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I had a very memorable date night with my husband earlier this month in Pismo Beach. We went to three different places on Price St, which is 2 blocks parallel from the Pismo Beach Pier. [ If you're looking for a date night suggestion for Downtown San Luis Obispo, read about our Date Night in Downtown SLO. ] 

First Date Stop in Pismo Beach: Tastes of the Valleys Review

There is a quaint wine bar in Pismo Beach on Price St. named Tastes of the Valleys. It stays open until 7PM on Saturdays so we decided to visit this place first around 5:30PM. They offer tastings every day and my husband had tried to get a reservation ahead of time but they don't take reservations and you just walk-in only. When we got there, there was only one other party that was doing a tasting. We sat at the bar and looked at the walls and interesting signs about wines and winemaking and felt right at home. It's a very casual tasting room and I felt comfortable right away. Lined up at the bar are bottles of what the tastings were included for that night. It was about a handful of tastings from different wineries for $20. There was only one staff member there and she was very knowledgeable and we watched her walk back and forth to serve us and the other party. She was a rockstar. We didn't want to buy any of the bottles and just came in for the tasting so we left after our tastings and walked across the street to check out Sans Liege Wines on a whim. Tastes of the Valleys address: 911 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Update on Tastes of the Valleys: On a more recent visit at Tastes of the Valleys, there were two staff members there which was rare. It was quite busy so it was definitely helpful to have more than one employee there. However, there was also a non-staff lady sitting at the bar, who was not drinking any wine and was very talkative so if you're looking to have an intimate or quieter conversation with your lover there, you might not be able to, depending on who is also there at the tasting room. My impression is she is there quite often as the DD.

Second Stop: Sans Liege Wines Review

Sans Liege Wines is the only winery-owned tasting room in Pismo Beach. It was just down the street from La Bodega Tapas, where we were planning on having dinner so it was so convenient that we decided to stop in around 6PM and shared one tasting. Sans Liege is a small tasting room with a sleek and posh design. The outdoor entrance is painted in black and the inside has a large bar with seats along the window and the a larger seating area in the back. There is also a back patio. I thought to myself that this would be a great place to bring friends as it's just steps to many wonderful restaurants that Pismo Beach has to offer. On Saturdays, Sans Liege Wines Tasting Room here in Pismo Beach doesn't close until 8PM. See a list of wineries and tasting rooms that we've visited in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. Sans Liege Wines address: 870 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Last Stop: La Bodega Tapas Review

After sharing a tasting at Sans Liege Wines, we walked down the street to our final destination around 6:30PM for dinner: La Bodega Tapas. We had always driven by La Bodega Tapas but had never tried their food. It sounded fancy and expensive and it was! We shared an order of empanadas, paella and cioppino. They all tasted fantastic and we didn't have any room for dessert after our meal. I wish we did! I love the high ceilings of the place, the excellent service and the proximity to many cool places close to La Bodega Tapas. It was definitely a romantic date night and as we walked outside, it started to sprinkle. It rarely rains in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo County so it was a nice refreshing close to our night. (2024 Update: La Bodega is closing their doors for good and their last day is October 25, 2024) La Bodega Tapas address: 790 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

More About Pismo Beach:

The 3 places we've visited above during our date night are 2 blocks from the ocean and Pismo Beach Pier. If you'd like to see reviews of Pismo State Beach Restaurants that I've blogged about that are less than 2 blocks from the ocean, read reviews for the following places:

• Oyster Loft
• The Rooftop at Inn at the Pier
• SeaVenture Restaurant inside of SeaVenture Hotel
• MilkT Society Boba Shop
• Ventana Grill
• Pono Pacific Kitchen

I've taken many pictures of the beaches in San Luis Obispo County, including our famous Pismo Beach on my blog. Click here to see all of my pictures of the beaches here.

I've also posted my pictures and videos of the beaches of Pismo State Beach, which encompasses: Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Oceano via instagram. See my instagram for pictures and videos of Pismo Beach.

Reading Suggestions:

Read about my movie date experience in downtown San Luis Obispo. 

Read about places that we went for our Date Night and Staycation in Downtown SLO.

See other restaurants that I highly recommend in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo County by visiting the Restaurants Page of my blog.

Find places in San Luis Obispo County where you can drop off your kids for a fun Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out evening.

