♥ Family Lifestyle ♥ Travel ♥ Homeschool

When I think of San Luis Obispo, I think of the beautiful weather and the historic California Mission. At least that was my thought about a week ago.

Now, when I think of SLO, my thoughts wander to the smell of red oak BBQ and the sights of perfectly lined beer on tap.

We recently had the opportunity to visit a local family owned restaurant, Old San Luis BBQ, located just a block away from Mission San Luis Obispo. Old San Luis BBQ serves authentic Santa Maria style BBQ incorporating family recipes that date back almost a century. That in itself is pretty amazing.

Old San Luis BBQ has a casual, family friendly atmosphere with a modern industrial look. I just love the way it’s decorated. I wouldn’t mind having my home done in this style. It’s very welcoming and made us feel at home right away.

You know what I was most excited about? The self-serve taproom. Say what?! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you serve your own beverage right off the tap! This allows you to pour as much or as little as you wish. You know that nitro brew you’ve been curious about? Go ahead and try a sip! What’s nice is that it keeps a running total of your tab. So you know exactly how much you’ve spent with each pour.

Fun fact: Owner, Matt Pearce, installed the self-service system himself.

Old San Luis BBQ also has outdoor seating by the creek and an ordering window out front giving patrons plenty of seating options. Inside you’ll find a game shelf stocked with board games like Candyland and Checkers. There’s also extra electrical outlets with USB ports found at some of the tables. It’s always a bonus when a restaurant puts extra thought into little touches like these. For me, it means that my kids can be occupied with something fun to do while we wait for our meal.

We ate so much food I could hardly sit comfortably on our drive home. Everything was delicious! I feel like we tried almost every dish they served including some items on the secret menu. (Pssst…I took a picture of the secret menu. You’re welcome.)

Full disclaimer: I’m not a big meat eater but I ate my entire pulled pork sandwich. I mean, just look at it….

The sauces are all made in-house too! I’m a ranch dressing kind of girl and let me tell you, their ranch is on point! We even asked for a a little container of it to go. LOL.

The salads are locally sourced and use organic ingredients. The strawberry field salad paired nicely with Possman’s Pure Cider Rosé.

The kids enjoyed their milkshakes, too!

If we lived closer this would definitely be a regular hang out spot for us. It has something for the kids and for the adults. And the family friendly atmosphere makes me feel comfortable enough to release my wildlings.

Thanks, Old San Luis BBQ Co. for hosting our family. We had an awesome time! We definitely know where we’ll be the next time we’re in the area.