Sidecar

Meh… I ordered a drink and had to take it back… Brussels were underdone, steak fries were cold, grilled salad was ok. Highlight of the meal was the deviled eggs and they were fairly good. More for the vibe than the quality of the food…

Stopped in today for the first time in probably a year. I wasn’t overly thrilled with some of the changes since my last visit. The Bloody Mary menu was much smaller and the Brussels sprouts weren’t what they used to be. That being said, the restaurant was super clean as well as affordable. The wait staff was very attentive and I was beyond impressed by the waitress who just offered to comp to Brussels sprouts because I was no longer impressed with them. That wasn’t necessary but very appreciated. Beer and Bloody Mary menu is still good and the street tacos are simply amazing!

Stopped through on a trip up the coast. Great place and even better drinks. Josh your the man, thanks for an awesome night!

Their eggs Benedict (if they still serve it, as they are now only open for dinner) is amazing. The burger is great too.
I so wish they were open for breakfast and lunch!

Can someone tell me if this place is still in business? I have emailed twice, called countless times and no answer-​no response. So far I’m not impressed! I am coming to SLO to celebrate my sons 21^st bday and wanted to take him here…5/24/2016

I really want to dislike this place … it’s SO trendy. My jeans aren’t skinny enough to blend in here.
But I can’t ignore it. Because it’s good. Really good.
Make the breakfast burger happen — your stomach will thank you (over the complaints of your arteries). Easily the best breakfast dish I have found in SLO for the carnivoriously inclined.

If you’re looking for cocktail masterpieces, look no further. Prompt, no nonsense and personable service, you’ve come to the right place. Delicious small plates and entrees off a simple yet satisfying menu? Here ya go. The staff has a knack for quality contemporary music and the pulse for new upscale dining. I cannot wait for the new bar addition, this establishment is already and will continue to be one of downtown SLO’s finest offerings.

Very cool place. Just a small place with maybe 14 tables and a bench looking over the sidewalk.
When we were here the weather was awesome for sitting near the sidewalk, the food was great, wow what a drink menu (very intricate cocktails) and some cool blues/​slow tunes playing. Just a great SLO vibe.

Have I really taken this long to write a review? They have great food — seriously great. And cocktails? It was so hard to choose one!
My husband always gets the burger. It’s always good. Last time i was here I had the fried chicken. And it was THE BEST. Seriously, how is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in the least southern place on the planet? And of course the brussels sprouts are amazing. What trendy place does not have fried brussels sprouts on the menu?
One note: they have a lot of vegetarian dishes if that’s your thing. As for me, I go by Ron Swanson’s motto: «If it doesn’t have meat it’s a snack» ;)

Food was well made (got the pasta and fried chicken), and the place had a nice atmosphere, but both items were way too greasy/​oily. Also, the mac and cheese had a weird taste (much more sweet than salty). For the price, I expected better. Probably would not come back again

Chicken and Waffles is my new favorite thing to eat and this place has by far, the best I have ever had! The syrup comes in its own, sealed little glass jar and tastes fantastic. The fried chicken is amazingly crispy but tender on the inside. I will be going there probably once a week for a while cuz I can’t get enough of them!

I’m at this place at least twice a month, that’s how much I love this restaurant.
My Fav. in order:
1) Brussels sprout
2) Pork Belly Tacos
3) Fried chicken & waffles
4) Deviled Eggs
Also, their list of cocktails doesn’t disappoint either. Taste even better during happy hour.
Bonus star for this place because the service here is ALWAYS good.

Points, points, points!
For:
–A really inventive, unique cocktail menu. We had a house version of a pisco sour unlike any other and a bourbon drink that made use of Chareau. WELL DONE.
–Having TWO vegan entrees! YES! We weren’t hungry, but the menu looked fantastic and smelled amazing as dishes went by.
–Service was friendly, if a bit slow.
–Incredibly overall well curated small-​ish menu it appears they’re doing with purpose and success. I will definitely have a full meal here when in town next. Beer list impressive too.
MINUS POINTS bigtime for the awful bar seats. They’re like giant overstuffed bar chairs you’d find at your granparents’ house. Hard to maneuver and if they used regular ones they could add 4 more seats to the bar. Not knocking off stars, but just mentioning. These are ODD.

