Cover Story
Best of SLO County 2025: New Times 39th Annual Readers Poll
“You’ve worked hard to get here. You’ve struggled, failed, and overcome. You’ve built your business through hard work, teamwork, thankless work. And I’m here to tell you two things: First, it’s paid off. And second, this is just the beginning of your storied life as one of the county’s best. So savor this moment, and…
Mobile museum—The Office of Collecting & Design—is parked at SLO’s The Bunker through May 3
If you’re a fan of gimcrackery, gewgaw, tchotchke, knickknacks, and other curiosities, then you need to see The Office of Collecting and Design, a mobile museum parked outside The Bunker (810 Orcutt Road, SLO) through May 3 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The interactive museum of “lost” and “forgotten” objects housed in a 42-foot-long trailer…
Best of SLO County 2025: Drinks
Best North County Bar Pine Street Saloon 1234 Pine St., Paso Robles (805) 238-1114 pinestreetsaloon@gmail.com pinestreetsaloon.com @pinestsaloon facebook.com/pinestreetsaloon Best North Coast Bar The Siren 900 Main St., Morro Bay (805) 225-1312 info@thesirenmorrobay.com thesirenmorrobay.com @thesirenmorrobay facebook.com/thesirenmorrobay Best San Luis Obispo Bar Black Sheep Bar & Grill 1117 Chorro St., SLO (805) 544-7433 info@blacksheepslo.com blacksheepslo.com @blacksheepslo facebook.com/blacksheepslo…
Local artist Laurel Sherrie’s painting is selected for the Monterey Museum of Art inaugural biennial
If you happen to find yourself in Monterey between May 15 and Aug. 31, stop into the Monterey Museum of Art (559 Pacific St.) where you’ll find work by 13 SLO County artists among the many other works on display. “Aligned with its mission to celebrate the diversity of California art, Monterey Museum of Art…
Best of SLO County 2025: Arts & Entertainment
Best Community Event San Luis Obispo Concerts in the Plaza Mission Plaza, SLO (805) 541-0286 reachus@downtownslo.com downtownslo.com/events/concerts @concertsintheplaza facebook.com/ConcertsinthePlaza You nailed it, New Times readers. Concerts in the Plaza held this year every Friday from June 20 through Sept. 12 in the Mission Plaza is the best. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s all-ages. You can…
The Accountant 2 revisits a neurodivergent math savant who violently solves a murder mystery
THE ACCOUNTANT 2 What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Park, Stadium 10 In this sequel to The Accountant (2016), both director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior, Pride and Glory) and writer Bill Dubuque (The Judge, A Family Man) return with this new…
Best of SLO County 2025: Goods
Best Grocery Store California Fresh Market 555 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach 771 E. Foothill Blvd., SLO (805) 250-1425 socialmedia@californiafreshmarket.com californiafreshmarket.com @californiafreshmarkets facebook.com/CaliforniaFreshMarkets Best Farmers’ Market Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market Higuera Street, SLO (805) 541-0286 farmers@downtownslo.com downtownslo.com @downtownslofarmersmarket Best Natural Food Store SLO Food Co-Op 2494 Victoria Ave., SLO (805) 544-7928 marketing@slofood.coop slofood.coop @slofoodcoop facebook.com/SLOFoodCoop…
The Pitt follows a group of ER medical staff as they hour-by-hour navigate a single work shift
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Max The ’90s kid in me practically screamed out loud when I learned that Noah Wyle was back on the bill as an emergency room doctor. Instead of being the plucky new resident, Wyle plays Dr. Michael Robinavich (aka “Robby”), a seasoned ER doc who…
Best of SLO County 2025: Eats
Best North County Restaurant The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar 835 13th St., Paso Robles (805) 221-5727 maggie@hatchpasorobles.com hatchpasorobles.com @thehatchrotisserie facebook.com/hatchpasorobles Best North Coast Restaurant Robin’s Restaurant 4095 Burton Drive, Cambria (805) 927-5007 anthony@robinsrestaurant.com robinsrestaurant.com @robinsrestaurant facebook.com/RobinsRestaurant Best San Luis Obispo Restaurant Nate’s on Marsh 450 Marsh St., SLO (805) 544-4454 natesonmarsh.com @natesonmarsh Best South County…
In Havoc, an embattled police detective must rescue a politician’s son from the criminal underworld
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Writer-director Gavin Evans (The Raid: Redemption) directs this martial arts-filled, bullet-ridden, and car chase-rich crime thriller about Walker (Tom Hardy), a shady police detective whose personal life is in the shitter and whose professional life is hanging by thread. He’s corrupt but not as corrupt…
Calcareous Vineyard in Paso Robles remains a family dynasty and award-winning producer after 25 years
Chalk talk Calcareous Vineyard is located at 3430 Peachy Canyon Road in Paso Robles. The tasting room is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with lunch served from 10:30 to 4:30. For reservations, contact calcareous.com. Follow the winery on Instagram and Facebook @calcareouswine. Calcareous will be a featured winery at Paso Wine Fest, held…
The Brothers Comatose bring their untraditional string band to BarrelHouse Brewing Co.
