SLO has a lively bar scene for its size — the combination of Cal Poly students, a young local workforce, and a small-city social culture where everyone ends up in the same few places means the downtown bars stay busy most nights. Higuera Street and the blocks immediately around it are where most of the action is.
The craft beer scene is strong. California's central coast has been producing wine for decades, but a younger generation of local brewers has built up a credible local beer culture alongside it. Several of SLO's better bars are brewpubs or focus heavily on local taps.
Bars tend to stay open until 1:30 or 2 AM on weekends. The Thursday Night Farmers Market effectively extends into bar hours for the blocks closest to Higuera — by 9 PM the street is half block party, half pub crawl.