Louisa’s Place

Updating my previous review since the last few times I have been in the staff has really fixed their errors. Glad to see this place seems to finally have gotten some polite wait staff.

So many things wrong with this restaurant when I went on Sunday, ¹⁄₃.
While I waited outside with my boyfriend, sister, and her baby, the employee trying to seat people clearly did not know what she was doing. There were many people waiting to be seated but when these two girls suddenly showed up, they convinced the girl to seat them. Everyone’s frustration was immediately apparent. Next was the horrible food. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes and they were so burnt I couldn’t eat it. My sister’s French toast were also burnt.
I will not be eating here again.

I love this place. The food is excellent, the servers are nice, the coffee is strong and it’s always warm and crowded. Sure, it’s terribly over-​priced ($ 18 with tip for breakfast), but I keep coming back.

Really great service but the food is subpar. I gave it 3 – 4 chances to change my mind since it’s a local hot spot, but I am officially unimpressed.

Well worth the wait if there is a line. The big one omelet is fantastic and the lenguisa omelet is amazing. The staff is always busy but very friendly.
If you’re looking for a quick in and out this will not be it. You will have time to talk amongst friends and maybe play a friendly game of heads up while you wait.
Parking is on the street or parking structure down the block.

First time here and it was crazy busy and packed. My kids enjoyed the pancakes they are really good pancakes. I had the California burger and I didn’t really liked the meat it tasted too greasy and it was too dry. They are so busy but you can see that the servers do try their best to keep up with everyone they are waiting on. It was a lil too pricey for 3 kid meals. But overall my kids enjoyed.

Read on a couple of sites that Louisa’s Place had been named the best breakfast spot in SLO for 2015, and a bunch of years before that as well. It’s not the highest rated breakfast spot on Unilocal… but it should be based on the food and low-​key/​old school ambiance.
From the Unilocal pictures, there was really only one choice for a meal: #14 Country Fried Steak & Eggs. The fried steak was cooked perfectly and there was the right amount of excellent gravy on top. The home fries were made of French Fry shaped potatoes with green peppers. I normally like a crunchy crunchy consistency, but these were on the softer side (and I very much enjoyed). My only complaint is that the biscuit was pretty thick and dry. The gravy softened it up a bit, but not enough.

As good as a diner getzzz… omelets will have you rolling slowly out the door. Comfort food with emphasis on COMFORT!

This is not a bouge-​y breakfast place like the majority of SLO’s other restaurants. Maybe this is why the reviews on Unilocal are so mixed. It is a no-​frills diner with greasy (in the best way), HUGE portions. We ordered the eggs benedict and the biscuits and gravy. The benedict was delicious and came with home fries on the side. The biscuits and gravy were absolutely ENORMOUS, and we saw behind the counter that they were home baked– sooo good! The biscuits and gravy is definitely a dish that needs to be shared, because besides the fact that the portion size is huge, it is totally decadent. The pricing is a little high for a diner, but I’ve come to expect that in SLO and can’t blame it on Louisa’s.
The only downside to this place is that it is literally ALWAYS packed. On the day that we went, we were able to score a spot at the counter pretty quickly because the owner’s daughter (I presume?) was taking up a spot next to one empty chair, and he asked her to scoot down. But, we’ve tried to go again since and the wait time (even for a counter seat) is 30+ minutes, with lines out the door. Every once in a while we walk down to see if the wait isn’t so bad (it usually is), but usually end up making brunch at home.

tried this place early one morning after work and having to wait around for a work meeting. I feel bad cause this place started to get packed and there was only 1 person working. We sat out front and enjoyed it a lot. the waitress was very polite and helpful, even when she was so busy. we will be back here.