The Food: This place has a pretentious list of house cocktails which are all $ 12. The specialty cocktail list takes about an hour to read. The second page is a list of classic cocktails, and the third page has all the affordable items. Their menu is tiny, appetizers cost as much as an entrée and entrees are cheaper than appetizers. It really did take a while just to get Steak Fries, which used generic frozen fries topped with sour cream some guac and pico de gallo salsa… And the thinnest flank steak ever… $ 15. The chocolate cake with mint infused whip cream was the highlight though, really great, as in I would probably buy this to go. The highlight shouldn’t be the dessert.
The Restaurant/​Bar: World’s smallest bar period, but plenty of table seating… The atmosphere is pretty relaxed but it’s very dark… Some it’s the décor seemed out of place and broken… Oh wait, it’s supposed to be like that. Then you get the fanciest table cloth napkin with a blue stripe. Its located next to a busy street, so parking sucks, you might need find a spot elsewhere and walk a few blocks
The Service: Friendly staff and waiter, very knowledgeable with the drinks and food… But really??? Tone it down, it’s a side car café…

Their cocktail game is on point, let me tell you that right now. Can’t go wrong with a selection of over a half dozen bitters, you feel me?
No beers on tap, which saddens me a little. But they’ve got solid canned selections. They’ve got wine on tap…
The food. They bill their menu as «local» and «fresh» and whatever marketable terms you can throw in there. It’s not bad, but not amazing like what they want you to think.
For the $ 18 I paid for a bowl of bolognese pasta, I could have easily paid $ 10 – which is what I should’ve paid. Why did I feel like I was eating a can of Chef Boyardee? Nothing but noodles and sauce.
There are some merits, however. The Brussels sprouts were on point with the right amount of crisp. And the pecan pie was killer, just sayin’.
I feel as if the menu was simply nothing more than high-​end pub grub. But what Sidecar lacks in the culinary, they certainly make up with cocktails.

Came here on two occassions, once for dinner and once for brunch. The food is clean, and there’s a good liquor section as well. The cocktails that they offer are a nice touch. And the bloody mary mixes that they do are on point though I wish I had gotten a pitcher of one after the fact. I had the carnivore during brunch and the candied bacon was scrumptious to accompany the bloody mary. Keep in mind though, this place is tiny. Like when it is busy in town and people are out to grub, you will be hard pressed to find a seat.
They also do their own liquor infusions which is a nice bonus as well. The wait staff was friendly and extremely helpful with all the questions that my group tossed out at them.
Side note, there is one of the cocktails that mentions cigarettes and something else. It really does kinda taste like an ashtray so um… yeah, great to calm the curiosity but not all that tasty to the palette.
For the dinner:
I know that the menu shifts here and there. To be honest I don’t remember what the vegetable dish was that I had gotten along with the brussel sprouts. It had a nice sauce to it though, and the vegetables were delectable. As it goes with veggies though, I wish I had more but that’s always hard to accomplish.
For the brunch:
A go to is always eggs benedict for me. I tried to be a little healthier and got the fruit instead of a hash, tots, or toast but really… who am I kidding. If I’m gonna order something doused in hollandaise sauce I should really just go all the way and enjoy myself.
Bottom line: I would definitely come here again at a more leisurely time for some bloody mary pitchers, and some food to boot. At the end of the day, it is somewhat pricey but the experience as a whole is on point despite some long wait times at the front.

