Spike’s Pub

San Luis Obispo, United States

3.9

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 805-544-7157
Website:
www.spikespub.com
Address:
570 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
250 ft1,2
0.5 mi3
0.7 mi5
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
Yes
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Open now
Local time (San Luis Obispo) 12:34 AM Thursday, July 17, 2025

Business hours

Monday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Tuesday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Wednesday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Thursday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Friday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Saturday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sunday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am

Description

Specialties

Leave behind the world of beer advertising, beer fads, light beer, ice beer, low-​carb beers — whatever — and see the world of beer from the point of view of the people who like beer best: the brewers themselves.

We at Spike’s know many of our California brewers personally, and we know their efforts to fine tune the tiniest flavor detail. We are the connection between the brewers and their customers. Only by matching their attention to detail as we pour the beer can we bring out all the flavor complexities many consumers never notice. We want to be the place where the brewers themselves know their beer tastes the best.

Our selection of imported beers reflects a consensus of opinion among our brewing friends as to which German, Czech, Belgian, British and global beers are essential representatives of their type and region.

We also have some great food — skins, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and lots of munchies to choose from.

History

Established in 1981.

Spike’s Pub has been specializing in Beers from Around the World since May of 1981. It’s original owner, Bob, ran Spike’s for about 15 years. The last 15 years the owners have been many, but now there is 1. me, Andrea Miller. I have been involved with Spike’s since 2009, but a beer drinker at Spike’s before.

We have the original Around the World of beers list, 40 total, but over 50 beers in house. The first card was completed in 1981 and still sits in a frame behind the bar. On the card were a few less beers than we have today, due to the fact that many breweries were just forming or didn’t even exist yet. Names such as Anchor Brewing, Sierra Nevada, and Stone Brewing are just 3 names that grace our Spike’s Around the World Card.

Please join me in continuing the Spike’s Pub legacy as you enjoy more beer from Around the World!

Meet the Business Owner

Andrea M.

Business Owner

As the owner of Spike’s, I always look forward to meeting some of the thousands of customers who have finished Around the World beer cards during the first 35 years, and invite our new customers to help us keep it going Around the World. I recently brought back the Deep Fried Ice Cream and added a new «Adult» Rootbeer Float made with Sprecher Hard Rootbeer– both of which you should try! Or one of our many craft brews on draft.

Cheers!

