Part 3: Foodies
July 23, 2022 By Yvonne Bee
As we conclude our series featuring the range of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American businesses and cuisines in San Luis Obispo, we hope to continue sharing stories and the voices of disproportionately-affected minorities, women, marginalized groups, and regional ethnicities.
Meet the foodies, Kristi Leung and Emily Chan. Both are full-time Cal Poly students who are dedicated to trying new cuisines and sharing their delicious finds on their Instagram food accounts. Learn all about their not-so-secret favorite restaurants in San Luis Obispo:
Photo Courtesy of Kristi Leung.
Kristi Leung, a recent public health graduate, is a second-generation Chinese-American that was born and raised in the Bay Area. Her father is from Hong Kong, and though her mom was born in Vietnam, she spent most of her life in Hong Kong. Leung’s parents came to the United States as war refugees, and their perseverance for a better life has always inspired Leung.
“I am really lucky to have so much family around me,” she said.
One of her favorite traditions is the Chinese New Year when around 50 family members hang out and enjoy hot pot together.
Leung officially launched her food account in December 2021 as a way of creating food recommendations for her friends. Throughout 2020, she had been taking Instagram-worthy photos and had a private Snapchat story dedicated to her meals. After noticing a growing amount of food accounts on her Instagram Explore Page, she created her own to let people in on her top restaurants to go to and must-try dishes.
Leung typically spends around two to three hours per week making captions or using Lightroom for her photos between classes. Creating video content takes even longer, she said.
Here are Leung’s Top Restaurants and Go-To Orders in San Luis Obispo:
Papa’s Thai Cafe - “Any of their Pad Thais with no Bean Sprouts because I’m allergic. I love them, they know my order.”
Flour House - “I love their pizzas.”
Splash Cafe - “You must try their Chowder Fries!”
Zoe’s Hawaiian BBQ - “This isn’t a ‘secret location,’ but one of my favorites. It’s a bit of a drive to Santa Maria, but it’s worth it. There’s a lot of love that goes into their food, and it’s pretty authentic Hawaiian food. I get their chicken katsu version of loco moco with fried rice and topped with a sunny side up egg.”
Photo Courtesy of Emily Chan.
Emily Chan, a business administration sophomore with a concentration in marketing and a minor in psychology, is a Chinese-American that was born and raised in San Francisco. Her parents are both from Myanmar/Burma and immigrated to the United States for a wider range of opportunities and cultures to engage with. Though there isn’t as much Burmese food representation in San Francisco compared to Chinese or Central Asian food, Chan loves it whenever she has it, especially Samosas, the Burmese take on Indian food, made with fried spring roll wrappers.
Chan officially launched her food account in August 2020 as a place to store her photos. As her account grew, she was introduced to a larger foodie community of Asian American Pacific Islander influencers.
Chan never intended to grow her account to the extent that it did, but she remains grateful for the collaborations she was able to participate in.
When she is free, she spends around three to five hours a week making videos and captions and participating in collabs.
Here are Chan’s Top Restaurants and Go-To Orders in San Luis Obispo:
Tropical Hawaiian BBQ - “I love their huge portions and crispy meat. I get their Daily Special Chicken Katsu.”
Splash Cafe - “The best clam chowder, I’ve ever had.”
Rib Line - “I’m craving their tri-tip pomme frites right now. It’s so good and comes with a red wine glaze.”
@Bites - “I think it does the best job at Asian food in SLO. Their prices used to be cheaper, but I took my Vietnamese friends there and they said it reminded them of home. I get their grilled Viet pork.”
My Thai Restaurant - “It’s not the most well-known place, but they give big portions for good prices. I eat family style there.”
Sequel Tea - “My favorite drinks are the Korean banana milk, matcha series and Crème Brûlée.”
Madonna Inn at Copper Cafe - “I really think it’s worth it. I love their Monte Cristo: Ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese sandwich. It comes with three different jams!”
The cuisine that both Leung and Chan would like on the Central Coast is Dim Sum. Kristi hopes to see the variety of Asian flavors in typical Dim Sum dishes be featured “because people at Cal Poly are very social and love to go out with their friends often to Hot Pot or Korean BBQ, so a Dim Sum place would be perfect!”
Chan added that no store as of today sells egg custards or sponge cakes, which are traditionally enjoyed in Dim Sum — unless they drive to San Francisco or Los Angeles.
Here are some tips for eating well in San Luis Obispo:
Mondays at Piadina - 50% off pizzas if you dine on the roof. “10 dollar pizza, a bougie roof and a great view. It’s a win-win-win,” said Chan.
Mondays at Shalimar - Dinner buffet is $14.99 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Tuesdays at High St. Deli - College Special Deal: High St. Sando for $7.50 with your student I.D. (More deals at https://www.highstdeli.com/deals/)
Taco Tuesdays at Taqueria San Miguel for $1.25 per taco with any drink
Sundays at Shalimar - Brunch buffet is $13.99 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Petra - Yelp check-in get one free pita bread and hummus
Shin’s Sushi - Daily Sushi discounts
For more information, check out their Instagram accounts (@kristeatsfood & @emthesloeater).
To explore San Luis Obispo further, here’s a curated list of all the APIDA businesses in San Luis Obispo County:
https://www.yelp.co.uk/collection/FhpMuvjwkH96kQSXe9bQwA/AAPI-Businesses-in-San-Luis-Obispo-County