Willow Serving Up South County Flavor

By Camas Frank

In the two years since they opened shop, due West off the Hwy 101-Willow Road exit in rural Nipomo, the Willow Market has become quite the local hangout.

Regulars to the restaurant and wine/ beer bar that adjoins the deli and market say that, with the help of manager Joe White, and a new chef, the place has really Outside dialed into its strengths.

The market opened in what started as the unimproved shell of generic California architecture in mid-2013.It was transformed into, three zones; a neatly organized wine and beer market with more than 100 bottled beer offerings and dozens of local and semi-local wines; a cozy bar with ample outdoor light; and a traditional restaurant seating area, recently expanded.

While there are two nearby golf course clubhouses, Willow fills a food, spirits and entertainment niche that just isn’t available anywhere else in the area.

The restaurant doesn’t attempt to compete with Nipomo’s famous steakhouse, which might be the only reason some visitors from the SLO area might have for a trip to the little town on the edge of the County, but they do something quite uni Sign que.

Willow smokes and cures their own meats for the restaurant and deli. And, as far as this reporter has encountered in eight years of Central Coast adventures, offers the most traditional and faithful rendering of a Reuben sandwich available.

While that’s all well and good for the residents that live in developments nearby, or visitors out for a drive on a nice day, White notes that “60%” of Willow’s draw is what they do outside. The patio is the majority of seating and live music dominates the space Friday and Saturday evenings, “bringing in people who’d never have stepped foot in here unless they knew.”

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there are also Happy Hour specials and gourmet items available in the market can satisfy any combination of pallets. All beers and wines from the market can be opened inside or on the patio.