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20 reviews of Spike’s Pub

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Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
I hesitated about whether to write a review for Spike’s because I love it too much. Do I want everybody storming the place? But then, Spike’s is a SLO institution, open for more than 30 years, and it has been so great to me, so I have to return the favor!
Spike’s is the best pub. Like, ever. The bartenders and owner are friendly, the setting is old and warm and has lots of wood furniture, the food is solid pub food, and the beer menu, with more than 40 beers from all over the world, is the best selection I’ve ever seen. They always have something good and new on tap, and the bartenders are always happy to make recommendations.
My friends and I have been going to Taco Tuesdays at Spike’s for years. It was our college ritual. The tacos are good, and the hot sauce is great! I’m also a big fan of the croquettes, with a spicy dipping sauce. (Can you tell I like spicy?) And the wings are great! There’s pretty much perfect pub food no matter what kind of pub food you want.
To recap: Good food, good service, beers from around the world.
Place rating: 3
Morro Bay, CA
I love the atmosphere and the beer is great. The selection is quite nice. Though, I was disappointed with the service. We were the only ones there and It took forever. We were due somewhere. The server brought the wrong potato skins and forgot my sandwich. We had to wait for them to be made and had to take them to go so we didn’t get to enjoy them there. Kinda bummed. The server apologized, said she was having some difficulty with the kitchen and gave us a break on the bill. I will be back, just hope for a better experience.
Place rating: 5
Burbank, CA
Awesome selection of beers! They have a screen displaying their selection of draft beers (it’s a nice and long list so you’re bound to find one you like!)
We ordered the bacon avocado burgers and they were delicious! I was surprised on how juicy the burgers were (for pub food) and the fries are some of the best I’ve eaten in SLO :) They also have great customer service — super attentive!
I would recommend that you stop by for a beer and some grub, especially during the week (check out their daily specials!)
Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA
This place is amazing. Best beers on tap, amazing service. If you’re a chill person who likes to kick back and drink beer, this is the place for you. If you are looking for pretentious or high class drinks, there are others bars in SLO that can accommodate your needs. Either way, Spikes is a staple in this town. Also, their ‘Beers Around the World’ is a great challenge for beer drinking locals!
Place rating: 1
Garden City, NY
Came here on the 12th of Nov. During the farmers market. I am from NYC and I have several friends in the SLO area and they wanted me to come check this place out. friends said they do beer flights so my group wanted to check it out. there were 5 of us and we all were going to do a different beer flight each. the coicktail waitress came to us and very pleasantly explained what they can do so we all ordered a flight. When she came back to the table she informed us «the bartender is not doing flights» the bar was neither packed or busy. such a shame since we were going to drop a easy 200 on flights. since they denied us our order we left and went to creekside brewery (which I would highly recommend. they accommodated us and beyond). I would avoid this bar solely to due to refusal of serving us when they could of.
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
Great place to grab a beer with friends! Good selection of beer, always have a sour or two on tap so I’m happy! The potato skins and burgers are awesome! I love that they have the area in the back, makes it really easy to come with a big group and not worry about seating.
Place rating: 1
Lawndale, CA
Not really worth a review other then say don’t go here
YOU Can Do Better
Read Unilocal it works very well
This was a recommendation from a local
The 2 ladies that work there do not click
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
Great beer pub! Rotating handles… Great beer selection! Staff know their beers… Good food that hits the spot when you want to sit and drink beer! Great beer pub! Did I mention it’s a great place to drink beer!
Place rating: 3
Oceanside, CA
Pretty disappointing tap list– nothing really stood out to me and not enough local craft beers of interest. Tap-​It IPA was about it and the keg was tasting quite nice. They had Lagunitas Hop Stoopid and Stone Ruination on tap as well, but those are pretty ubiquitous and neither are from this area. We came in about an hour after it opened and were the only patrons there. Still took awhile for us to get service. Sort of divey place with a clear focus on craft beer. The bottle list didn’t have anything of interest either. Food menu didn’t look appetizing so we passed.
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
We have never been disappointed by Spike’s and their fantastic menus of both food and beers. As locals, we frequent on all days of the week, and have come to look forward to the company of other regulars and servers each time. I highly recommend this spot if you are looking for a no nonsense, good quality meal complete with a fantastic (and always evolving!) selection of great brews!
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
Okay, with over a dozen check-​ins, clearly this place is my go-​to spot.
And any go-​to spot should be 5 Stars.
This is the place locals go. When you don’t want to hang out with drunken loud college people and hear ear shattering music, come here. It’s full of mildly loud music, and on certain nights of the week, drunken loud local adults.
But…don’t let me dissuade you form coming in.
This is one of the première spots to come for really really food beers, knowledgable staff and and enough rotating handles I’ve got to come in once or twice a week to make sure I don’t miss anything.
Don’t let me forget to mention their garlic fries.
They offer seated serving, waiter/​waitress style, but you can also mozy on up and place your order too. It’s super casual.
But really this place is all about the cool staff, the friendly atmosphere, and the great beers. This is a place by locals, for locals, but one that you’ll feel welcome at if you’re just passing through and stop in to check out what’s on tap.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Great local pub!
