This sports-friendly hangout is ideal for just about any time of day, thanks to its modern pub feel, weekday happy hour, and robust menu of sandwiches, burgers, and craft beer of course.

Scout is the modern coffee shop that students and faculty demand these days. With its upscale barnyard interior, inventive espresso drinks, and wide variety of pastries, this is the absolute go-to spot for caffeine in the area.

While mostly a liquor store, real ones know that Cork ’n’ Bottle off of Foothill also serves one of the city’s best burgers (among other fried fare). Stop in to try the handful of options available, but it’s best to take the food to go instead of sitting inside the small dining area.

For just-off-campus Mexican food it’s best to stick with Tacos de Acapulco, the strip mall setup that serves up a variety of burritos and tacos, including seafood and extensive vegetarian options.

Part quaint mini-hotel, part rustic roadside stand, Apple Farm is the quintessential daytime place to take family that’s in from out of town. This spot is all throwback charm, with brunch options galore and a full slate of alluring benedicts to choose from.

Frank’s is far from being the single best culinary destination in all of San Luis Obispo County, but that’s okay. Located near a cluster of off-campus housing complexes, this breakfast-through-dinner spot has been serving up reliable breakfast burritos and namesake hot dogs (plus burgers, wraps, and more) for nearly half a century.

This historic seafood cafe is well-known to Pismo Beach tourists, though the corner location closer to Cal Poly’s campus still gets plenty of love. Stop in for fried seafood in all its many forms, as well as the cafe’s signature bread bowls of chowder.

While not exactly next to campus, no map of where Cal Poly kids eat would be complete without a nod to Woodstock’s, the vital pizza hangout with its own distinctive flavor and look. With plenty of TVs, a few arcade games, and rolling beer pong tournaments and other events, this is a must for any college diner.