Suggested Free Thing To Do: Walk through the neon-lit St. Jude's Pedestrian Tunnel at night. See my IG Video reel of my walk though this tunnel in Pismo Beach

Featured Post: About 40 minutes south of Pismo Beach, is a Michelin starred restaurant in Los Alamos called Bell's. For a date night, my husband and I tried Bell's 5 course prix fixe dinner! It's expensive but it's definitely the place you take someone to celebrate something very special. The service was top notch and the food was farm-to-table and tremendously delicious. Read my blog post about my review of Bell's in Los Alamos (also on the Central Coast) or view the instagram reel of my Bell's date night experience.

We dined at Pono Pacific Kitchen in Grover Beach, California right at 4PM today to try out the new Hawaiian restaurant in the West End of Grover Beach named Pono Pacific Kitchen.

It's a higher end restaurant with a 1 page food menu and excellent service. They currently only serve dinner and have no lunch time hours. They have a couple of kid's options off the menu, which I appreciate very much! 

At the center of the restaurant is a bar, fully stocked with an inviting vibe. The doors are all open in the front of the house to let the fresh air come in with a main entrance that you should enter through where you'll be greeted by a smiling hostess.

I ordered the Pan Seared Scallops while my husband ordered the Braised Short Rib as our entrees and shared the Blue Crab Cakes. While the Blue Crab Cakes only came with two, the entrees size were very nice! We left there full and happy.

See my instagram video reel of my first dining experience at Pono Pacific Kitchen.

I highly recommending going on their website and using Open Table to make reservations as there have been many times where I drove by and it looked busy! They are open in the evenings at 4PM for dinner. They change their closed days by season so check with their social media or website to find the latest changes on their operating hours.

My 2023 Update:

Pau Hana at Pono Pacific Kitchen

We came back to Pono Pacific Kitchen 9 months later for their Pau Hana (means 'happy hour') and sat at one of their high tops by the bar on the different side of the room as our first visit. Vibe is totally different and I totally dig it! Facing the door, I love seeing the hustle and bustle of the host stand and happy people coming in for some delicious food. We ordered food their Pau Hana menu that's available only from 4PM - 6PM. We shared 4 dishes: Shishito Peppers, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Spicy Tuna Nachos, Chargrilled Oysters. I ordered the Ruby Soho Saketini and it was so refreshing. The dishes were all great! I want to note that even though the chargrilled oysters are chargrilled to melt the cheese on top, the oysters are still raw at the bottom, which I'm totally okay with but wanted to mention it for those who can't eat raw seafood. See my pictures from my pau hana below.

Pono Pacific Kitchen Address: 228 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433

Other Suggested Hawaiian Restaurants:

• Tropical Hawaiian BBQ in Arroyo Grande (serves casual Hawaiian entrees like katsu chicken, loco loco, etc.)
• Shin's Poke in Pismo Beach (2 blocks from the ocean)
• Poke Morro in Arroyo Grande
• Red Dirt Coffee House in Arroyo Grande (coffee shop and have Hawaiian Plate Lunches)
• PCH Shave Ice & Boba in Pismo Beach (Hawaiian shave ice, boba and special desserts)

See other restaurants that I recommend in San Luis Obispo County.

I've walked through Sensorio Field of Lights twice so far and I enjoyed it the second time more than the first time as I was able to walk on the opposite side, which I missed the first time. The Field of Lights is a big loop that you walk through with a couple of in between trails within the loop.

Sensorio is a place you must visit if you're planning on visiting San Luis Obispo or San Luis Obispo County. There is an entrance fee, which you can buy online to save a bit of time. Even though they open at 7PM, you really don't see the lights all that well until it gets dark around 8:30PM during the summer months. 

It's so hot in Paso Robles when we went in the summer that by around 8PM, it was still 90 degrees so no jacket was needed for us. However, if you're visiting during the colder season, definitely bring a jacket or coat for the cold evening. The trail is stroller and wagon friendly so the second time I went, we brought a wagon for my two kids. Their little legs can only walk so far and this helped us go in a faster pace. See the video reel below of my walk through the Sensorio Field of Lights with the wagon sound in the background.


They sell food and drinks at the front part near the entrance so if you're worried about getting hungry or thirsty, you have options there. Also near the entrance are some games that your family can play with. They had corn hole, tic tac toe, Connect 4 and other bean bag games. There was also a band playing while we were there.

