I LOVE THIS PLACE!!…read more As always... excellent pasta! Lasagna Bolognese was delicious!! That béchamel sauce is incredible. Also had the Burrata Al Modo Puglia which was to die for!! Lastly, had the Fettuccine Alla 'Emiliana and I tell ya... that homemade pasta melted in my mouth... soo amazing!! Staff at first was a little non existent... they sat us and then ignored us while bringing bread and water to everyone around us ... but once Melissa came to greet us - all was good. She was very friendly and super helpful in choosing our meals and wine. And she just had great energy and a great sense of humor. It is a small place ... so be sure to make a reservation! Street parking only... make sure you check the meters! Would I go back? Yes

Best Italian dinner of the year. Both their Lamb Chops and Duck were above and beyond. Their…read moregreen salad with mushrooms was also outstanding! The Pistachio Gelato was a perfect ending to the meal. Our server was friendly and added to the experience. We will be back soon!

The food was delicious and service was impeccable. While visiting Morro Bay I wanted to dine at a…read morenice restaurant with quality food and came across Buona Tavola on yelp. The food matched and surpassed the rave reviews. One of the owners or managers informed me that I have the option of asking for half orders, which was wonderful. This allowed me to try different foods on the menu without feeling overwhelmed, and I was able to enjoy my Tartufo Italiano Al Cioccolato at end of my meal. Everything tasted delicious and the owner/manager made sure I was happy with everything. There was a bit of a wait for each course to arrive, but I appreciated that because it allowed me to rest after each course. It also made the dining experience relaxed and pleasant, without feeling like I needed to shove the food down my throat and get out. Overall it was a very pleasant experience. I will definitely return here next time I'm in town.

Buona Tavola in San Luis Obispo -- Starting with a pro tip: reservations are highly recommended --…read morewe waited close to 40 minutes as walk-up customers. They have a pet friendly patio which is always a welcome amenity. Nights in SLO can be nippy -- but the patio heaters made outside dining quite comfortable. This evening's dinner: Cioppino -- the broth makes this dish, it tastes like the ocean, perfectly balanced with that patiently cooked-down acidity, crushed tomatoes, garlic, wine, and herbs. Luxuriating in this savory broth is a generous helping of clams, mussels, shrimp, and white fish. Linguine Fra Diavolo -- perfectly al dente, tossed with plump shrimp, scallops, and fresh mussels, everything coated in a velvety tomato-basil marinara sauce. Orecchiette del Campo -- more of that tomato-basil marinara, this time perfectly "cupped" by the pasta "little ears" with chicken sausages, broccoli rabe, and sun-dried tomatoes. Service is courteous without the hover. The locals outnumbered the out-of-town visitors this night, which made for lively conversations between tables. The vibe of this place is that of a neighborhood trattoria in Italy. Buona Tavola is worth the wait. Five stars!

We were craving a good homemade Italian meal and we read that Mama's meatballs were the real deal…read more We were not disappointed. We started with wine and they served little garlic bread balls as we went over the menu. We selected three appetizers (we had five in the group), the Bruschetta, caprese and the meatballs. The bruschetta came with three pieces, there were two meatballs and about six tomatoes and cheeses made the caprese. They were all delicious, but the meatballs were really good, a great homemade taste. We ordered a variety of mains: the salmon piccata, (nice size serving), baked penne (so good), Ravioli Di Ricotta (very tasty, less ricotta than the penne dish), Tortellacci Ring-shaped pasta filled with braised short ribs, served in ossobuco sauce (my favorite, paired great with the Chianti), and a penne with vodka sauce (my daughter raved about the sauce). For desert we forced ourselves to split up a bomba (Spumoni with chocolate shell) and a crème brûlée. Both were excellent, but we think we should have tried the Tiramisu because the menu said something about prepared table side. Well, I guess we'll have to come back, that and, we did not try the pizza! Well worth it, great meal, very attentive service, and a nice atmosphere with a formal dinner presentation.

My 3 young girls I arrived just after 8, for a late dinner. We were not met by a host and instead…read morehad to flag someone down to be seated. After being shown to our table, we were left without anyone so much as taking our drink order, for over 20 minutes. When I tried to get the attention of the waiter at the table directly across from us, who subsequently ended up being our waiter, he pretended he didn't see me, event though we had made clear eye contact. The waiter himself seemed to have no desire to do his job whatsoever and couldn't be bothered to care. He later finally came to take our order and could tell I was upset by the poor service. He offered up the worst apology ever, followed by telling me he would bring bread to the table, which never arrived. I wish I could offer an excuse that they were severely understaffed or incredibly busy, but neither of those were true. Another waiter had plenty of time to chat up the lady sitting at the table next to us for about half the duration of our meal. I don't intend on coming back due to such poor service, which is really too bad, because the food is excellent.

