Decent small sports bar. Â The service was super friendly from the waitress/cashier. Â Burger was ordered medium and came out well, but the bun came out toasted so actually was decent. Â Garlic fries were very very good, Â buffalo wings were over fried and dry. Â I basically drove here all the way from Cambria (30 min away) just for the garlic fries, and Id do it again if I was in the area. Oh, and it was pretty warm in the place, like the AC was out or something, another reason I finished my meal fast.
Steve out.
Burger and fries were hot, that was good. Attractive order taker. Place in general is kind of grubbie. Both cooks took a beer and cigarette break sitting on top of picnic table outside, which I thought looked kinda bad. I wouldn't want my employees drinking beer while working. Out in the open shows either absentee owner or doesn't care. Quick, cheap burger. Average.
Review Source:The Ash Burger and garlic fries are to die for!
I have also tried the buffalo wings and kids-menu chicken strips (when I wasn't super hungry).
Unlike other reviewers on here, I thought the wings were great!!!! They are covered in just the right amount of semi-thick buffalo sauce with a great peppery flavor. No, they are not ultra spicy like the kind you can get from Spikes, but they do make your mouth tingle and burn a bit! Great flavor :)
The kids-menu chicken strips are $5.00 and come with two strips (about 3" x 4" x 1") and a smaller portion of fries. This is a great option (available to adults!) if you are not super hungry!
I have yet to have a bad burger from the Shack! Ash burger is my favorite because I LOVE avocado.
And of course, the garlic fries are top-notch. They are not crawling in chunks of garlic but have just the right amount of garlic and parmesan to make you come back and eat more! Just FYI, I believe the fries are beer-battered, so gluten free people should be careful!
Perfect spot for this part of town to catch a game, grab a burger and a beer, and hang out with the buddies. The burgers here are priced a little higher than your usual chains or usual burger joints... but they're in line with sit-down restaurants ($7-12) depending on what you get. The burgers definitely give you your money's worth as they're large enough to fill you up.
As for the sides, they're OK.... but the garlic fries were disappointing. When Im craving garlic fries, I want to be able to taste the garlic goodness smothering the fries. They tasted like regular fries with a dash of garlic salt and a few garlic pieces sprinkled on top. Lets just say I wouldn't be afraid to kiss my girlfriend after eating these because they won't leave that foul garlic smell in my breath due to the lack of...garlic. Maybe I'm just ranting... but if you're going to call your menu item "garlic fries" like so many places do, pleaseeeee make them fries swim in some garlic sauce and topped with plenty of garlic pieces. Only a few places (Mo's BBQ for one in Pismo) get it right, but most are afraid to overwhelm the fries I guess. It would be like a restaurant calling their buffalo wings "The Devils Inferno" or something and you don't even break a sweat. You're left wondering "what the heck..." and feeling disappointed, unsatisfied, and... incomplete :(
All in all, its an ok place. Good burgers, good beer... I'd stop by again if I was in the area and craving a burger... but I wouldn't go out of my way for this place.
Huge portions but nothing is outstanding here. The beer battered fries that everybody raves about are just so-so...mine were a little on the "too cooked" side. My burger was O.K. but it was missing that certain something that makes a burger "outstanding". Â My burger had lots of meat but the bun was dry. My hubs said the same thing about his.
Service was friendly. We sat on the patio with our doggie and they brought her a bowl of water. This is a popular hangout for Cal Poly students to get their grub and drink on and to watch a Laker game. We witnessed quite a few leaving this place a little worse for the wear, yelling  and goofing around in the parking lot  and then hopping into their cars. Maybe I'm old but college students + drinking + driving after drinking = bad news.
One of the best places in town to watch football games or any other sports. Really good happy hour specials and other specials during the game. Food was good quality was prepared very well. Waitresses were very friendly and excited to have the business there. It's a good restaurant that you can still throw your peanut shells on the floor!! That will keep me going back again!
Review Source:5-stars for an OUTSTANDING hamburger -- wow! Â Throw in some excellent beer-battered french fries and efficient/friendly service and I am a fan!
