Granada Hotel & Bistro

We spent a few days here for my birthday in August and had a magical time. It was lucky we missed the college student crowds. The boutique hotel is beautiful, the bistro is amazing, and the speakeasy feels like a real one, with spectacular service. Everything was great, and we're thinking of making it an annual trip. It's close enough to walk everywhere, and I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

The one good thing was the food, especially the excellent fresh-squeezed orange juice. This review is about the Bistro, where service gets one star out of five. My husband and I had brunch on Sunday. We'd had a great time on the Taste of SLO Food Walking Tour last November, so we expected more, but it was disappointing. The place wasn't crowded, yet the servers were inattentive and spent time at the bar at the back, away from the patio tables. It took a while to order, and our drinks and food took a long time to arrive. My French Toast Bread Pudding was delicious last time but dry this time, with too little syrup. Since no one was around on the patio, my husband had to go to the bar area to ask for syrup. Orders, especially food, seemed to take ages for everyone. I ordered a Vanilla Latte, but a regular Latte arrived instead. I didn't point it out because I thought getting the right one would take too long, and I don't think our server had noticed the order detail.

We've loved staying at this charming hotel many times since our daughter moved to San Luis Obispo about two and a half years ago. The location is perfect, but I wonder if it's under less appealing new management. The morning light breakfast has been reduced to coffee only, and the service doesn't feel as friendly or warm as it used to. Sadly, we'll look elsewhere for our future visits.

The patio is beautiful, with great light, and the atmosphere is hard to beat. I went to the BISTRO for brunch with three friends, and our waitress made the meal from the start. She gave us great recommendations and was genuinely enthusiastic about every menu change and food adjustment, with no attitude at all. The food was fantastic. Get the chilaquiles and French toast bread pudding, and don't skip the lattes. I think the bartender made them, and they were amazing. I'm already planning to come back.