some similarities to a tres leches cake, I think they soak in some sugar or honey water in/on it... it was super yummy! The cake had a homey familiarity to it, but it also tasted like something completely new to me too. I loved it!! I will be in SLO every so often for work, my husband says it's the only place I need to come to, lol! No cons- mmmm, maybe make reservations, if possible. We walked from our hotel here and no place was as busy as here!

Giuseppe's Cucina Italiana has a 4.2-star rating on Yelp, so my wife and I decided to give it a…read moretry. When we arrived, the host told us there would be a 15-minute wait, so we waited outside. We were seated about 15 minutes later, and our waiter came over to take our order. My wife just ordered a salad. I asked the waiter about the Capesante e Gamberi dish I had seen on Yelp. He explained the ingredients, and I gave him a thumbs-up to indicate that I was interested in ordering it. Perhaps the restaurant was too noisy for us to hear each other clearly. The waiter left the menus on the table but never returned to check whether I was ready to order. Eventually, I had to raise my hand to get his attention. When walked by our table he never checked to see if we needed more water or anything else. Based on my dining experiences, I would normally expect a server to return after leaving the menus to see whether the guests are ready to order. I found it unusual that this didn't happen. I don't want to jump to conclusions based on a single experience, and I cannot say for certain whether the service we received had anything to do with bias. However, the combination of these interactions left me feeling uncomfortable and wondering whether we were being treated differently. I kept calm and still tipped as a good human being. Life is too short to let people affect me. Hopefully, this was simply an off night, but unfortunately, our first impression was not a positive one, and the service left us with little desire to return.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!…read more As always... excellent pasta! Lasagna Bolognese was delicious!! That béchamel sauce is incredible. Also had the Burrata Al Modo Puglia which was to die for!! Lastly, had the Fettuccine Alla 'Emiliana and I tell ya... that homemade pasta melted in my mouth... soo amazing!! Staff at first was a little non existent... they sat us and then ignored us while bringing bread and water to everyone around us ... but once Melissa came to greet us - all was good. She was very friendly and super helpful in choosing our meals and wine. And she just had great energy and a great sense of humor. It is a small place ... so be sure to make a reservation! Street parking only... make sure you check the meters! Would I go back? Yes

Good food, very unfortunate service--enough so to warrant this review…read more We had a 7:15 reservation and arrived around 7 to see if maybe they could fit us in early, but that wasn't possible. No problem at all--not expected and no big deal. The hostess wasn't overly friendly, but everyone (including her) seemed to be very busy and filling multiple roles, so we chalked it up to that. We came back at our designated time and were told by the same hostess that our table was not ready--they were paying--and to expect another 15 minutes. This was communicated with zero kindness or apology and had more of a "that's too bad for you" vibe to it. We were told told to walk around the block. Really? At this point, I'd just categorize the hostess as rude and we honestly should have just gone somewhere else at that point because the service didn't get better. When we were seated (in their very nice and well-decorated inside tables) we were offered water and told bread would be coming, which was very welcome given that it was now 7:45. Our waiter disappeared at that point and about 10 minutes later the hostess appeared for us to order some wine. We also asked after the bread and finally got some. 10 minutes later a NEW waiter came and took our order. The food itself was very good but could not eclipse the rude, chaotic, and disorganized service. I am not an industry expert but it seemed like they need to employ some bussers. The current model looks to have everyone over-worked, dropping the ball, and--frankly--not that friendly.

I very rarely hop on Yelp to leave a review. Having worked in restaurants since I was 15, I tend to…read moreassociate Yelp with people sharing negative experiences. However, I wanted to take the time to recognize Buona Tavola's incredible owner, Andrea Fabbretti. I couldn't help but notice Andrea personally serving the tables around us, including ours. You can immediately tell how much he cares about his guests and how passionate he is about both the food and the overall experience. He shared that he is from Italy, which absolutely comes through in the thoughtfully selected wine list and delicious pasta dishes. We had a wonderful experience, and I'm so happy to see his restaurant doing well. It is very well deserved!

This was my favorite restaurant in SLO…read more Recommend making reservations in their courtyard, it is beautiful there. Service was prompt and friendly. The food here made our night. The pasta sauce was flavorful and we loved every bite. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Our meal was delicious. I had the chicken Parm with a side of pasta and asked for them to spice…read moreit up. It was perfect and very flavorful. My husband had the gnocchi and I've never seen a dish quite like this. It almost looks like a pizza with amazing crust with pasta on top filled with mozzarella melted on the top.our server was phenomenal and they are extremely lucky to have him working here. He was SO friendly and extremely passionate about the place. Great guy!!

Our waiter Jamie was the star of the show tonight. He was busy, but attentive w our order. The…read moreshort rib ravioli are My favorite for sure. Everyone in the group enjoyed their meal. Big shout out to our waiter! Overall: A+

Great date night or place to take the parents when they visit from out of town, while being an…read moreaffordable place for a nice meal. We shared the Carminucc' and Otto pizzas, the Otto was my favorite because of the goat robiola. Hey Girl Hey cocktail was very good, and I really appreciated they offered a CBD infused drink, lust peachy. It was very refreshing and a great alternative for a fancier non alcoholic drink. We were quick to be seated, greeted by our server, and everything came out quickly (on a Saturday evening) which was nice. We sat on the patio and we had perfect weather that day so it was nice to have the fresh air. We have eaten inside before and also liked the inside ambiance as well. My wife and I went here in college and I'm glad that during our most recent visit, things tasted just as great as we remembered! Hope to be back on our next trip to SLO!