PROS: the 1/2 pound hamburger was pretty simple: mayo, pickle, tomato and onion. Â It was the beef that secured the deal: cooked perfectly to order, and it had just the right amount of seasoning to compliment some very tasty beef. Â And, although it was a large patty, they had a toasted bun that perfectly fit the burger and the generous fixings. Â Throw in a basket of beer-battered fries (what?) that were cooked just right and tasted wonderful, and you get a superb burger-n-fries lunch! Â As for the facility, it was clean and spacious. Â It appears they have at least a dozen beers on tap, too. Â Finally, the counter order and table delivery services were timely and friendly.
CONS: . . .
I found The Shack via Yelp -- always love when a Yelp experience matches the reviews of my fellow posters. Â We'll be coming back for the burger and fries!
Cheers!
RS
Yummy! Came here on a Sunday to watch some football and had a pretty good experience. My veggie burger and jalapeño poppers tasted delicious and fresh. The fries aren't your average fries-- they're beer battered!! The free peanuts on the tables are a nice touch too. The happy hour price (happy hour all day on Sundays) for a mimosa is $4 which is still a little pricey IMO, but I guess when you're used to bottomless mimosas anything is pricey. One thing that would have made my experience better is table service! It's annoying having to get up and stand in line every time you want another beer, especially if you plan on staying for a few hours to watch a game, although I did notice a small sign on the register saying you're welcome to open up a tab. I'll do that next time... Overall, good food, pretty good selection of beers (a lot of Firestone brew but no Wookie Jack :(), friendly service, and lots of tvs! Good spot!
Review Source:Went here the other day and I really enjoyed my stuffed cheddar and bacon burger. The patty was cooked to order, medium rare, and tasted very well. The french fries were tasty as well. The place was a little pricey and I'm sure it'll be great place to drink at for happy hours and sports games but I'm not 21 so I'll probably comeback here occasionally. Also the "basket" of fries was a scarcely filled plate of fries so one less star for that
Review Source:My friends and I love this place!
Awesome atmosphere, fantastic food, good service! The only gripe I have with this place is how damn busy it always is!
The Shack is a go to spot to meet with friends, watch a game, drink a pitcher, and get a great hamburger. What is really outstanding about this top notch establishment, is their fries!!!! They are beer battered and awwwweeesome.
They have friendly servers and the place is always popular with the local Cal Poly student.
They sometimes have coupons that you can find that advertise a good deal on a burger and fries. If you come across that coupon- make sure you head over ASAP!
I really enjoyed my experience at the Shack.
The service was nice and she seemed to know everything about her job. Which is a good thing.
I ordered the turkey sandwich and my wife got the grill cheese with a fried egg. Both pretty delicious. We also tried the garlic fries which everyone suggested but we weren't the biggest fans.
Unfortunately we don't live close to here so we can try other options. We sure would love to come back tho.
Oh, The Shack. How you've helped me thru college. A great hole in the wall location that has fantastic food. The atmosphere is great as well as their garlic fries are just delicious. Burgers are juicy and right where I need them to be. A great local hangout that brings back the memory of the SLO days.
Review Source:Probably one of the more underrated restaurants in SLO. The only downside I've ever noticed here is that sometimes the staff can get a little distracted and your food takes a while. Other than that, the burgers are great and the garlic fries are astounding--that's right, astounding. Little bit of crisp on the outside, hot and fluffy on the inside, and covered in garlic-y deliciousness.
Review Source:The shack is awesome. The atmosphere is great; complete with sports memorabilia covering every wall, baseball cards decorating every table and free peanuts! The food is awesome, especially the garlic fries and chicken strips! The old manager was a complete jerk (I saw another review on here about him trying to fight someone; it's true, he actually tried to " take it outside" with me as well when I had a complaint about a cold burger, but I think there is a new manager now. I Make it out to the shack for 2$ pitchers of PBR every Tuesday, and you should too!
Review Source:They have a good variety of burgers. I really like their mushroom burger with a fried egg. I also really like their fries. Never tried their garlic fries, but a lot of my friends say it's extremely good. It's a nice place to get a bite to eat and watch the game or grab a beer with friends. It can get pretty loud, so sometimes I just get the burger and fries to go. It's good food for a decent price.
