I'm not terribly familiar with SLO and my points of comparison are primarily from the Bay Area... But I cannot believe this place is able to charge a $5 cover and still get people to attend. Â I don't think it's particularly worse than it's neighbors, but at least most of those are free.
In my first five minutes, there was a drunk fight between two groups, and I witnessed a large man punch a drunk woman in the face. Â I grabbed the bouncers, who proceeded to do next to nothing. Â The cops outside also didn't seem to surprised, and only stood there as if to say, "don't let this get carried away.." Â I've never seen someone hit a lady with so little consequence.
So, needless to say, the crowd/clientele is pretty awful. Â Atmosphere is poor, and my Spotify playlist on random would be a better DJ. Â Can't comment on drinks - left long before that.
(Review is for the nightclub and bar (not restaurant).)
I was in SLO this week for business and we went to the Farmer's Market Thursday evening. It was a very nice scene.
We started to get a bit thirsty and hungry and ended up at this bar/restaurant. I had two pints of Sierra Nevada Summerfest on draft and an order of fish and chips.
Service and quick and the fish and chips were excellent.
Popped in here for the first time this weekend on a visit. My mom and I were shopping and in need of a pick me up. We looked at the menu and the nachos fit the bill! I don't know if it was fatigue or hunger or just plain yumminess but we devoured the nachos and LOOOVVEDD them. They were super tasty with what we thought/think are house made corn chips. They were unique in that they put thousand island dressing on them but that made them even more delicious. I loved the fresh jalapenos which added a great kick to everything. I didn't try any of their drinks but the chick in the table next to me had a good looking margarita. I'll for sure come back next time I'm in town!
Review Source:I was most excited about coming to Mo Tav during my trip to Cali. We stopped by for just drinks after Frog and Peach on our way down the street and it was fun. Good drinks, friendly service and I liked the music but there was still some room for improvement or maybe it was just more trendy than what I was looking for.
Review Source:This more of a 4.5 rating.
My boyfriend and I came here for lunch to partly celebrate his 21st birthday and to try out their happy hour appetizers and drinks.
Upon arriving, the restaurant wasn't too crowded and since it was only the 2 of us we had our own little table. The staff was nice and seated us pretty quickly. We had arrived within the last 10 mins of their happy hour but it was still worth it. We ended up ordering the $2.50 sliders and the $2 chicken taco. Both plates were incredibly delicious and the garlic aioli that comes with the sliders was amazing! My boyfriend wanted to order at least one drink so he got the SLO flirtini which he said was pretty good. When the waitress checked his ID she noticed it was his birthday and later received a free shot that was obviously comped from the bill.
We didn't want to leave MoTav still hungry so we decided to split the Western Burger which was completely worth the purchase. We told the waitress we were sharing the burger so when it got to our table it was already cut in half with an extra plate. The burger was amazingly juicy and tender and the ranch was just absolutely amazing with the burger. The only complaint I have is the portion for the fries were pretty small for even one burger. This was pretty disappointing considering their fries are so good!
Overall it was a great place to dine at and it wasn't very crowded. Good service and nice waitresses. Will come back soon.
If you want to come dancing on a Saturday night- come here!
In the heart of downtown SLO on Higuera street it is right next to the bubblegum alley! Â (COOL but GROSS at the same time.)
$5/cover and they are not stingy with the drinks! Â Got a Tokyo Tea and felt GREAT.
Lots of space to dance the line for the bathroom wasn't huge.
Enjoyed the hip hop/top 40s/party mix.
Fun times.
I live in Los Angeles, and with friends and family in the Bay Area, I am frequently up and back by car. As often as possible, I route myself through San Luis Obispo for the many charms of the region, not the least of which is Mother's Tavern in Higuera Street.I can never pass through without either a lunch or dinner of MoTav's delicately battered and delicious fish and their incomparable flavorful French fried chips.
Review Source:We were in the mood for burgers and this was definitely the place. I had the garden st burger, veggie burger with feta cheese grilled mushrooms and peppers, Â spinach leaves all on sourdough bread, it was delicious. Â My husband and son had the western , Angus beef patty onion rings, bbq sauce, grilled onions and American cheese, they devoured their burgers. My daughter had the classic simple but delicious also made with angus beef and the regular fixings. Burgers come with either fries ( which were crispy and good) a cesar salad or a garden salad. We all left satisfied our burger cravings were gone.
Review Source:4.5 This is a review for the restaurant.