Another light art installation you can look at is the Light Towers on the far end of Sensorio's trail. This is a smaller installation area but it represents the wine country culture of Paso Robles, which has meaning especially for SLOcals like us. It's nice to get there early because you can see the transitions from daylight to sunset and then nighttime; and see how the light installations look different as the night progresses. See all of the videos below that I captured from our Sensorio visits.




See more video clips of Sensorio and a 30 second video collage of my visit here on my instagram.

Sensorio Address: 4380 Highway 46 East Paso Robles, CA 93446

Tips for Visiting Sensorio:

• Bring a jacket or coat for the evening if you're visiting during the fall or winter seasons. It's all outdoors so there is really no place to shelter, except for the restrooms.
• Wear comfortable shoes as the trail is not leveled and will require a lot of walking.
• If you have little ones, even if they are 7 or 8 years old, consider bringing a wagon cart so they can rest while you pull them when needed. They will probably get tired from walking after an hour and an hour is not enough to see it all.
• If you want to save money on food and drinks, you can pack some food to eat in the car before you get inside of Sensorio because they don't allow outside food or drinks inside. The only thing they allow is sealed water bottles or an empty reusable water bottle for filling inside. However, if you get hungry inside, they do sell food. The lines to those food places could get long.
• Some nights do get sold out so if you want to make sure you have tickets on a specific date, I recommend booking the tickets online.

More Local Review Suggestions:

• See a list of romantic date reviews in San Luis Obispo County including The Movie Experience in Downtown SLO, a date night in Pismo Beach, and 30 minute soak at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.


• Read my staycation reviews for Madonna Inn, Granada Inn & Bistro and La Quinta Inn Downtown San Luis Obispo.


• I've visited over 50 wine tasting rooms in San Luis Obispo County, which includes Edna Valley and Paso Robles. See my top 10 favorite wine tasting rooms in San Luis Obispo County as a local.

Showering your dear future bride before their wedding day with a bridal shower is traditionally the wonderful prequel to show her how very special and loved she is by all of the guests before the big day! With guests that could be traveling from anywhere on the globe or busy on the go, making sure all of her guests receives the bridal shower invitation is an important first step in bridal shower planning. 

See an example of a bridal shower invite for a couple above from Basic Invite. 

Basic Invite provides templates that you use to create invites for many major life moment including weddings, showers, birth announcements, birthdays, graduations, and holiday parties. You can create and send unique bridal shower invitations and thank you bridal shower cards and customize them easily online as well!

With 180 colors to pick from, Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allow you to make your card special with custom samples where you can instant preview online or even order a printed sample of the invitation before placing the final order! So, you can see and feel the paper quality and make sure the text details are all correct beforehand. Moreover, Basic Invite offers 40 different envelope colors so you can pick the right envelope to match the invitation that you've created. All of the envelopes are peel and seals for easily handling before mailing them off!

Action items that you may need to consider before creating your bridal shower invitation include:

• Finding the venue or address to host the bridal shower.
• Settle on a time and date for the start of your bridal shower party.
• Coordinate the food and drinks menu or contact catering services for the party.
• Narrow down on a theme, or not.
• Plan on decorations (DIY or purchasing bridal shower decorations online).
• Compile a guest list with the names and addresses of all guests whom your bride would like you to mail a bridal shower invitation to. You can utilize Basic Invite's Address Capturing Service to share a link to request their friends and family's addresses if you only have their email address or their social media information. With the worldwide use of social media and guests who may be more active with online communication, Basic Invite's Address Capturing Service allow you to share a link to request their friends and family's addresses easily. The addresses are stored in the customer’s account and can be selected during the design process; a proactive way to reach all of your guests! Moreover, Basic Invite offers recipient address printing at no cost on all card orders. 
• Be sure to include the name and contact information of the host(s) who the guests should contact to RSVP for the bridal shower on the invite.
• Create thank you bridal shower card ahead of time to quickly send those out to guests after the bridal shower has taken place.

Click here to see all bridal shower invitations examples for ideas!

I've helped plan two showers in the past: one was a bridal shower and the other one was a baby shower. It could be stressful if you don't plan ahead of time. I've also attended a few bridal showers as a guest over the years.