I did a pick-up order, and staff were really kind and helpful when I came to get my food. Ambiance…read moreseemed nice for the short time I was there. My pasta dish was good, but for the price point, I was expecting a whole heck of a lot more flavor beyond noodles and meat grease. On a side rant, why do expensive restaurants often have flimsy to-go containers? I would give them a 3.5 but rounded up for the good service.

Came here for a celebratory dinner for two and left so happy!…read more To start, definitely get the burrata and bread (if you like olives). The olive and balsamic mixture under the burrata was our favorite part of the meal. To drink we got the lemon freeze and the pepperoncini martini. The pepperoncini wasn't overpowering and was our favorite cocktail. For mains, we ordered the parpadelle Ragu and the spicy vodka rigatoni. Both were excellent. The servings are quite filling, but if you leave any on your plate they don't give to go boxes. We skipped dessert and opted for two espressos (the coffee is also excellent). We were sat outside on the patio (had not sat there before) and enjoyed the cool night. I wouldn't recommend sitting here in the heat. The staff the whole night was polite and helpful. There are maybe 6 parking spots behind the restaurant, but paid street parking if you can't find space!

The rosemary focaccia muffins were yummy! Would definitely get those again…read more We ordered the lamb ragu and then the bolognese. My husband and I preferred the ragu since the broccolini taste really overpowered the sauce for the bolognese. But both of the pasta noodles were cooked to PERFECTION. They had great service and were very attentive. We got our food in a timely manner which was nice. For dessert, we got the special scoop (olive oil), the panna cotto scoop and the key lime pie. Everything was so yummy and the olive oil scoop was my favorite. We got a tiramisu to go since we were craving it, but it sadly tasted like a lemon tiramisu and would definitely not want to get it again.

Novo has always been a great experience and the dishes are always delicious. We've been coming to…read moreNovo for years and it has been our traditional dinner spot. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. We have always been seated outside and love it when we are lucky enough to have a table along the creek side. The curry dishes, brussel sprouts, and ahi nachos are great to share. The outdoor seating is relaxing under the oak trees. Appears to host families with parents visiting their kids attending Cal Poly. Always a great evening.

While this seems to be a local favorite, we were underwhelmed. Service was friendly but slow. Food…read morecame out fast, but potatoes were cold and oily, and the sausage sandwichbpresented a lot more like a (sausage) burger with an egg. Lettuce and tomato seemed out of place for breakfast sandwich, and the overall effect was more "soup sandwich" than something focused. I really feel like they are trying too hard - at least with this dish. Tone it back and get the basics right - then add a few little things for flair. 10 ingredient sandwich just seems way overworked... Stars seemed a little overworked as well, service was on the slow side- though they didn't seem particularly busy. Nice patio setting by the creek.

OMG. I absolutely love Detroit-style pizza and this place got it soooo right…read more We started with the Caesar salad which was delicious, and then ordered the elote pizza which came with chorizo, corn, cilantro, and the works. It was sooooo good!! Definitely would want to come back here for different pies. Although... don't order the espresso martini it was lackluster... to say the least.

Great place for date night! We didn't have a reservation and sat at the bar but the bartenders were…read morevery accommodating. We started off with a Smokey the Pear which perfectly balanced the smokiness of mezcal and the sweetness of the pear liqueur, while the egg white gave the drink a smooth and full-bodied feel. The Cucumber Smash was refreshing and not overly sweet, could be a great go-to for someone who likes to keep it simple. For our appetizer we went with the Autumn Panzanella salad and I cannot recommend this salad enough! Every ingredient was a perfect addition without overwhelming the entire dish. For our main course we chose the Detroit style Ricotta & Honey pizza. Simple and absolutely delicious. I recommend getting a bit of ricotta in each bite, it's the secret to keeping the heat of the pepper flakes and hot honey at just the right level. I usually prefer a thin crust but the Detroit style was executed wonderfully, not too dense or too doughy. Both the salad and pizza are a decent portion and we split them between two of us. We finished off the night with the Cast Iron Cookie and paired it with a Cold Brew Martini. Shout out to our bartender for recommending we add a splash of Bailey's to the martini! I do wish the cold brew was a bit more concentrated but overall a tasty drink. The Cast Iron Cookie takes about 15 minutes to prepare, so make sure to place your order early. Service was prompt and attentive! Overall would highly recommend.

Café Roma -- Worth the 30+ Mile Drive!…read more We drove over 30 miles to try somewhere new, and Café Roma absolutely hit it out of the park! We usually go to Giuseppe's in Pismo or SLO for Italian, but we may have just found a new contender. My guy ordered the Osso Buco with spinach instead of risotto because he's doing low-carb. His verdict? "Best I've ever had." And this man NEVER raves about restaurant food, so when he also said the salad was fantastic, I knew we had a winner. I had the bruschetta, followed by the beef carpaccio (both appetizers, but that's my thing), which was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I've been missing beef carpaccio since Giuseppe's and Ember stopped serving it, so finding it here was basically a gift from the Italian food gods. And the spumoni in a chocolate shell? The absolute BOMB. The owner even came over to chat with us and told us Café Roma has been here for over 40 years. Such a charming guy--and he said his mom still stops by every day. I'm guessing that's because she's the only one allowed anywhere near the sauce. She probably has the recipe locked in a safe and takes it home with her every night. Fantastic food, wonderful people, and absolutely worth the drive. Café Roma, you've got two new fans!

Food, delicious. Service, excellent. Ambiance, lovely…read more Entrees: Flat iron steak Lasagna Shrimp Chicken Parmesan All well prepared, presented, and delicious. Wine: Cabernet (Which one escapes me... was too preoccupied with enjoying it.) Dessert: Tiramisu Creme brulee Need I say more? Perfect dining experience for our out-of-town guests, and for us.