MoTav has some of the best burgers in these parts. It was my friend's birthday and this was her choice for lunch -- she was craving one of their mouth-watering burgers. MoTav offers all-natural, grass fed beef which is raised locally so you're always sure to get a high quality, sustainably produced burger. The menu features classic pub fare with a nice gourmet slant. Try the Lobster Quesadilla, Lobster Tacos, Ahi Tuna Tacos, Burger Nachos, Truffled Mac 'n Cheese or one of their grand burgers.
We started with a round of their delicious Burger Nachos -- juicy burger cuts, melted cheeses, guacamole, 1000-island, crispy shallots and sour cream towered over a bed of beautiful housemade chips. These are some of the best nachos around town with a unique bold and smokey flavor from the meat.
My friend ordered her favorite, and the owner's self-titled burger, the "Schwartz Be With You" Burger. This burger is pretty special -- two garlic bread buns wedged with goat cheese, jalapeños, onion rings, spinach and honey mustard. It's a nice fusion of flavors and the honey mustard lends a nice touch of sweet. You can also fortify yourself with the well-built Western Burger, which combines layers of angus beef, cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, BBQ sauce, onion rings and ranch dressing. Wonderful burger!
Burger enthusiasts need to make your way to MoTav in the heart of downtown SLO. Choose from one of their signature burgers or create you're own customized burger. Sit back and relax with friends amid this cool and relaxed local favorite. Catch live bands, watch your favorite sports teams on one of their multitude of screens or enjoy a couple of drink specials, beers and some grubby food.
Had an awesome time at their Halloween party this year - Masquerade!! Brought a few people with me and enjoyed free wine tastings and great music. Plus, the "flesh n fantasy" costumes were quite eye catching, from a corset superwoman to a barely clothed outlaw cowboy to a skin-tight cat woman...excellent!!
Review Source:Ahhh most crazy nights downtown in college usually had here as a stop. This and Slo Brew Co (formerly DTB) are the only places downtown that have a "club" feel. It's still a bar, but they have hip hop and dance music with a good speaker system.
You have as much fun here as the mindset you have going in to the place. If you've had a few drinks already, you're with some good friends, and you arrive semi-early, you'll probably have a great time.
There is a cover charge on Fri/Sat that starts at 10:30 (usually $3-5) and gets more expensive as more people show up. I've never seen it more than $10 except for New Years Eve...
There's also a VIP section that you can access through the back entrance that is usually about a $10-20 cover. This basically just gives you access to another bar upstairs and the balcony allowing you to look down at all the non-very-important people because they didn't pay an extra $5 to get into the club -___-
Or you could be REALLY cool and pay $200+ for bottle service. Or don't.
They have a GREAT happy hour here from 4-6PM Monday-Friday, where they have a bunch of small bites for $2 each and drink specials. Drinks are pretty good here, and they have a good draft selection.
You can call it "Mo Tav' but changing the name doesnt make it any ritizer than Mothers particularly if you dont really do anything to change the actual place. Its menu is completely blah, boring, and they eliminated the only veggie option they have (a garden burger) which makes it annoying for those wanting to go with a group. The place charges a $10 cover even though the DJs are crap. *sigh* Its the only joint in town really though that attempts to be a 'big club', so, it stays packed most nights because there isnt any competition. Not worth it in my opinion though, might as well take a trip to Santa Barbara if you're really missing the club scene (and want GOOD djs and drinks).
Review Source:As a Bar 1 star- the barteneder took way to long to serve me and the bouncer was a complete jerk when he checked my ID. Sorry, I didn't know you stamp that side of my wrist I'll make sure to remember next time. Oh wait I probablly won't be coming back. I have ate here as a restaraunt and the food was okay and service was fair so that gives 3 stars averaging 2 stars total.
Review Source:I really like this place. Â I've had the fish & chips, truffle mac-n-cheese, regular and sweet potato fries, and loved everything. Â My husband and son have had burgers and also loved them. Â Service is great. Â Love the decor. Â This is a solid place to grab a bite and watch the game.
Review Source:The nightlife is ok. There's actually not much to say about it. It can get extremely crowded, or be half empty.
I did go once for lunch. My friends got burgers, but I didn't have much of an appetite. We all got beers, and I only had the fries. Though it was just fries, it was soooo good. I always meant to go back to try more of the food but never got around to it. My friends' burgers looked really good and they really loved them. I think it's safe to say that their food is pretty good.
Packed Packed Packed. Â That's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what yo'ure in the mood for, but for a college town... I'd say Mo Tav knows how to keep a crowd in.
I like the atmosphere, but I wanted to sit down and enjoy myself vice having to get stand my ground while trying not to have my beer spilled on me, Â Music is current, and from what I hear the food is execelent... Â but I'll have to find that out another day.