Personal tips for planning a bridal shower:

• If you're part of a bridal party and there is more than one bridesmaid in the wedding, ask for help from the other bridesmaid(s) in planning the bridal shower if time is not on your side and party planning is not your forte. It'll help to divide the tasks so the costs and tasks are less of a burden on one person.
• I've seen one person planned and tackled most, if not all of the financial responsibility and planning for a bridal shower before. Consider your personality and life stage at the moment if you're attempting to plan all of this on your own. If you're a big party planner, thrive on being the sole planner, and can reasonably afford it, then, have fun with being the sole host! Otherwise, if there is a bridal party, I think it's appropriate to ask them for help and allow them to help make the bride's bridal shower special.
• Start planning at least 2 months ahead to get the action items (see Action items list above) fulfilled but if you're narrowing down on a particular venue, you may need to contact the place way farther out than that to secure the reservation date for the party.
• Send invitations at least 1 month ahead of the party date so that it gives the guests enough time to reserve the date for this event on their personal calendar.
• Ask the bride for her wedding registry (if she has one) so that you may consider including that on the invite as well or share it to guests who ask.
• Review the Action items list above or your own organized checklist to ensure you've covered all the details in your party planning, week-by-week.

When I was working, I'd go sit in a coffee shop to plug in my laptop and enjoy a nice latte about a couple times a week to mix up it up because working remotely from home can sometimes be lonely. 

Best part about working remotely is I can choose a different setting if I wanted to, except when I have meetings as I try to reserve those work days for at home to avoid too much background noise. I have a preference over coffee shops that serve latte in a mug if I'm sitting there, especially when they are creating beautiful latte art.

I've sat in many different coffee shops and here are some of the coffee or tea craft art I've taken pictures of around Five Cities (Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano and Halcyon). For outside of Five Cities in San Luis Obispo County, you can scroll down to the bottom to see my pictures of Kreuzberg California and Kraken Coffee in San Luis Obispo.

• Kraken Coffee Co in Avila Beach

  Located in a more upscale beach area in the Five Cities, this particular Kraken Coffee Co location is two stories and beach front, facing Avila Beach! It's also close to a lot of other shops and restaurants, making this a very ideal place for a coffee stop if you're planning on dining out for a great meal as well. When you sit upstairs to plug into your computer, it's a really nice breezy experience. Address: 310 Front St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
  

• Banner Coffee in Arroyo Grande

  Located in the busier part of Grand Ave in Arroyo Grande, this coffee shop has a lot of in and out traffic. There are individual tables and seats towards the left side if you're facing the entrance and a large communal table to the right side. What makes this coffee shop unique is it's right next to the Grace Church and has a safe feel to it. They have a simplified menu and it works for me. I usually order the Vanilla Latte (see pictures below). I always feel like I'm in L.A. when I sit here as it doesn't feel like the rest of the Arroyo Grande vibe. I like it! It's hip, young and fresh.  Address: 995 E Grand Ave, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
  
  Even 30 minutes later, my coffee still looks pretty. They don't have a designated parking lot so you'll have to park on the street.
  

• Tribe Coffeehouse in Arroyo Grande

  Tribe Coffeehouse is one of my favorite places to get coffee. They have a turquoise theme and their coffee house is a true coffee house that has former bedrooms that have been transformed into sitting spaces and shopping. They also have delicious pastries and their coffee/latte art is excellent. They have very many unique lattes and drinks to choose from. See my video reel of Tribe Cofeehouse on my instagram. Address: 1355 E Grand Ave, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
  

• Cafe Andreini in Arroyo Grande

  Located at the Village of Arroyo Grande, this Cafe Andreini has a small town vibe but it's always bustling whenever I come in. There are people with their computers working, friends meeting here for a chat and many coming and going for a quick pick me up. Their craft coffee is consistently good here. However, their service is not! I've had great service before at random times and other times, the long wait for the coffee and spontaneous lackluster customer service have deterred me from coming here often. 
  
  However, what stood out to me was that they had a microwave for community use in the middle of their coffee shop. There is free parking in the back of the building so if you can't find street parking, I suggest going back around there. Cafe Andreini Address: 131 E Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
  

• Greenhouse Coffee Co in Arroyo Grande

  Greenhouse Coffee Co is the newest coffee shop to open among the list on this page and has a clean and bright space. There is a lot of tables with easy plug in, which makes it great for studying or working. The first time I came, they didn't put my coffee in a mug. However, I came back a year later and they put my drink in a mug after asking if I was sitting there! Their coffee has been consistently very good. For my first order, I ordered a lavender latte with macadamia milk because they didn't have almond milk when I asked for it. It's actually even better with macadamia milk, to my surprise! They are located across from Banner Coffee but I find parking at Greenhouse Coffee so much easier and love that! Depending on the day you come, they are open until either 2PM or 3PM. Address: 1064 E Grand Ave, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
  
  
  

• Red Dirt Coffee House in Arroyo Grande

  Red Dirt Coffee House is the very first local coffee house that I visited in Five Cities area so this one has a special place in my heart. They moved locations from Grand Ave to W. Branch Ave, that is in the Wal Mart Shopping Center.
  