Review Source:PROS:
+ Garlic Fries
+ Good Juicy Burgers
+ It's a Cool Sports Bar
CONS:
- It's a Cool Sports Bar (Double-edged sword)
Alright this place is cool sport bar and that is great if you are here for garlic fries, a burger and to watch the game, but if you just want a burger and fries, but don't care about the game, you might find the environment too loud. I personally like the sports bar vibe, so you've been warned. The food here is good and the garlic fries are a must.
Come here for some good garlic fries, some good burgers and to watch a good game with your friends. On game nights, you will get hit by peanuts, deal with it by joining in.
I always have mixed feelings about this place. It's a good burger alternative to Firestone since it has a larger menu, but in terms of price it's average.
Fries here are yummy and have to be ordered separately. Warning on the garlic fries though, they aren't the traditional kind, instead the garlic stuff is as if it's fried onto the fry. It's not bad, but worth knowing so you're not thrown off. The burgers I always order are the Cayucus and mushroom burger.
Coolest part about this place are the peanuts. During the rowdier nights expect to get hit my peanuts occasionally landing on your head. Patrons often launch peanuts at the cups hanging on the rafters and if you're sitting underneath said cups....you may want to move since they will have unlimited ammo.
This makes coming to watch games fun though. They have quite a few tvs and a lot of people flock here for games, burgers, and beer - especially Wednesdays. Wednesdays is there beer night where pitches of beer are cheaper.
I've been here for a few times and it hasn't disappoint. I've tried the 1/2 burger, fish and chips, and Dave's madness burger. My current favorite is the garlic fries! They are battered but not a lot of garlic taste :/ But the way they prepared it taste unique. I also tried the beer battered fries, but go for the garlic fries.
The place has a sporty atmosphere, and there's a giant tv with a sport game on. They also provide free peanuts that you can munch on while you wait for your meal!
They usually have some sort of deal for beer. It's pretty cheap.
Go give it a try if you're in a mood for burgers or some delicious fries!
First time here... supposedly known for their burgers. Â So, we shared a mushroom burger with cheese and bacon. Â I think it was like 7.25. Â We added some garlic fries and a soda for 4.25. Â It was a half pound burger. Â Bun was huge and hamburger was overcooked a bit for our taste. Â One strip of fatty bacon that stuck out of the bun. Â Not many mushrooms, but they were yummy. Â Overall, the burger was a bit dry... but decent tasting. Â Perhaps some kind of sauce would have saved it!
Fries didn't taste that garlicy, but it had some sort of batter on it- beer batter perhaps? Â They were ok.
Their Mushroom Madness burger is the most delicious burger I've ever had! Pair that with some garlic fries and Firestone, add some free peanuts to all this.. and you are full and happy for the rest of the day. Definitely one of my favorite places in SLO! Yum!
Update: Owners changed...not sure if same menu as the burgers are not the same.
Crazy-nice staff serving up greasy goodness alongside big-yummy salads.
Came here after moving stuff into the Cal Poly dorms and thankfully missed the supposedly insane lunch rush that left the place depleted of all the squirt-bottle ketchup.
So I got ketchup packets for my sinfully greasy onion rings which I consumed with medium rare steak, sliced up and served over a bed of fresh butter lettuce (or was it romaine?). Â
I also got the deep fried mozzarella sticks which were nice and beefy sized for mozzarella sticks.
I liked this place 100xs better than Woodstock's. Â Our salad portions were huge and even though we sat inside, there was patio seating.
There's all kinds of interesting, local sports bar stuff to look at on the walls. Â I wasn't in the mood for beer, but I was already thinking, next time I come here, I am having something on tap.
I also saw some burgers that I'd like to get into next visit.
These probably sealed the deal along with an awesome staff, but complimentary peanuts are always a plus.
Came here a few times and every time I've ordered a burger, I was never disappointed.
Their service is great. Unlimited refills too! The Shack has tv's on every wall for you to watch your favorite games on ESPN. I watched the final World Cup game here and it was nuts. People drinking pitchers of beer and cheering on their favorite team. A sight to remember.
Their burgers are actually pretty big and you'd definitely be full from it. It's juicy, large, and the buns are toasted. I'm sure ladies would love it, haha. I also really like the fries they serve. I think it's beer battered and they certainly don't look like regular french fries you see at McDonald's or anything.