As a regular restaurant, it's actually not that bad. Great burgers and a reasonable beer selection from the various restaurants I've gone to so far.
As a bar, however. Oh, my God! Don't get me started!
It's just a bigger version of The Library in my opinion.
- Same tiring Top 40 as The Library plays because the DJ is either too moronic to play something different or the DJ wants to serve the moronic audience.
- Same Jersey Shore wannabes and Maury show wannabes that walk in the bar as the Library. The attire at this bar is to have your pants below your buttocks, wear Air Jordans, and have facial jewelery. In general, if you look like a gentleman and not like a wife beater, then don't expect to be given a second look from females. Men. Don't even bother looking for quality females here. It's like finding a Cadillac in a Kia dealership.
- Still not worth the $3.00 admission at all. In general, I think I'm done with bars. I'll stick to drinking with close friends at home from now on. At least I can play better music at home than the bars wish they could!
I am only going to review the restaurant asepct of MoTav, not the bar.
I used to have a bunch of coupons from MoTav that advertised a 2 for $20 meal. It consisted of 2 burgers, 2 fries, and 2 drinks. I decided to try it out one weekend when my dad was visiting and boy were we impressed! The fries are delicious and the burger was cooked perfectly! The fountain drinks were refilled often and the bbg sauce/ranch on the side went perfectly with the rest of my meal.
We loved our lunch here and love the deal they advertised! So much food, such a great price- only $10 a person!
We'll be back soon!
In reference to the food they gave me at Farmer's market...
One of the biggest tri-tip sanwiches I've ever had. I asked it if was worth the money and he said "I'll hook you up". That he did. Not the best tri-tip ever but a very good sammy. I'd get another one.
Minus one star for not having pulled pork.
Minus one star for cash only.
First things first, I'm reviewing MoTav as a restaurant, not a bar.
This place is a better beer selection away from being the best burger/beer joint in SLO. Their burgers are ridiculously good, I would say better than Eureka. The only reason I can't give MoTav 5 stars is their beer selection. Everything on tap is your basic grocery store selection: Bud, Coors, Heineken, Blue Moon etc. If I could enjoy a MoTav burger with a decent craft beer, I might never go to Eureka Burger again.
I love coming here because it's always easy to get a good seat! They have quiet a few awesome menu options. Some of my favorites are the Mac n cheese, the warm spinach salad, and the garden street burger. This burger, which is more of a sandwich because it's served on sliced bread, gives me cravings. It's the best veggie burger combo option and comes with giant red bell peppers, sprouts, and about ten other ingredients. It also pairs well with their truffle fries.
It's easy to get a spot to people watch the pedestrians of Higuera St or there are lots of televisions mounted on the wall with sports, news, etc.
I love this place!
GREAT mussels, great. In a spicy sauce. Son in law and I loved them.
Liked:
Mussels, burgers, happy hour prices, etc.
Pitchers of mojitos for $19 during happy hour. Good mojitos.
Fries.
Granddaughter loved their grilled cheese.
Service was excellent.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> gift certs for here are great ($10 card we only paid $1.60 for, and you have to spend $20. Only to be used on food and drink (no alcohol included) and no happy hour food.)
We visited MoTav for the first time last week and enjoyed it for the most part. The menu outside lured us in with the promise of delicious burgers and fries. The good: My burger, the western, was delicious - bacon, onion rings, yum. My gf's - the original I believe, was pretty average. The sweet potato fries were great.
The not so great: The number of tv's mounted on the wall really took away from the atmosphere for me. If you're a sports bar, be a sports bar, if you're an upscaleish tavern, get rid of the tvs and let people actually talk to each other. Service was also a little scattered, although our waitress was trying her hardest. There was a private party and only two waiters I believe.
All in all a good visit and I would go back.
Here's a tip... don't order appetizers from the happy hour menu. If you're going to go to MoTav just order from the regular menu. In this place, you get what you pay for.
The first time I came here I ordered the Garden St burger (veggie) and the garlic fries and it was delicious!
The second time I came here, I was cheap and ordered onion rings, a side salad, and  nachos from the happy hour menu... not good. I would have liked nachos from taco bell better! The onion rings tasted weird and soggy.
The atmosphere is really nice. We went on a Thursday evening and there was live music.
I am surprised that this place doesn't have more reviews. This place is amazing.
You must get these items:
1) Fries - with garlic, parmesan, white truffle oil, fresh parsley
2) Santa Fe Gobbler - turkey burger, jalapeno poppers, avocado, pepper jack and spicy aioli on sesame bun
If not the Gobbler, get the fries for sure. Everything on the menu looked good. I wish I went with more people just so that I could try everyone's food.
