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Marti's Bar and Grill

Marti's, Marti's, Marti's, oh why does my bank transaction history have your name on every other line? Oh wait, that's right, because every other time I use my debit card it tends to be at Marti's Bar and Grill. The truth is I wonder why this is. Marti's is one of the more popular bars in San Luis Obispo and at first it doesn't make sense at all. Then I started to think about it. Marti's is one of the only full on sports bars in downtown besides Firestone's. Marti's has a great bar menu and excellent happy hour specials, as well as nightly specials for people to drink their minds away at a pretty cheap price. But the biggest thing that probably makes Marti's popular is that it is perfectly catered to a college town. It doesn't try to be too dressy, it has all sorts of drink specials and clubs like the "century club" that cater completely towards the college crowd that still tends to think of drinking as a sport. They open it up to make a dance floor on the weekends, and they will even set up beer pong tables for you during the week if you like. Marti's does what a college bar should do: it doesn't try to have a theme, it plays a wide variety of popular music in all genres, has some of the hottest bartenders in town, and doesn't overcharge for drinks because it's obvious that people on a college budget can't afford and don't want to spend $6 on a beer they could buy for $1 at the store. No one is going to say that Marti's is a bar with a very specific character such as a saloon or a lounge, but Marti's more than makes up for it with the character of the staff and the regular customers that hang out there.

Bull's Tavern

Bull's Tavern, what was once THE dive bar of downtown SLO now has a completely different face. When I say dive bar I do not exaggerate in any sense of the term: no doors to the stalls in the piss-ridden men's bathroom, barely an inch of wall space that wasn't covered in sharpie writing, customized tiles covering the ceiling with fraternity classes and bachelorette party-goers from years past, and the faint...well maybe strong smell of a mixture of the many different types of alcohol soaked into the wooden floor throughout the years. Nowadays you will find a much cleaner version of the old Bull's, still about the same below-average size bar, with the same cheaper than dirt drinks. Although Bull's has always been one of the more crowded bars in town, now it is even more so. Drafts of Bud are $2 all the time and even cheaper before 9pm, and of course there is the ever popular birthday shot, the Bullsweat, probably the most famous shot in all of San Luis Obispo, something that everyone must try once. It consists of one part...now that would ruin the surprise, just order one next time you are there and find out for yourself.

Buffalo Pub & Grill

The Buffalo Pub & Grill is one of the finer drinking and eating establishments in San Luis Obispo. A fairly new addition to the downtown scene many people go to the Buffalo just because the food is so good. At night during the weekdays you will find it to be a really enjoyable place. When other bars are blasting music so loud you can hardly hear yourself talk, the Buffalo will always have a spot for you to sit with a group of friends in a booth or just at the bar. Either way it's nice to have a place to go to have a nice conversation and a decent drink. On the weekends however, it does as most bars do and you will find it full of people drinking and dancing, but the music definitely caters more towards the classic side which some may find enjoyable. P.S. Make sure you take your friends here on their 21st birthday for my personal favorite "Blue Wave" shot.

Black Sheep

The Black Sheep Bar & Grill is one of the few bars in San Luis Obispo that never really turns into a nightclub, and for good reason. Every night Black sheep is full of people, but not too full because it has plenty of space. It's a great place to meet friends, or maybe someone new, and also a great place to eat. Last year the Black Sheep won the New Times award for best bar menu and was a runner up for best bar. If that doesn't make you interested in checking it out, they also have a large outdoor patio where you can get cheap beers and really loosen up in the cool night's air. There is not really many words you can use to describe the crowd at the Black Sheep either because it is so diverse, on any night of the week you could find any group of people including Greek college kids, cowboys, hippies, greasers, preps, nerds, locals, vacationers, and all of the above hanging out together. The prices are pretty average as well, not too expensive but not super cheap either. The bar has class without being fancy and is a great spot to grab a beer after work or school.

The Native Lounge

The Native Lounge, located directly across the street from Bull's Tavern, could not be farther from it. At the Native you will find a lounge suited for the clubs of Hollywood or the Strip of Las Vegas. Complete with plush white couches, a dance floor, and even an outdoor patio; the lounge has everything you need for a relaxed night out or a night at a club where you want to act like the baller we all know you really aren't. The Native is easily considered to be one of the classiest clubs around, and definitely the place for your party if you want bottle service and a private lounge with your friends. They also have a variety of parties and events going on all year long, including themed dance nights and even random competitions. Just remember, you won't get in here wearing a trucker hat and cut off jean shorts, dress to impress and make sure you aren't afraid to spend a few bucks to get in.

