Ascendo Coffee 311 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

"Good coffee in a somewhat crowded busy environment filled with local college kids. Service staff are super nice & helpful. They do a great job explaining the options even for those who are not too coffee savvy. They do have the standard pastries, but also have some simple prepared eats, like a bagel with a smear of cream cheese. The self-service coffee station is well appointed with raw sugar, good half & half, and Cinnamon. The pastries really benefit from having them with coffee. Since this is one location where they help reduce waste by teaming up with "Too Good to Go", I had the option of one of four pastries to go with my coffee. Thanks Ascendo for doing your part to reduce food waste! There is also a table with some things for sale, like local artwork and incense of all things. Some of it was a bit amusingly "new-age" "gee" in a retro '60's way. A rack of some Ascendo-wear is next to it. The open air ambiance is refreshing on a nice day. Seating is utilitarian and is mostly hard seating. The high stools are especially uncomfortable, but since space is at a premium, that is to be expected. When packed with students, it feels more like a cafeteria study hall. The tables and seating are monopolized a bit and they should have a policy of limiting time, so that others can get a chance to sit. It is unclear if they have any policy for those who are older or handicapped, but they did have an easily accessible dedicated handicapped spot that I did need to use. The location of the coffee shop is far enough from downtown SLO so as to make it a bit too far to walk, so sight seeing is out. It is near a great barbershop that I then used and snagged a great haircut. I also explored the nearby Harbor Freight for some bargains. While on a break, I had a chance to have a nice conversation with one of the really nice staff and learned a few interesting things about the immediate area, that I had no clue about. The "organic store" diagonally down across the street for example was not what I thought it was. On site parking is limited. This location is more suited for those who want more of grab & go type of deal. The old location in downtown SLO was more spacious and many of the pics at this location are actually from the old downtown location [indeed, a few were taken by me several years ago]. Since the day I tried Ascendo was the same Sunday that I did a "Too Good To Go" "food saving marathon", I picked up literally pounds and pounds of pastries, a loaf of bread, and even a Tempeh salad from 2 coffee shops, 2 Bakeries, and a health food spot. Toward the end of the day, I happened to then unwind at the SLO Public Market not too far away and get some "real" hot food. The caffeine from Ascendo helped keep my stamina up for the rest of the day."

"Recommended - stopped just before 4 pm the coffee menu is not huge- opted for a 2 shot mocha over ice- go use restroom (clean & cute), return to find the nice guy pouring hot shot over shaved chocolate- delicious beverage- excellent coffee! I was not rushed- even though I arrived pretty much at closing- I was stoked on my coffee!"

"I enjoyed the rose cardamom latte and a veggie quiche this morning and both were perfect. Beautiful space to work or chat with a friend, lots of natural light."

"Being a coffee shop garage makes this place really unique. The staff is very friendly and the coffee is pretty good. My Brown Sugar Latte didn’t taste much like brown sugar but was still great. Great place to grab a coffee on the usual cold SLO mornings. 4.6/5."

"Phenomenal coffee with a chanting atmosphere. They have unique pastries and a very kind team! We loved our tea and coffees, and the syrups we tried, too!"