Novo Restaurant and Lounge
726 Higuera St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 543-3986‎

So finally I am reviewing what I consider the best restaurant in San Luis Obispo. I’ve been countless times, and every time, excluding my first meal at Novo under the old management, I loved the food, the ambiance, the wine, and the service. Unfortunately to be the best in San Luis Obispo means competition with the poor likes of Firestone, Thai Palace, and Buona Tavola, and so Novo even with its flaws is still my top choice. I would venture to say that when it comes to preparation of the meal the only restaurant with equally good food is Native Lounge and Restaurant but only when chef Charles A. is preparing which is not a guarantee. But enough about the competition.

Novo is the best restaurant in San Luis Obispo for a number of reasons. In large part, the ambiance is brilliant. The outdoor patio in the back overhangs the creek making it one of the most romantic places to dine in all of San Luis Obispo and only the closed Grappolo had a patio worth comparing. Novo’s interior dining room is chic and trendy with a wine bar at both front and back and late at night fills with better dressed patrons than the usual San Luis haunt although I’ve never considered Novo a lounge like its name would lead you to believe. The service at Novo is hands down the best in San Luis Obispo with the best service coming usually from the male waiters who are perky, attentive, and chatty.

Where Novo falls down a little is the menu. A little more than half of Novo’s food is fantastic and, besides Native, is unparalleled in San Luis Obispo. Half the menu is a selection of traditional tapas dishes including meats and cheeses which are amazingly well done, but the other half of the menu is a selection of Pan-Asian inspired fusion dishes which are lacking in flavour and skill in preparation. The dishes are of the trendy small plate variety, with a couple daily specials and a soup du jour, although I’ve never ordered one of the entree dishes since I love a good variety. Almost everyone I know that’s eaten at Novo loves their Lobster Bisque although it’s a bit too thin for my liking. My personal favourites include their Roast Quail, Lavender Lamb Chops, Moroccan Lamb Mechoui, Chevre, and Shepherd’s Plate, and the best special I’ve ever ordered was a tuna tartar taco salad that was literally a small mountain - unusual since their usual dishes are very small. Of the dishes I didn’t like the ones that stood out the most are the Spring Rolls, Singapore Chicken Satay, Lettuce Wraps, and Roast Duck Breast which had no flavour at all and was only saved by the Penang curry accompanying.

What Novo misses in lounge ambiance, mainly a dj, loud music, dark lighting, and lounge chairs, it makes up in sheer variety of alcoholic beverages. Novo doesn’t have a fancy bartender that makes tropical concoctions that’ll knock you off your feet like Blue, but Novo has a wine list that’ll take a half hour to read through and a beer menu as large as Spike’s, the beer bar down the street. Novo stays open Friday and Saturday nights till midnight as a Wine and Beer bar and is one of the better places to go if you’re fashionable and have money to burn. Of the wine’s I’ve tried at Novo all were excellent with a wide variety from the Central Coast and almost equally wide variety from all over the world. Novo’s beer prices are pretty reasonable, but the wine prices are a bit high with a $10-15 markup per bottle from retail price and almost nothing in the upper $20s. A word of advice though, with such a large wine selection to choose from perhaps check out the bottle you’d like to try before going since the staff generally haven’t tried all the selection and may not be very helpful in recommendations.

As I mentioned countless times, Novo is the best restaurant in San Luis Obispo in terms of food, drink, ambiance, and service. The biggest draw backs are the cost and Asian menu selections, but if you’re willing to spend and know what to order it’s a very rewarding experience. If you’re a big drinker expect the tab to be in the $50-60 range after a meal, but I’ll say for the last time, it’s a price that’s worth it in this town.