I imagine the early days in the Morrison household were a foot stomping good time. Brothers Ben (vocals, guitar) and Alex (vocals, banjo, guitar)—born in Petaluma—started making music together at 12 years old. Both their parents were musicians, and their mother was in a folk band, so they heard her harmonizing with other singers in…
Local special education specialist receives ‘overwhelming’ community support while fighting leukemia
Alison Ingle has dedicated more than two decades of her life to special needs education. She’s taught at two San Luis Obispo County elementary schools and is now a special education program specialist overseeing four schools within the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. Ingle has worked with numerous students who need more intensive support.…
When national chaos becomes a local crisis
For years, I’ve devoted my time to local issues in San Luis Obispo County. I’ve done so not because I’m apathetic to national politics, but because I’ve believed—and still believe—that our most direct influence lies in our own backyard. While the media machine churns 24/7 content about Congress, cable news spats, and whoever former President…
Trump doesn’t belong in office
There are two great mysteries in the universe. The first has to do with the nature of dark matter, and the second is why New Times keeps printing John Donegan’s pompous bullshit. First, it was he and his political party that created the mess by enthroning one Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office. The…
Morro Bay wants to change its flagpole policy
In the interest of changing what he sees as “a gross overreach of local government,” Morro Bay City Councilmember Jeff Eckles is leading the effort to restrict what flags the city can fly over its government buildings. “When we choose to fly one group’s flag over another’s, we are inevitably excluding some members of our…
It will take all of us to solve the conflicts that are dividing us
All of us deeply care about and want all our area school kids to be safe with bathrooms, locker rooms, sports, etc., when it comes to sex/gender issue concerns. That is our common ground from which I think it is urgent and absolutely necessary that we all commit to using conflict resolution and mediation resources,…
Parking concerns delay Cayucos motel project
The lots are small and so are the streets in the neighborhood east of South Ocean Avenue in Cayucos. It’s hard to maneuver and it’s hard to find places to park, said Vicki Tamoush as she pointed out her window facing St. Mary Avenue. A proposed motel on a property that’s directly in her line…
Flagging interest …
Honestly, covering “news reporter” Karen Velie and her CalCoastNews blog has become so tiresome even I, a compact 120-volt office appliance, am sick of wasting my energy and grinding my gears through her sensationalist travails, but here we go again because the saga continues. To recap, former SLO resident Jody Bernat (formerly Jody Belsher) filed…
SLO County DA urges Gov. Newsom to reverse parole for child murderer
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Board of Parole Hearings granted early parole to a Paso Robles parent convicted of murdering their toddler more than a decade ago. The April 22 early parole decision for convict Allie Brown, 42, is an “en banc” one that followed parole granted to her in a suitability hearing…
Best of SLO County 2025: Services
Best Computer Repair Shop Alltech Computers 917 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande (805) 474-1169 info@alltechslo.com alltechslo.com @alltechslo facebook.com/alltechcomputersag Best Cleaning Service Pioneer Carpet Cleaners 1376 Phillips Lane, SLO (805) 544-4761 office@pioneerslo.com pioneerslo.com @pioneercarpetcleaners facebook.com/PioneerCarpet Best General Contractor Green Goods 111 South St., SLO (805) 543-9900 contact@greengoodsusa.com greengoodsusa.com @greengoods facebook.com/greengoodsusa Best Interior Design Company Honeycomb Home…
Arizona resident challenges SLO court jurisdiction in defamation case
Surprise, Arizona, resident Steve Cable believes the San Luis Obispo Superior Court should quash the defamation case against him since he’s never lived nor conducted business in the area, placing him beyond its jurisdiction. Cable, a retired emergency nurse and member of Arizona’s Grand Pickleball Club, is one of the targets of twin defamation lawsuits…
Best of SLO County 2025: Recreation
Best Health Club/Gym Kennedy Club Fitness Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles, Templeton, SLO sloservice@kennedyclubs.com kennedyclubs.com @kennedyclubfitness facebook.com/KennedyClubFitness Best Yoga Studio Spark Yoga 977 E. Foothill Blvd., suite 111, SLO 1289 Laurel Lane, SLO (805) 439-1848 hello@smileatspark.com sparkslo.com @sparkslo facebook.com/smileatspark Best Martial Arts Studio Paragon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu SLO, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles (805) 305-7512…
OperaSLO presents The Wizard of Oz in the Performing Arts Center on May 17 and 18
Off to see the Wizard! OperaSLO presents a spectacular staged production of The Wizard of Oz that mirrors the beloved 1939 MGM film. You’ll hear all the familiar songs and see the familiar characters. Justine Prado directs the production with choreography by Drew Silvaggio. Expect a large chorus and the OperaSLO Grand Orchestra conducted by…