If you don't go here during your visit to SLO, then you missed out on a good culinary find. Service was great.
Mo-Tav?? WTF? what happened to just plain old Mother's Tavern? this is SLO town, not LA. No need for trend and trying to be hip. I've been a few times for dinner/lunch and happy hours. Place gets packed on the weekends with drunk Cal Poly Dolly's and frat guys looking to get laid. If you like being in drunk crowds with a bunch of girls saying, "OMG" trying to get free drinks and guys buzzing around them like fies on shit, then this is the place for you. Drinks are weak and over-priced, food is eh, music sucks and a VIP room? really? HA HA, what place in SLO needs a VIP room?! Ridiculous..... pretty much sums up "Mo-Tav".
My funniest and most memorable moment at this place was when a severely bombed college guy was so drunk he could barely stand and I used him to hold about 50 cocktail napkins on his head. An hour later and the wall was still holding him up, napkins and all. Good times, good times.
Yes, that's right. Â This IS a restaurant too. Â They have amaaaazing burgers. Â My personal favorite is the Santa Fe Gobbler. Â It might not be called that but it's amazing. Â This is by far the best turkey burger I have ever had. Â I try not to eat hamburger as a rule of thumb, and there is no reason to when there are turkey burgers this good. Â Please try their turkey burgers.... you will never crave cow on your burger again. Â Their sweet potato and potato fries are great as well. Â I only have good things to say about this place as a restaurant!
At night it's a little bit different. Â If getting rubbed up on by dancing asses isn't your cup of tea try to get upstairs. Â It's a nice mellow crowd up there of people you might even know. Â The decor is awesome. It looks like something out of the twenties.
Five reasons this place might be for you:
1) Don't mind waiting in a long line and paying a cover
2) Drunk enough to not give a damn about who you have to step on to get a drink from the bar or bust your move on the dance floor
3) Your idea of an awesome 'club' is where the DJ plays solely the latest pop hits remixed with your favorite fist-pumping 80s anthems
4) You're out tonight to look cool
5) You can't get enough of that name change from 'Mothers Tavern' to 'Mo-Tav'
I'm 27. I haven't had the opportunity to say this much in my life yet, but I'm too old for this shit.
So, this review is mostly based on their food and slightly on their bar/nightclub/meat locker experience.
First off, their food is pretty amazing. Their burgers are always cooked perfectly and you can tell they use really high quality ingredients. The fries are also pretty awesome. They also have some less contemporary options such as Lobster Quesadillas but I haven't tried them. The burgers have me by the ba...stomach.
The after hours scene here on Thursday-Saturday is that of a varyingly stuffed sardine-can dance party. The DJ's are great, drinks are good and the bouncer never once doubted that my ID was real, even when I showed up clean shaven and looking like I was really looking forward to my first Middle School dance. The only problem, as I alluded to, is the cramped spaces, especially when its being occupied by bros, guys who just want to drink and put their hands up from time to time, and potential date-rapists. This group likes to zigzag through the heart of the floor, bumping and annoying and spilling things on people who are actually dancing. Like myself. But I guess that's a problem I have with society, not Mo-Tav.
So, 5 stars.
I used to love coming to Mothers when it was actually called Mothers. It was the cool place to go to when I was attending Cal Poly. After my last adventure here, I have some serious problems with you MoTav...
First off they charge a cover. Ok fine, they have always charged a cover and gotten away with it, but that alone should be cause to NOT go. There are much better places in SLO you can go to that would be worth your buck.
Next issue I have is your VIP room. Seriously, stupidest idea ever. You are not in a big city, you are in SLO. You don't need a VIP room.
The music is about the same as it was when I was going to school here... it is what it is.
Last and my biggest issue has to deal with the kind of people here. Some of the raunchiest dancing I have ever seen. No joke. There were couples out there who I felt like they needed a condom to dance. A couple of friends mentioned that it reminded them of The Grad. It was that gross. Seriously you can dance without being gross. Keep it classy people! Keep it classy!
This place used to be called Mother's Tavern. What's up with "MoTav"? =/
Came here Thursday night for their popular happy hour. We got 2 pitchers of mojitos ($18 ea). They had a bunch of appetizers for around $2. The only thing worth getting were the french fries! We also got grilled cheese sandwich and sweet potato fries (not happy hour).
If it wasn't for our server, Laurel M, I think this place is only worth 2 stars sadly.
Tips:
- Happy Hour
- $2 appetizers
- only get the french fries
- share a pitcher of mojitos with friends!
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