How about a good Olé diner with a nice long counter and scurrying waitresses making everything just right. Now add some eggs, tri tip, home fries, and toast. Presto good breakfast, friendly people, nice chats and come on down for a good time

Best Breakfast in town! The wait can be long but it’s only because it’s so worth it.
Favorite dishes:
1. Linguica Scramble
2. The Italiano omelette
3. Eggs Benedict
Any of these will be amazing and easily split-​able with a friend.
All the best

After seeing how many awards it had won for best breakfast, my boyfriend and I decided to check this place out.
I was sorely disappointed. I ordered the huevos rancheros: eggs over medium, corn tortillas, homemade salsa, refried beans, and home fries. The refried beans were a pale pink-​brown color that reminded me of ‘McDonald’s pink sludge’ — the consistency was runny and watery for beans. The corn tortillas looked undercooked. The home fries were burnt in some areas and raw in others. It also looked like whatever was stuck on the grill last before the home fries were cooked came onto the plate as well.
Also, I was sketched out about the hygiene (or lack thereof). Everything looked dingy and unwashed. Our table was right next to a bevy of coloring book pages that must have been colored in by some kids and tacked up on the wall. I could see food splatters on the coloring book pages. And flies — flies everywhere. One flew straight at my eye.
I left 75% of my food untouched and no one commented or asked why. I will not be back, no matter how many best breakfast awards it claims to have won.

Tell my wife I love her. My brother can have any power tools my wife doesn’t want to keep. Scatter my ashes in Morro Bay and put a headstone for me in the Cambria Cemetary.
What?!? I haven’t died and gone to heaven? Oh, I’m at Louisa’s Place in San Luis Obispo for breakfast.
I’m really pleased that the Volvo dealer recommended this place for breakfast. It was tough to choose from the menu, but I settled on the breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, sausage, chorizo and cheddar cheese. It came with very tasty home fries. The helping size was very generous.
The waitress was very attentive and friendly. The only negative was that my coffee cup was cracked, but she promptly replaced it.
This is a diner and it isn’t fancy, which is the way a diner should be. I definitely will eat here again.

Delicious food. I had the eggplant Parmesan omelette. Which was gigantic, like my chai iced tea. I feel like a kid again everything is huge!
Low key old fashioned coffee shop feel,
Waitress was very friendly and efficient.
Had the fruit sub instead of toast. It was a whole plate of fruit.

I hit up Louisa’s Place with 5 friends for one last meal (brunch) in SLO before heading back to Davis and it was a solid brunch. Okay, so we ate at 1:00pm instead of 11:00am as planned, but we got to wander around Downtown a little and snag some deals at GAP, so it’s all good.
Food on the table: Country Fried Steak and Eggs (x3), French Toast with (fresh) Strawberries, Steak Omelette, and Linguica and Eggs (or…so I think I remember for the last two).
I split the Country Fried Steak and the French Toast with a friend and the fresh berries were a welcome addition to the heavier foods we had. The biscuit was sizeable and fluffy, the eggs were well-​cooked (sunny-​side), and the steak had a good crunch on the outside with a tender center! I felt the seasoning of the gravy could’ve been bumped up a notch, but it was still satisfying. The potatoes were the weakest player in my opinion, and were slightly soggy/​oily and just barely seasoned. However, the French toast was quite nice — not too sweet or rich, even with whipped cream, strawberries (fresh!!), powdered sugar, and some syrup drizzled over.
One of the best things: it was a lot of food and I was full, but not overstuffed. I was comfortable after eating, which was especially good because we jumped into a car to head back to Davis soon after.
A couple other notes: there’s not a lot of seating and it’s really noisy inside (we ate outside — two round tables put together). The waitresses were really nice and service was quick enough! If you’re waiting around, scan the menu so you can order right away to save some time.
One star off for the long wait (~90 minutes) and the home fries lacking some punch.