It’s smaller and an extra block from the main downtown area, but it’s worth the walk. Spike’s is filled with great beer and great company. They’ve got the expected greasy pub food. I tried the regular fries and garlic cheese fries. Definitely do not recommend the garlic cheese fries. You can’t taste the garlic and the cheese is barely sprinkled on, not the gooey cheese.
Other than that, it’s fun. They’ve got cards, dominos, and six TVs in the front!
Place rating: 4
San Luis Obispo, CA
Good place to grab a beer with friends and enjoy some delicious potato skins. Also, the bartenders are very friendly.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Great place to grab a beer with someone. They’ve got a pretty wide selection with beers from all over the world. I came here the day before Cal Poly’s graduation, and even then, this place is a lot quieter than a lot of the other bars downtown so if you’re looking for a place to enjoy a nice drink and a good conversation, I’d recommend coming here. I’ve never ordered food from Spike’s, but so far the service is nice and friendly. I’d definitely recommend this place if you’re not looking to turn up downtown but still wanna enjoy the night
Place rating: 3
San Luis Obispo, CA
I want to like this place, I really do, but the staff has been surly and inattentive the past THREE times we’ve given this place a chance. We took a hiatus from Spike’s two years ago and it hasn’t improved at all. The beer selection might have been great when it was the only game in town but now I’m lucky to find one interesting tap handle. Speaking of tap handles… If you’re going to tout your selection then tap those damn kegs. Almost 20% of the handles were taken off and untapped. Why?
Hopefully this review gets to the owner or manager; this place has a great history and fantastic potential, please step up the Spike’s game and get me back there to spend my money!
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
Awesome beer selection and great bar food.
The waitresses and bartenders and nice and friendly, though if you’re a newbie when you walk in, you sorta feel like it. Not a problem because we sat in a back booth so we could people watch.
The food is really good for bar food. I got a taco salad and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t iceberg lettuce with meat and beans. It actually had more vegetables, good salsa, and a nice lettuce mix! My husband had a burger per the usual and it was great.
There’s lots of TVs, so it’s a great place to watch sports and it’s clean. Really feels like a fun place to be.
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
One of my favorite places for a beer and grub when there’s no need to be flashy. The staff is great — occasionally a bit off-​kilter, but great.
Definitely a good place to have some unusual beers. They’re very good about getting limited release beers in…
Go kick back with a friend. If you can’t enjoy good bar food, don’t eat here. If you can’t enjoy good beer… don’t go here.
Place rating: 4
Arlington, VA
One of the best selections of beer on tap anywhere and the best in SLO. Great service – fast and friendly. Good food but the kitchen can be a bit slow even when not very busy. Much improved over the past couple years after have a run of mediocre management/​ownership after the original Spike sold the place.
A great place for beer!
Place rating: 2
Walnut Creek, CA
Back when my family lived out of 1980’s Chevy van in Oceano, my parents would only come into SLO to drink «around the world.» When I returned to SLO this year so my bf could finish his degree, this was on the list. Obviously this place has changed since the 80’s, so I took it all at face value. I’m keen on the whole excuse-​to-​drink-​40-​beers thing, but am not so sure this is where I want to do it.
Beer prices are alright — nothing incredible, and there were fewer beers on draft than I expected. $ 5 for a bottled cider, $ 4 for an 805, $ 6 for many of the other beers. If you’re just looking for a place to drink, Petra’s 3 – 6 pm and after-​9 $ 2 beers are definitely the way to go. Or, you know, on your couch with a six-​pack.
Any given entrée at Spike’s is around $ 10 (standard for Higuera), but this is not the place to go for tri-​tip — overcooked, heavily over-​peppered, and bland. You get salsa OR sauce, but not both. Salsa was runny, nowhere near a traditional pico de gallo. Fries were completely weighted down with grease and over-​fried. Had the server asked my preference, I would have ordered a salad. I pitched my fries, and I don’t usually roll like that. The Bacon-​Avocado Burger got a solid thumbs-​up from DH, though, so that might be the way to go!
Friendly service would have compensated for the bleugh tri-​tip, but that wasn’t being doled out, either. Just not a very fun night out, but we were too tired to cook. Next time we want some easy BBQ and a beer, we’re going to Firestone.
Place rating: 3
Fremont, CA
The short: Great service and relaxed atmosphere to unwind from the day
I have to say this is my first time being in a pub… to eat… On Mondays, they have half off appetizers, so I ordered the chicken quesadilla. the $ 3 quesadilla was plenty enough for dinner, surprisingly! I wasn’t too fond of the raw onions in there. They were a surprising raw treat. My friend also ordered the same thing, and his tortilla was a bit burned. It does come with a heapful of sour cream and salsa, which is a plus.
I tried another friend’s marinated mushroom balsamic vinegar marinated burger… I have to say that it’s almost like drinking balsamic vinegar. It was very pungent and sour. It was unexpected and my friend was unhappy with it, so he returned it and ordered a french dip sandwich burger, which he enjoyed a lot more.
I forgot what my other friend ordered, but he enjoyed his burger and his fries were deliciously crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, the perfect combo for potato wedges.
The waiter was funny and so helpful when my friend asked for another meal. He also cracked some jokes, too! When a friend was trying to order some beer, he asked for something with a high alcoholic content. The waiter responded: «You meant to ask what’s the best beer with a high alcoholic content that’s cheap.» In other words, the best value beer, haha.