Come check this place out if you want to hang out with some buddies, drink some beer, watch a game, and enjoy a great burger with delicious fries on the side.
My personal favorite place to watch a game in San Luis Obispo or go after playing softball. Pretty good burgers and fries, complimentary peanuts, and for around $10 you can buy and personalize (i.e. bumper stickers, or team logos - all stuff you'd bring) a mug they will keep there for you. It can get crowded here, but I've never actually had a problem getting a seat. I have however taken the last couple seats left. Just lucky I guess. Good amount of TV's, but could probably use 2-3 more bigger ones. Oh and they have pretty good beer deals depending on the time and / or day.
4/5 for SLO 3.5/5 if it was in a bigger market.
Note: The category for this restaurant is 'Vegetarian'. Â I believe they do have vegetarian dishes, but it should really be categorized as a Sports Bar and Grill.
The Shack is a local sports bar. Â They have a reasonable beer selection, very reasonable prices on said beer, and a lot of standard quality 'bar & grill' food (barring the buffalo wings, which are terrible). Â Standouts include anything with 'spicy' in the name (like the spicy burger, which is darn good). Â Every day they have some sort of happy hour, so if you're looking to a get a lot of beer cheap, this is the place. Â They have a ton of TVs and not enough seating space, so if you want to watch the big game, go there but arrive a bit early. Â The place is effectively a mess, be prepared to bus your own table and walk on peanut shells when you arrive (this doesn't bother me all that much, but it might bother others). Â All in all, it's a classic sports bar with reasonably good food and well-priced beer.
The Shack is yet another sports bar & grill in San Luis Obispo that is a frequent lunch stop for my co-workers and I. The burgers and fixings are generously proportioned and the drinks are bottomless.
Besides the complementary peanuts, what really does it for me at this place are the amazing garlic fries. Best. Garlic. Fries. Ever. Even when I "brown bag" my lunch and tag along with my co-workers, I *still* manage to scarf down a good percentage of my friends' fries.
Driving up to the Bay Area from San Diego by way of Highway 101 can be a harrowing experience, especially during the holidays. Â We decided to stop for some dinner after picking up my cousin in SLO and he recommended we give The Shack a try. Â As it turned out, it was one of my cousin's favorite places to get a great meal on a student budget.
I decided to go with the Monday special, Dave's Mushroom Madness. Â All I can say is that it was an awesome burger, especially for the price. Â It was covered with piles of grilled mushrooms, Swiss cheese, avocado, bacon, and all of the fixings that you could possibly want. Â At less than six bucks, I nearly took one for the road. Â Yes, it was that good. Â All of the rest of their food looked awesome too, but it was Dave's Mushroom Madness that forever made me a fan of this pub's grub.
Honestly, The Shack is one of the best college pubs I've ever been to and is a great spot for watching sports, eating a great meal, and boozing up with your buddies. Â If I had gone to school at Cal Poly SLO, I would have to have dropped in several times a week! Â The students are blessed to have such a great bar within walking distance from their campus, something UCSD students will likely never have the privilege of enjoying.
Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
MM the burger i got was delicious. Avocado, bacon, cheese, the works. It was a huge burger too i couldn't finish it and took it home. The fries were beer battered, always which is always good.
I didn't get to get any of the cheap beer for dinner cause it was finals week, but for sure next time!
The only time I came here was in Spring '04...ironically, it was the day I moved out from SLO. Had lunch with a couple of friends. Their portions were HUGE, but the quality of the food was nothing to really brag about. I think I got more full because of the portion of food I had rather than the ACTUAL food.
Seems like a good place to catch your favorite sports event...kinda reminds me of an older Logan's but with more of a sports bar feel. But as far as the food goes, you can probably find something better.
I think the thing that really makes this place great is the free peanuts. There is nothing like salty munchies to go with a nice refreshing beer. Oh yeah, they have some pretty awesome burgers too.
Beer is crazy cheap with a decent selection including some cheap macro brews, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and a few others. Buy a glass for $5 that includes a beer, and get $2 pints in that glass any time you bring it in. At most bars in SLO, 5 bucks will just get you a badly poured pint.
The staff is very nice, atmosphere is fun and lively. The Shack is really a great place to wind down after a long day at school or work.
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