Peerless Pier

To everyone who has been here to visit us, I apologize. I don't know what I was thinking. Why didn't I take you down to the Port San Luis Pier?

It's beautiful, and interesting, and fun, safe for kids, dog-friendly and you can get great food there. That makes it exactly the kind of outing we should offer to all our beloved house-guests!



But, it's not just a tourist attraction. It's a real working fisherman's pier...um, I mean, fisher-person's...decked out with all kinds of impressive looking equipment for messing around with boats and hauling up loads of fresh-caught seafood.

That's what makes it so charming. It is NOT like the pier you can drive out on in Santa Barbara. For one, once you get out to the end of this pier...there is actually room to park your car. You don't have to just turn around and drive back. And there aren't any shops selling cutesy crap that no one really needs. The only "junk" you see is the kind that people actually use for working on their boats and catching fish.

Now that I think about it, you can do a little shopping. Right near the parking area, you should find a door that is propped open, and leads into a work area with a cement floor, huge bins of ice, a drain in the center of the floor, and a cash register on a counter. This is where you can buy VERY fresh fish.


And for vegetarians, or just anyone in the mood for a special treat, look in the cooler for tubs of seaweed salad. Mmmmmm....my favorite.



The complete lack of pretension is so refreshing, that you may be tempted to step on in and start asking about the latest catch. That's fine...talk to the fisher-people all you want, just don't buy anything yet! You don't want to be packing a bag of ice around with you during your entire visit.

First, you should just walk around and admire the views. On the north side, steep hills covered in bushy greenery emerge peacefully from this calm little corner of the Pacific.


And if you're interested in looking at pleasure crafts or working boats, there are plenty of both.


Or maybe you'd like to do some fishing of your own? You'll be in good company if you do.


Or just enjoy the live music.


Whatever you do, make sure you either show up with an appetite, or stay long enough to acquire one, because the Pier is a great place to eat!

One of your options is well-appointed establishment run by the same people that bring the fish stand to the Los Osos Farmer's Market. (As you can see, this photo is from a market day, not from our afternoon at the pier.)


Sorry, but we didn't go into the restaurant, so I didn't get a good picture of how nice it is inside. I'm sure it's worth checking out, I've just never eaten there. I love their organization and want to support them, but I will probably continue to limit my patronage to the Farmers Market booth. Out on the pier, their restaurant just seems a little pricey compared to the other delicious option: Pete's Pierside Cafe!

I don't know why Pete calls it that. The restaurant is not beside the pier, it's right on top of it! You'll know you've found it when you see the big pink octopus.


This is a walk-up window ordering situation. And, unless you want to take your plate back to your car, you dine out in the open air. There is a roof, and something of a wind break, which partly sheild the eating area, but it can still be chilly and breezy. I sat with blanket wrapped around me even though I was a pleasant day and I was wearing long sleeves and pants.

But the food is good, and fresh, and reasonably priced. We got french-fries and crab cocktail and a fish taco. If you do the same, don't be disappointed when your boring naked taco first arrives.


Just take it on a little trip to the condiment bar, where you can dress it up properly for this festive occasion.


Another warning: if you decide to order a beer, make sure you either REALLY want one, or have a friend to share it with. They do not mess around with ordinary sized beers at Pete's.


Even though we enjoyed our meal, and our beer, very much...I have to admit that we made a somewhat tame and boring choice. If we had really been committed to enjoying the best the Pier had to offer, we would have gone around back and picked out our lunch while it was still alive.

If you decide to take advantage of this option, just look for this movie-poster-inspired sign.


And then head to the big white bin full of doomed crustaceans.

Once you choose the tastiest looking ones, go back to the plastic covered picnic tables to await your meal. You will be given some tools.

But no bib, so make sure you have some napkins on hand.

After awhile, the server will come out and spread newspaper pages all over the table. That's when you know it's almost time.

And then...suddenly a steaming steamer-bucket of crabs is upside down in front of you!


But really, you don't have to be personally responsible for crab execution make the most of this place. It's really just enough to watch the spectacle of the thing. I love crab, and I don't mind cracking them open. But I had an awfully good time just eating my user-friendly fish taco and watching the other visitors work for their meal.

The people in the picture above didn't just order fresh crab. They also had a bucket of raw oysters delivered! It was fascinating watching the father of the group dig a short, blunt-ended knife into each oyster, pry it open, and then hand it to his wife or one of his children. They all waited patiently until every person had one, and then they tipped up the shells and slurped them in unison.

This seemed like a fun family to belong to. I hope they were all enjoying themselves as much as I enjoyed watching them. And I hope, when you visit the Port San Luis Pier, you enjoy it as much as I do.