Mother's Tavern

If you have ever even visited downtown San Luis Obispo then you must have seen, stopped by, or heard of Mother's Tavern. Located right in the center of Higuera St. Mother's Tavern is hands-down the biggest bar in downtown San Luis Obispo. As soon as you walk in the layout will remind you of an inn from the old western days. Not that it has a western feel, but the high ceilings, gigantic mirror behind the bar, and the stairway to the upstairs lounge just looks like a stairway up to the rooms of the inn in a John Wayne film. You won't find drunken outlaws playing cards and chasing loose women here though, instead you will find a really classy bar, that triples as a classy restaurant during the day and evening, a bar with all sorts of events such as karaoke and live music on weeknights, and a nightclub complete with video DJs and a V.I.P. lounge on the weekends. Whether you want to stop by to see some good music, sing karaoke with your buddies, or even get bottle service for your big party, Mother's is definitely one of the best places to do it.

Frog & Peach English Pub

The Frog and Peach English Pub is probably on a nightly basis the one of the busiest bars in SLO. Featuring live music almost every night of the week and weekend, a selection of over 30 different beers, and some of the best nightly drink specials, you can see why this is a popular place. I have never seen a bar that is packed every week on a Tuesday night until I visited Frog and Peach. Their pint night special of $1 beers after you buy a glass is damn near unbeatable, and with a live band playing as well as an outdoor patio overlooking the creek, you can see why this place gets so jammed. They even have Reggae Nights every week with $3 Red Stripe Lager and Hemp Ale. Definitely a place you want to keep updated on events and music, because sometimes you don't want to miss what's happening at this place.

The Library Lounge

No, you will not find any books or people studying in the Library Lounge of San Luis Obispo, but it does make for a nice excuse to the parents or girlfriend. If I was a regular at this bar I would love to have my parents call me on a weeknight and ask if I was studying, my response would be, "I'm at the library Mom can I call you back later? Thanks." Not only does it carry the name of everyone's favorite study spot, it also carries library cards. You can get one for free and it will take a dollar off most of your drinks during happy hours. The stranger part about the Library is the crowd and the atmosphere. During the day sure it's what you would expect, a dimly lit bar with a classic feel. At night though, every night of the week you will find people dancing to top 40 dance songs, and hip hop. The library is the only spot in town where you can go with friends to dance the night away any night of the week. They also enjoy one night living up to Asher Roth's hit song "I Love College," because every Tuesday is Two-fer Tuesday.

McCarthy's Irish Pub

"Ya got a little Irish in ya? You want some?" Yes, the most overused St. Patty's Day pickup line by Irishmen all over the world actually would be most appropriately used at McCarthy's Irish Pub as far as San Luis Obispo bars are concerned. There are many Irish pubs in cities all over America that try their best to be a representation of the Ole' Country but they don't quite cut it. McCarthy's on the other hand...well ok it doesn't make you feel like you're at the Brazen Head in Dublin (If you didn't get the reference it's Ireland's oldest Pub) but what it does make you feel like is the only real bar in town where you can avoid being deafened by music on the weekends, and walk straight up to the bar for a drink. Not only will you get the drink, but you will probably get double the dose of any other bar in town. And just because you were able to get the drink doesn't mean it is an empty bar; McCarthy's has more room than most other bars in town and is also a local favorite hangout. Instead of college kids, sorority girls, frat boys, and whatever music is "hot" right now, you will find a more local crowd with an internet jukebox playing whatever song anybody wants. The truth is this day in age with DJs refusing to play songs that aren't hip or hot it's nice to have a place where you can play whatever the hell you like, and get whatever drink you like. I could go on for awhile about how I have a drink named after me with one of the bartenders here (called the wick-bomb if you come Thursday through Sunday night and ask the right bartender), how no matter how annoyed I get with the dumb beezy girls downtown I know there is always one bar I can go to, or how I've gotten to the point where I feel too old for other bars in town, yet I'm only 21, it would only make you wonder what the hell was wrong with me. On the other hand I will tell you that McCarthy's is exactly this: this is the bar my dad makes sure to swing by whenever he is in town, it won the New Times Award for Best Bar in San Luis Obispo, they make the best bloody maries in town, you won't find some young dumb model or stud to hook up with here, but this is the bar that you need to go to at some point. No matter what your fashion sense or your standards of people are maybe McCarthy's will have an effect on you and make you realize that a real bar has customers at 8 a.m. and McCarthy's is the only one open that early.