  It's a Hawaiian coffee shop so they have special selections and serve Hawaiian Plate Lunches from Fri - Sun and daily lunch specials! See other recommended Hawaiian restaurants in the area. The ambiance has a cool, chill vibe but it's maybe too noisy for me to work. They are only open until 4PM and close on Mondays. I've seen other people work or study here. Red Dirt Coffee House Address: 1142 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
  

• Kraken Coffee Co in Pismo Beach

  Kraken Coffee Co in Pismo Beach is located on the Pismo Beach Promenade and close to a lot of restaurants, shops and it's facing the ocean! This was my view while I was sipping on coffee. It is a very busy touristy spot, but I've seen many plug in their laptop and work here. I haven't personally sat here with my laptop but I have sat here with just my phone playing a mobile game while enjoying the view. I think it's an excellent place to grab coffee if you're planning on hanging out at the Pismo Beach Pier! My latte pictured below had a heart. Address: 172 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
  

• Scorpion Bay Coffee Co in Pismo Beach

  Located a block from the water in Pismo Beach, Scorpion Bay Coffee Co is located right on the street with street parking that's 3 hours free to park. This makes it so easy and less stressful, especially in Pismo Beach. However, during tourist season, it might be hard to find free parking and these spots could be taken quickly. However, on the weekday during the shoulder season, I was able to find parking right in front of this coffee shop. When I walked in, I saw two other tables working on their laptops. It does have a nice vibe to work in and with high tables, it was definitely meant for work or study mode. I ordered the Killer Pumpkin Spice Latte and asked for ice blended. It was creamy and the spices were not overbearing. Since I was able to find parking so close to the beach in front of Scorpion Bay Coffee Co, I walked to the beach with my drink and enjoyed a tan before my 3 hour free parking was up. Address: 610 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach, CA 93449
  

• Red Bee in Grover Beach

  This coffee shop is a great place to plug in. It's a smaller coffee shop and located only a couple of blocks from the ocean in Grover Beach. Tell them that you are drinking there if you are so you can enjoy the pretty coffee art. Otherwise, they'll put it in a to-go cup. I really enjoy their seasonal decorations around the holidays. Address: 278 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433
  

• Deltina Coffee Roasters in Oceano

  Deltina Coffee Roaster is pretty much the only coffee shop in Oceano, California. Their main mission is roasting amazing coffee and their storefront is a bonus to serve customers. Limited in sugar syrups, they make up for it with amazing freshly roasted and ground coffee.
  
  
  There is a unique character to the inside of this place. The bulk of the room is dedicated to roasting and roasting equipment. The other side is where you can order coffee with a few tables. They have a large patio in the back so on a nice day, this would be a great place to having a cup of coffee outside there. There's not a lot of space inside to remotely work but if don't have to plug in, the outside is a good alternative. Deltina Coffee Roasters Address: 1945 Front St, Oceano, CA 93445
  

• PCH Shave Ice & Boba in Pismo Beach

  This is a boba shop but they also serve pretty coffee drinks. It doesn't have a nice remote work vibe so I haven't worked here before but their boba drinks are legit! The place is a decent size. Their Vietnamese coffee is delicious. They have several tables that you can choose to sit at. They're also located in a nice shopping center that has a Japanese restaurant and Mediterranean restaurant with a lot of parking spaces. See my full review post about PCH Shave Ice & Boba for more pictures. Address: 893 N. Oak Park Blvd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
  

• MilkT Society in Pismo Beach

  They have dozens and dozens of coffee and tea drinks that you can order. I've tried some really pretty matcha drinks and strong Vietnamese Coffee with boba here. The fantastic thing about this place is it's located only a couple of blocks from the Pismo Beach Pier. When it's not summer season, it's pretty quiet during a week day in the mornings so I have sat here with my laptop before. They only have a few tables though so it's a gamble but if you want to work with a cup of boba, this is a good option. See my full review post about MilkT Society to see more pictures that I've taken here. Address: 590 Dolliver St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449