Years ago my grandfather started to suffer dementia and Alzheimers, but at least he could still make it to the bus stop, and the bus driver knew to drop him off right in front of Louisa’s Place. He occasionally tried to pour cream on his pancakes, but the staff were always right there to take care of «Big-​E,» as they affectionately called him. Really, this is how you treat my grandfather, like he’s one of your own? I thought this kind of thing didn’t happen anymore. Well, it sure as heck does at Louisa’s, thanks Scott and all the staff, I still get tears in my eyes thinking about it.
Now, if they treat my grandpa that well, imagine if they treat you (or me) even half that well? Still going to be better than any place in town. Add in the fact that Vincente is the best cook in town (he’s «owned» that kitchen for about 20yrs) and you have the makings of a gorge-​fest.
I honestly don’t think I need to say any more. I’ve ate just about every single thing on the menu over the last 20+yrs, and it’s all damn good, every single thing. I literally have never been disappointed, either with the food or service, so I’d say a 20yr track record gives them some of the best street cred in SLO. Go, eat, and be full, very full.

I had super high expectations for this place! People have always told me either to go to Louisa’s or Margie’s for breakfast/​brunch, and I decided to check out Louisa’s first!
I actually went around 1 on a Saturday, so there’s not that much of a wait by then. I’ve seen this place at like noon – it’s packed!
Anyway, so I was looking at the menu and I saw «biscuits and gravy.» I literally jumped for joy because I LOVE biscuits and gravy. It’s my all time favorite comfort food! My friend, who I was out with, told me that a lot of Unilocalers like the biscuits and gravy, so I decided to order it.
When I got it, the entire plate was covered in gravy. It’s not aesthetically pleasing, but man when are biscuits and gravy pretty looking?! So that didn’t turn me off or anything. When I took a bite, however, I was greatly disappointed.
The biscuits served at Louisa’s is more like bread than a biscuit, which is not what I expected and definitely not what I wanted. I’m more of the flaky and buttery kind of biscuits.
The gravy, in my opinion, was also rather bland. I felt like something was missing, but I couldn’t really pinpoint what.
You do get a lot out of your money’s worth, I’ll have to say. The portion is HUGE, and mine came with a size of sausages and eggs (can be customized to a certain extent to your own choosing). I literally could not eat more than half in one sitting.
All in all, the food was just flavorless and it left me very disappointed and unsatisfied. I most likely won’t be back.

BISCUIT AND GRAVY.
I’ve been to a few places with biscuits and gravy, but this is gonna be one of the best I’ve had so far. They serve it warm, soft and covered with gravy. It’s not as flaky as the usual biscuits I’ve had, but it’s still very good.
I also ordered the steak omelette which is big enough for two. You can ask them to split it into two plates, especially if you’re sharing with another person. The filling was seasoned well, not too heavy on the sauces. We also had the bacon waffle which is surprisingly not as gross as it sounds like, served with a side of maple syrup. It was an interesting balance between the sweet and savory flavor .
There were 9 of us who came there, and they were nice enough to accommodate us, granted we called called ahead to reserve a table. I don’t think reservation is necessary for a smaller group, but this place can get pretty busy.
I would probably be a regular customer, if only this place was closer. If you’re ever in SLO, check this place out, you won’t be disappointed!

Service sucks, but the food is not bad with good sized portions.
Parking was a bit hard to find on the weekend but if you don’t mind walking a few blocks, then you’ll have an easier time finding parking.
Overall, the service was very slow. We got seated at the counter without needing to wait, but that was kind of pointless as there was no one to serve us. We told the waiters that we were ready to order and nobody took our order until the third time. Even the couple next to us had to ask for coffee 2 – 3 times before they actually got it. It took us about 30 minutes to get our food and we only ate for like 15 minutes.
We ordered the chorizo con huevos and chocolate chip pancakes. The portions are large enough to share, which is probably why this place is so busy. The food was pretty good overall.
Additionally, I’m not sure how many health codes this restaurant is violating, but I find it quite disgusting. I saw the waiter use his bare hands to rip the biscuits in half, and then he just adds gravy and throws it in the microwave. Who knows where his hands have been? Good thing I didn’t order the biscuits.