Despite living in California for nearly a decade, I haven’t seen much north of LA. No time like the present to change that!

We worked our way up Pacific Coast Highway hugging the cloudy coastline. A few hours in, we made a stopover in Santa Barbara for lunch.

I took this opportunity to visit a spot that has been on my list for ages.

El Encanto by Belmond is a charming, boutique hotel nestled in the coastal hills. Their restaurant of the same name has a sprawling terrace with ocean views.

Our meal started with bread service alongside specialty salts and butter. We also split an order of Shoestring Fries for an appetizer and they were incredible.

Truthfully, they may be the best fries I’ve had this year! When it came to our mains, my husband ordered the SB Burger while I opted for the Sesame Chicken Salad.

Ingredients were fresh and high quality and the service was impeccable to match.

Our lunch was excellent but a date night here would be even better. If you’re in or near Santa Barbara, put this at the top of your reservations list!

As we continued north the sun finally made an appearance, lighting up blooming fields and blue skies. About ninety minutes past lunch, we reached our destination.

My husband was attending a writer’s retreat at Hotel San Luis Obispo. Located in the heart of historic downtown, dozens of restaurants are within a few blocks.

We spent the afternoon settling in then I ventured two doors down to Mee Heng Low Noodle House. Since my husband was busy with the retreat, this was dinner for one.

On a weeknight, this was a sleepy dining room with plenty of available tables and attentive staff. Don’t let the emptiness fool you though, this is a hidden gem.

I started with an order of Chicken Pot Stickers, pan fried and served with a tangy side of pickled slaw that complimented each dumpling.

Next, I enjoyed their Low Mein. The menu presents a choice of sauce and I selected Black Bean which I would whole heartedly recommend. For protein, I initially chose tofu but they had a spicy tofu on the evening’s specials so I quickly switched to that!

Later that night, we walked around the corner for ice cream because you can’t stay a block away from McConnell’s and not indulge.

Is there a better way to end the night than scratch made ice cream?

In the morning, the first order of business was coffee. Er, in my case matcha. A couple blocks over is Scout Coffee a sun soaked shop serving third wave specialties.

Armed with my laptop and a pastry I settled in for a few productive hours. Having planned an early lunch, it was time for my next meal almost before I realized it.

I had spotted Giuseppe’s Cucina Rustica the previous night, across from McConnell’s.

In the daytime, Giuseppe’s traded it’s warm glow and curb appeal for a hidden back patio with umbrellas and dappled sunshine.

Bread service arrived barely a moment after I was seated; a chilled glass of rosé soon followed. This was going to be a great lunch.

The sliced baguette and pesto were fine but not memorable, however the main course was exceptional. A variation of tortellini these house-made delicacies were presented as neatly wrapped and folded (rather than traditionally twisted) parcels.

Served with peas, mushrooms, and pancetta the Tortellini Giuseppe is a must order.

This dish joined the clean plates club with ease!

After lunch I schlepped back to our room for an afternoon of reading. I’m not quite sure I worked up an appetite by dinner but there was more food I couldn’t wait to try.

Still dining for one, I made my way to Mistura for Peruvian cuisine.

The interior was splashed in color with a topiary maze working its way across the wall. Velvet chairs and plush booths were situated under an expansive, trussed ceiling.

Following the server’s recommendation I started with a Chilcano, a cocktail which falls under the mule umbrella; this version is made with pisco, a type of brandy.

I ordered a pair of dishes starting with Nikkei Tiradito which is a marinated presentation of sashimi swimming in leche de tigre. The second course was Fogosa Causa. Causa is a cold dish consisting of mashed potatoes layered with other ingredients. In this case, the potatoes were layered with avocado and spicy tuna.

The whole meal was chilled and refreshing, ideal for summertime dining. If I wasn’t dining solo, I would have loved to sample even more dishes but the two I tried were unbelievable. If you’re vacationing in San Luis Obispo, make time for a visit.

The final morning of our short stay I visited Linnaea’s Cafe. If Scout is the trendy neighborhood caffeine fix, Linnaea’s is the local dive with heavy hippie overtones.

90’s teal and maroon carpet, Tiffany lamps, and Frida Khalo-esque artwork carefully walk the line between dingy and cool. A tourist trap this is not.

The aesthetic feels vaguely like a Victorian church’s rectory but with neon signs and cooler-than-you clientele perched at nearby tables.

While this isn’t a “must visit” I still had a pretty good London Fog Latte. Skip the made-to-order food (the eggs were watery) but the pastry case looked promising.

Dubbing San Luis Obispo charming might be overused and reductive but it does have a certain charm. It posses the kind of small town appeal that makes a vacationer feel both anonymous and right at home.

If you stay near downtown, the density of dining is staggering. For every place I visited, there were a dozen more eateries that looked just as delicious. If your dream is to rest and eat then consider this town the perfect long weekend getaway.