Our first visit to Flour House was 2 years ago because we saw it on DDD…read more We're back in California and returned again with our family in tow. My mom kept saying we're going to a pizza joint and as much as I tried to explain it was so much more she wasn't getting it. Well, once we got there she realized what I was talking about. It was a true education for her from the Italian food titles to the descriptive culinary terms she was impressed. The outdoor patio was very comfortable with the heater on. Loved everything!

We saw this place on DDD and our mouths started to water when we saw the Mezzi Paccheri Alla…read moreGenovese being made! We knew we had to plan a trip to Flour House. And we did just that for our wedding anniversary. Flour EXCEEDED our expectations and more!! OMG it truly was THE BEST Italian meal we've had since our trip to Italy! Here's why: We started with the arancini. You get three balls and they are so incredibly flavorful with a hint of smokiness to them at the end. OMG ORDER THESE. We also had the pizza special of the night which had mortadella. MORTADELLA is our favorite!!!! The pizza was so light and airy we could've easily had a pizza to ourselves. ORDER the pizza!! We originally we going to do separate entrees but decided to share the Mezzi. OMG it blew us away! The flavor of the meat sauce is so delicious! You can taste an onion base and you'll want to eat a bowl of it! The past noodles were big and held the sauce so well. Everything about this entrée was above and beyond our expectation! I ate this less than 24 hours ago and I'm still talking about how amazing the dish was. Thank you for the most incredible meal of our lives! We cannot wait to plan another trip just to come to your restaurant! It is perfecto!! Millie Gratzi!!

We decided to head to Nate's on Marsh on a whim as we had got into to town a little late and my…read morefriend finished an appointment a little later than expected. We had to wait a little while, but it wasn't that long, especially on a Saturday evening, which was a surprise to us. We decided to sit on the patio, we were concerned about the weather, but they had heaters which were nice.

I walked in at 2 PM and the host stand was in a really awkward position. When I spoke to the…read morehostess, I told her that I would consider bar seating, full dining, or to go. She told me none of them were available. - I thought this was odd because the website says the restaurant is open until 230 for lunch. She told me that the kitchen was closed. If you're gonna close the kitchen at 2 PM, then your website should say that the closing time is 2 PM. That's just common sense. - She told me that I couldn't do to go food because the kitchen was closed and that they only take to go orders in the first hour of service. This was not on the website and I think it's a ridiculous rule. There are so many other restaurants in San Luis Obispo. Don't go to this one.

We came here in April -- but I wrote all the notes on the food below while eating -- on our way…read morehome from NorCal. Service here was excellent, we were checked up on enough and our server gave great recommendations. Thanks to our server Talia D! We sat in a cute garden area with vines, plants, and fairy lights, very cozy like you're in a friend's well-decorated patio. They also gave us complementary bread before we received our meal, and a lot of the dishes were unique and plated well. I would come back if I'm ever in the area and would recommend this place to all my friends! All ratings below are averaged (from me and my bf): salmon bisque // 9.25 // very yummy and unique. my bf didn't think he'd like it -- he usually dislikes seafood -- but it was great!! creamy, clear salmon taste but no unpleasant fishy/ocean taste that a lot of seafood has. i've never had this anywhere else, props to the chef! thai green curry // 8.5 // my bf says it's a 9. it's good but i feel like it was not my fave, it's lowkey your good, standard green curry that you can get at any thai place duck breast (curry) // 8.75 // very delicious and unique, i'd rate the curry, rice, and duck breast as 9/10, the duck breast itself was a 10/10. the curry was creamy, and they were all delicious and fragrant, pairing well together. however, the mushrooms, carrots, and other veggies it came with are too sweet. they seem like they're glazed with a sauce that has too much sugar. the black rice was surprisingly very filling strawberry matcha trifle // 8 // yummy, nothing majorly wrong with it. reminds me of a strawberry matcha latte. matcha whipped cream was a nice, unique touch i haven't really seen elsewhere despite it not sounding difficult to make. i'd order it again but i feel like it's on the sweeter side, so you can't eat too much of it.

