F.McLintock | Saloon & Dining — Restaurant in San Luis Obispo

I grew up in San Luis Obispo (late 80s-mid 90s) and we would eat here on a weekly basis. The food and atmosphere was absolutely outstanding. They had a unique appetizer too (turkey nuts). I noticed that McLintock's was still around and wanted to take my son there to experience for himself (he's 15) what I experienced growing up.

We entered the restaurant on a Friday night which I thought would have been a busy time. I remember Fridays-Sundays as being a very busy time with wall to wall people there. This time, there was not a single customer in the restaurant. Not one. And there were only a few tables. It was very weird. I asked the hostess if the restaurant was open and she said yes. She walked away without showing us to a table. So we sat down at a table. The bartender seemed busy behind the bar, but he didn't say anything. Another couple came in a few minutes later and asked the same question once the hostess came back. The hostess again said that they were open. This couple sat down at the bar.

My son and I waited almost 10 minutes and the hostess did not return this entire time. No menus were given to us or the other couple despite the bartender seeming "busy". The hostess was nowhere in sight during this time. My son and I walked out of there and found a different restaurant.

In leaving SLO, my son and I looked into McLintock's as we were passing by and there was nobody in there over an hour later!

It is clear that this is not a functioning restaurant. What a shame! This restaurant was a significant part of SLO restaurant culture (along with Old Country Deli), but is now a husk of its former self. I am not sure why the downtown SLO location even exists as they do not seem to want to...

Mclintocks used to a great place with great food and reasonable prices but not any more. I recently decided that even though I said I would never go there again, I would give it one final chance.

I put 45 minutes on the meter and had a short walk to the restaurant. Walking through the place to sit out by the creek I noticed there were only 2 tables occupied inside and 2 tables outside. Very strange for what's supposed to be a lunch "crowd". I guess the word has spread.

Looking at the menu I was taken aback. A bacon, lettuce, tomato, & avocado sandwich for $14.25? A Cowboy Caesar Salad with no meat or extras at all for $15.25? Outrageous prices! No wonder the place is basically empty.

Well, I was hungry and after about 5-7 minutes I ordered the lunch special. When the table with 4 guys next to me got their bill, they started to chip in to cover it. One guy said, "8 bucks for the beer." Another guy says, "OK." The first guy says, "No, it's 8 bucks PER beer". Wow!

A little later my waitress (1 of 3 could see in the building) came out to clean the other table. I had less than 20 minutes left on the meter and asked her when I would be getting my meal. She held up her thumb & forefinger and said it was coming right up.

Another 5 minutes go by and a couple sits down at the clean table. I was glaring through the restaurant watching my waitress. They could tell there were little bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan in my mind and asked if anything was wrong. I told them I had been waiting over 30 minutes for my meal and there was only about 10 minutes left on the meter. They promptly left. After another minute or two, I did the same.

Very expensive and crappy service. ...

If you’re looking for a welcoming, friendly environment, a relaxed, fun atmosphere and good food, then F. McLintock’s is a great place to stop in and unwind.

The decor is like an old western saloon, complete with a nude over the bar, wall mounted Deer and Bison heads, but don’t worry, there are also modern day flat screen TVs, tuned to sports stations

There’s also a nice creek side, outdoor patio dining area, but it was a bit too nippy for us to sit outside, so we chose the main dining room, where each table bears the literal “F/McL” brand...Nice touch

We ordered the Blackened Salmon, which is served with rice, chuck wagon style beans and ‘pillow soft’ toasted bread

Next were the tender, sweet sauced, Baby Back Ribs, served with the aforementioned bread & beans, and the most delicious French Fries “ever” (didn’t need ketchup or salt...They were that good)

Our meals were excellent, eye appealing, generous portions, and perfect temperatures

Service is great, especially considering our waitress was training a new team member; “Taylor” is knowledgeable, attentive to details, appropriately friendly, and gave an absolutely seamless performance from start to finish!

We didn’t order drinks, but definitely enjoyed watching the bartender expertly mix everything from Mai Tai’s to martinis...She made those presentations look so good, it really made me wish I drank alcohol (LOL)

Will definitely return to F. McLintock’s on our next trip...Great...