Downtown Brew

You Love it, you hate it; you love it, you hate it: ok fine tonight, while writing this, I'm indifferent. The question is if this is a good or bad thing for the Downtown Brewing Company; because honestly I hate it some nights, andylet some nights I love it. This may be a coincidence with the fact that Downtown Brew has 2 stories that tell 2 different tales, but I think it has more to do with why this bar demands a love-hate relationship. To be frank, locals tend to despise this bar because it is full of the college crowd 99% of the time. But, what can you say? A town with 20,00 college residents definitely demands a bar that has college drinking games, college kids' favorite bands, and drink specials to cater to...wait for it...oh yah the college crowd. Sure, some of the best concerts I've been to in my entire life have been at Downtown Brew, sure there are dollar beers on Tuesday nights, sure this place is one of the few places in town that I can meet a pretty lady when every bar is dead, but there is definitely a reason people go here. Do you like beer pong? They have the only league in town on Wednesday nights. Do you like music? They have some great mid-level nationally known bands that play all of the time, and for a really good price; so go and get drunk listen to some music and have a great time. Do you like bikini contests? Yep, just had one last month. Do you like house-brewed-beer? Yep, not only do they have the standard selection of beer but they brew their own in house. Do they have decent drink specials? No. Oh wait that's right, on Tuesday nights they have $1 house brews and on Monday they have $2 margaritas and $1 dollar tacos. Ok, sorry but you figure out a reason not to check this place out.

Downtown Brew

If you can find it, it doesn't mean you deserve to be there. If you can find it, it doesn't mean you even want to be here. The Gaslight Lounge is the true dive bar of San Luis Obispo, complete with leaky ceilings, a bat for the bartender to ward off unruly customers, an old-fashioned jukebox (not one of those new fancy internet ones), two pool tables, and let's just say a lack of a top shelf behind the bar. If you do go to the Gaslight Lounge though, you will not be disappointed in the strength of your drinks, nor the strength of the patron's breath to your right. Just make sure when you saunter in to this joint you make sure not to mess with the wrong people. Although the crowd is generally older and friendly, you don't want to go picking a fight over a game of pool with the wrong local.

Downtown Brew

"Liqour in the front, poker in the rear." This famous slogan is painted in a scroll above two half naked cowgirls in the main room of the bar, and it couldn't find a more suitable place. Even from the outside the Old Cayucos Tavern looks like a saloon straight out of the old west. Constructed from old barn wood and with a tobacco store Indian out front, complete with an old mural of cowboys riding on horses covering the side; there is no doubt about the character of this saloon. And the atmosphere of the bar has character too. The front is a standard saloon room complete with a bar, tables, and stools. There is a long walkway down the side with shuffleboard for your gaming needs, a pool room with 2 pool tables in the next room, and in the rear, yep you guessed it, a card room where you can play Texas Hold'em on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. No matter what it is you desire, you will most definitely find something to you enjoy in the great atmosphere of the Old Cayucos Tavern.

Harry's of Pismo

Harry's Nightclub and Beach Bar definitely is not what you would expect to find for a "beach bar," or a "nightclub." However, maybe 30 years ago it was what a nightclub should have been, it just hasn't changed since then. You will not find top 40 hip hop songs blaring, no DJs spinning records, just whatever band is playing classic hits that night. Harry's is a nice, big open bar, with 3 pool tables and a large dance floor. The music that is played here is quite good too, I love going here on a Friday or Saturday night and singing along at the top of my lungs with the band, and swinging across the dance floor with one of the many cougars that always seem to populate this place. Yep, you won't find a very young crowd at Harry's, mostly middle-aged vacationers, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. No matter what night of the week you will still find fun at Harry's Nightclub and Beach Bar. Oh ya, and it's also famous because this is the bar where John Madden met his wife, maybe it's where you will meet yours.

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