First of all, Novo has a great outdoor dining patio. It's really nice to sit outside and eat great…read morefood under the trees, next to a running stream, heaters outside everywhere will prevent you from getting cold. Perfect weather for wearing a light sweater, enjoying a glass of wine, and having a nice evening with your people. The staff is very attentive and on top of making sure you have what you need. Food: started off with the brussel sprouts and man, those were so so good. Brussel sprouts, goat cheese, pancetta, etc. you get what I'm saying. Flash fried perfectly. We had the salmon bisque and Soup De Novo, which was a vegetable curry soup. These both could have essentially been meals. The salmon bisque was absolutely loaded with salmon. From what I heard about it, it tasted amazing. (I don't eat salmon). The vegetable curry soup was very flavorful and blended smoothly. If you ordered rice on the side, it would have been just like an entire meal. Tikki Masala Chicken - man, that airline chicken was cooked perfectly. Juicy and tender, great flavor, no a single thing wrong with it. The rice and vegetables were fantastic, especially the carrots. I don't know why they seemed extra good, but they were. 2 orders of the Ribeye. Once cooked medium and mine, cooked medium rare. Unfortunately, when mine came out, I immediately could tell that it was nowhere near cooked right. It was actually well done. When the waiter came back, I said "I'm sorry to have to do this..." and before I could finish he said "oh yea, that's definitely not medium rare, let me have the kitchen refire that for you". I dislike sending food back, but when you're spending $58 on a ribeye dinner, it HAS to be correct. (Note- the manager remedied the issue quick..came to the table, offered soup, bread, etc, which I had already eaten soup, so he comped 50% off the steak. Nice gesture!) The rest of the vegetables paired with the ribeye were very good. If someone told you the white bean puree was mashed potatoes, most people would believe it. Very creamy and delicious. The Italian salsa verde on top was also very fulfilling. Overall the dinner was very good.

Wonderful place. A gem. We sat outside, which was really…read morecute, and had great food and great service. Loved the short ribs (amazing dish), the green goddess salad as well as the Napoli style pizza. The dutch baby was a perfect ending for dinner, i love it when restaurant focus on a central cooking area like a big oven (in this case), so desserts have a similar theme. It feels very authentic.

For whatever reason I was craving pizza big time on this particular night, but not a slice, quality…read morepizza from a restaurant. I did a search and Bear and the Wren came up. I was only in San Luis Obispo for one night, it was my first time visiting I was doing a road trip up the coast and the goal of my trip was to see beautiful beaches, eat amazing food and try the coolest local coffee shops. I walked to this restaurant from my hotel and wanted to grab a seat at the bar. It was 9:20 on the dot when I walked in, was happy to see they were open until 10. Now I worked in restaurants, both casual and fine dining for years. I know you don't stroll into a restaurant at 9:45, 9:50 when they close at 10. Have I had customers do it? Of course, but I don't do it. I also knew exactly what I wanted to order because I looked up the menu in advance. I don't drink, I definitely would have been in and out before other tables had finished. Plus when I walked in, it was a semi-full restaurant. This was a Saturday night by the way. I walked in and said hey I was just going to sit at the bar and grab pizza your kitchen is still open right? The hostess got uncomfortable and said, "Yeah we are closing now, sorry." I said, "Oh really that's a bummer I just wanted some pizza." Hoping she would say yeah of course we are still open for another FORTY minutes. But she didn't. I asked if she had any recommendations for late night food and she gave me the name of a pizza dive that you would pick up drunk slices from. What a bummer. I don't know places that turn people away for food on a Saturday night 40 minutes before closing.

Food, delicious. Service, excellent. Ambiance, lovely…read more Entrees: Flat iron steak Lasagna Shrimp Chicken Parmesan All well prepared, presented, and delicious. Wine: Cabernet (Which one escapes me... was too preoccupied with enjoying it.) Dessert: Tiramisu Creme brulee Need I say more? Perfect dining experience for our out-of-town guests, and for us.

I absolutely love this place--does that tell you enough?…read more As someone who is quite particular about Italian-style food, especially with having paternal grandparents from Puglia, Italy, I often feel disappointed by what I find. However, this restaurant truly exceeded my expectations. They don't attempt to be overly authentic, they are! They serve Italian food at its finest in the SLO area, and I greatly appreciate that. I was first introduced to this place by one of my colleagues in our industry. We decided to hold a speaker program here, and it turned out to be a brilliant choice. My second visit was just as enjoyable, and I would highly recommend the following dishes: - Bruschetta - Mozzarella Caprese - Calamari Fritti (a bit spicy) - Insalata Café Roma - Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, Salsiccia, e Pecorino (this dish resonates with me since orecchiette originated in the region of my family's heritage) - Osso Buco alla Milanese - Scampi Piccata - Salmone Alla Griglia When it comes to dessert, here's what I would recommend: - Caffe Affogato - Spumoni Ice Cream covered in a chocolate shell You may wonder why I chose these. The Caffe Affogato and spumoni are what we, as true Italians, consider authentic. Tiramisu, while delicious, is a non-traditional dessert that was invented much later. Just "think about it and forget about it" ;-) lol, even though it's really good! Tell em Joey sent you. Ha! Ciao!