Excellent food | Nice atmosphere and décor
$$
If you’re on a budget, this is probably not the place for you. We knew that this place was a little bit on the pricey side, but the food is worth it! I forgot what my husband and friend had, but I had the meatball dish. SO GOOD. The people next to us were super friendly and let us try the brussel sprout dish — whoa, that’s what I want to get next time!!!
Service is good.
They were out of the ceviche item, but it’s ok! Next time.
I really liked the atmosphere.

Sidecar was a HUGE disappointment to be honest. We’d stopped in here a couple of years ago while on a road trip through Cali on the recommendation of a friend who went to Cal Poly SLO and the food, service and atmosphere were all so amazing, we couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks — especially the food. This was someplace special. And even though it’s 200 miles from LA we vowed to find a time to come back. Well, we finally made the trek back, and it would definitely not be worth the trek again. Frankly, given the number of places in SLO, even if we lived there, not sure if it would be worth another visit. It’s a shell of it’s former self. I don’t know why they changed the menu, but, personally, I think it was a huge mistake. I will say the service remains fantastic. And the vibe is still fun.
Four of us went, and to be honest, I think most of us struggled to even find something on the menu we wanted to order, versus last time when there were so many things we wanted to order, we just wanted to pick everything on the menu. Anyway, this time we started with the fried Brussels sprouts. They were a promising start — a mix of nice flavors, especially the balsamic, and cooked well. Then I ordered the burger by default. It was forgettable. The fries were good. The vegetarian in the group went with the veggie hash, which, described sounded like it would be terrific. It was «ok». Others ordered the Street Tacos (also ok), and Cajun fried chicken (slightly more positive reaction).
Our entrees were not particularly satisfying so we added desserts to share. The mini donut holes with dipping sauce were not as good as dunkin donuts and the, I don’t recall what it was called, but described as crème brulee on top of fresh berries, was kind of a sloppy boring mess.
Oh, Sidecar, I am wistful for what once was… what is now is entirely forgettable… so sad…

We came here for a happy hour one time. I think this place if one of the best in SLO.
Their drink is better than the food.
We had the brussel sprouts, which was good. But I think nowadays everywhere serves good brussel sprouts. So you might wanna stick with it. The vegan lasagna was kinda a new try, it was only two pieces, but could be pretty full. Still feel a little ripped by spending $ 18 on that.
Drinks during happy hour is a great deal. The cocktails are very creative here. Must try their famous one with the pine leaf. Very interesting and very very strong!!! They have good tap beers too.
So I suggest you just come here for drinks, and after you are f. ked, go somewhere else to get a burger! lol

After a very inexpensive but satisfying dinner at Firestone Grill amongst a loud crowd of inebriated college students, families, and just about everyone in SLO, we were ready for a more upscale and quieter place for dessert and a cocktail! I, of course, consulted the Unilocal app on my phone and found the perfect place for it. We found Sidecar and thought it met all three criteria we had in mind – ambiance, great cocktails and good food!
We walked in and asked the hostess about bar seating. She said that it’s currently full but a group of people are about to get seated, so if we didn’t mind, we could wait at the bar area until those seats opened up. We headed to the bar which is at the back of the restaurant, stood at the edge of the bar and ordered our drinks. I got the Negroni, and my husband ordered a local IPA from Dunbar Brewing which the bartender highly recommended.
We both loved our drinks! I especially loved the Negroni. It came in this beautiful old fashioned glass, and tasted great on the rocks. They had a nice big cube of ice in there for slower dilution of the drink. Yum! My husband was very happy with his IPA as well.
We also ordered dessert. We chose the Donut Holes with three sauces from the three dessert items they had on the menu. The donuts came with dulce de leche, chocolate and raspberry coulis sauces. It was a good dessert, and would have been better had the donut holes been a little bigger.
The bartenders and the hostess were all very friendly. We watched one of the the bartenders burn a sprig of Rosemary with a kitchen torch and place the burnt sprig on a drink as a garnish. Very cool! It’s called The Cure and I will definitely try that next time we come back here.
If you’re in the SLO area and are in need of a cocktail, friendly vibe and good food, come here!