San Luis Obispo is perhaps best known today as a college town and wine country.

Yet at one point SLO county was famous for its dairy industry. It’s not surprising since this was ranch land.

Recently my mom and sister were in town and we took them to Creamery Marketplace for lunch at Goshi. This is where we often go for birthdays and other celebrations. Goshi is one of our favourite restaurants.

History of Creamery Marketplace

On this 500 block of Higuera Street downtown was once the second creamery in the county. The Central Creamery Company, founded by August Jensen and which later became Golden State Company, was built here in 1910. Golden State grew to 24 locations, southward to Los Angeles and northward to San Francisco. In the 1920s, the creamery produced more than a million pounds of butter.

Over the years, the local dairy industry dwindled. By the 1970s the Higuera location was in the sight of government officials for development. Architect Joe Crescione and contractor John Korelich envisioned and created an open-air market that also serves as community space.

After a three-year redevelopment project, the Creamery Marketplace opened in 2019. Some of the original architecture has been retained such as the archway entry from Higuera Street.

The Creamery Marketplace is now a collection of eateries, shops, and a coffee shop connected by a brick walkway under the shade of old trees.

Saturday at Creamery Marketplace

We took my mom and sister to the Creamery Marketplace for lunch at Goshi. While the restaurant leaves tables for walk-ins, I thought it best to book a table. It seems like I got one of the last, if not the last reservation before April. Wade and I have done walk-ins a few times and if you go before they open, the wait isn’t bad at all.

As we drove down Nipomo, it looked like the very small Creamery Marketplace parking lot may have a spot. The lot is usually full. And sure enough, a parking space was waiting for us.

First, mom needed coffee. She had been going to Steaming Bean in Pismo for her morning coffee and a bite to eat for breakfast.

Buen Dia Coffee was our first stop.

Buen Dia Coffee

This corner spot at the Creamery Marketplace is bright and cute. Last time we were at the Creamery it was closed. I was there for dinner with Wade’s parents, before going to Art After Dark. Monday to Thursday it closes at 4PM and the weekend, 5PM.

According to their website, the first Buen Dia started as ”a scrappy little print and design outfit helmed by Jonathan Ventura, and guided by the sharp creative eye of Gabrielle De Fontanes” Later Chelsea Zepeda entered, as “the architect behind the part of Buen Dia that smells like freshly pulled espresso and feels like a warm hug.”

Maybe because it was mid-morning Saturday; we didn’t feel the warm hug or that the team really wanted to know our names or our birthdays, as their website describes the vibes.

It’s okay. My mocha was tasty. The colours were cheerful.

And their hand drawn menu was super cute. While waiting for our order, we looked at the merch, cards, and posters that decorated Buen Dia Coffee. Their flagship shop, where you can find more design items like prints, is located at 790 Higuera.

Picking Daisies

While we drank our coffees and watched over my mom’s, she went into Picking Daisies, the fabric store I thought they would like. I love their SLO and Central Coast cushion cases that you embroider. They have different kits for purchase.

The shop also has a great selection of fabrics. If you are into quilting, check out Picking Daisies. We ended up buying an enamel pin/zipper pull each for the girls in the family – mom, my sister, my sister-in-law, my niece, and myself. For zipper pulls, we got a Lemonade and Milk. For pins, we got a Cats Live Here, a Spaceship, and a Green Love Monster. $20 for 5. Or $5 each.

Goshi

Both Wade and I love Japanese food and we love going to Goshi in SLO. We haven’t made it yet to the one in Paso Robles which is a lot further from home. Both locations were started by Takeshi Yamada (1941-2009).

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Takeshi followed his father’s footsteps in the restaurant business. After training in Kyoto he returned to Tokyo, where his father owned a well-sought-after restaurant. In 1969, Takeshi opened his own and twenty years later, he moved with his wife, Masae, and family to the US.

At that time, sushi had yet to gain popularity even in big cities like Los Angeles, where they lived and opened a restaurant. After a few years, they relocated to San Luis Obispo in Central Coast. At the current SLO location, he opened a restaurant with a partner, whose shares he later purchased when he took over and renamed it Goshi, his nickname.

In 2002, Takeshi opened the second location in Paso Robles, which is about half an hour drive from SLO. Today, his daughter, Natsuko, continues to run it along with her husband, Yugo.

Goshi in SLO, however, is under different management. According to Biz File, Goshi San Luis Obispo, LLC was established recently in 2024 with Masae Yamada as the operating agent. Goshi LLC, with Linda Somers Smith as the registered agent, goes back to 2019.

New Location for Goshi

Goshi is in the process of expanding in SLO, with a new spot at SLO Public Market. On our last visit, the staff shared that the new location will be the sushi restaurant while this original location at Creamery Marketplace will serve Japanese tapas. The back of the restaurant has already been reduced to the original size.

Given the limited parking at Creamery Marketplace, many people will probably be happy with the new location. SLO Marketplace, just a block from Trader Joe’s, has plenty of parking. New tenants are still in the process of opening there.

Goshi in Paso Robles is also expanding. Not only will there be a patio for additional seating, Chef Yugo is also part-owner of a new concept. Opening in 2026 inside the public market, Paso Bottle Shop, on Railroad Street, will be a new restaurant with a sake bar. I’m excited about the street food that will be offered.

For lunch, Wade ordered the chicken rice bowl along with a scallop roll. My mom had the Kanpai Gozen. She chose sashimi, salad with ginger dressing, and yellowtail roll. My sister and I both ordered from the Lunch Specials menu. She had the Roll and Sashimi Set, with albacore roll and cucumber salad as her option. I had the Roll and Tataki Set with yellowtail roll, albacore tataki, and cold tofu.

If you like cooked food, try one of the chicken rice bowls. The menu has three – Yakitori, Sesame Chicken, and the Oyako. The first two are sweeter and Oyako Don has an egg on it. If you like tempura you can either order the Ten Don or a tempura dish with a side order of rice. If you’re not sure about the tempura sauce, I suggest the latter. For noodles, I love Nabeyaki.

Here are photos of some of our other meals at Goshi. What else do I like? I love fish – broiled blue mackeral, broiled yellowtail collar, and broiled miso glazed black cod. Wade usually has the Kanpai Gozen and we order a few things to share, like scallop.

After lunch, we went to Nite Creamery. Everyone was too full. We went as far as reading the menu. What they serve here is ice cream made fresh with nitrogen. The first time I had nitrogen ice cream was in Singapore. I saw an event called -196 to 63.3C and I signed up for it. Here’s my post about that 2014 workshop. Then the following summer, I saw a shop in Copenhagen serving nitrogen ice cream. I took the bus to Nørrebro for this ceramic shop called Kerimaker. If you’re in Copenhagen, go check out the shop and this cool neighbourhood. Maybe grab some nitrogen ice cream from ISTID. They are both on Jægersborggade.

Creamery Marketplace is a cool spot in town. It’s on my recommendation list for visitors to SLO. I’m not sure what trees they are; they are beautiful, especially when the lights on the branches are on, and provide great shade for a cool sit down on the outdoor benches.