Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria in Arroyo Grande has enjoyed a full year with a more modern look and menu—27 years after the restaurant took root in the heart of the city’s historic Village.
New owners Bob Spallino and Michael Goodloe ushered in the first anniversary of the remodeled deli on May 15. Formerly called Branch Street Deli, the restaurant also levelled up with a name change that added Pizzeria to its title. It shows off Spallino’s hand in operating the award-winning Pizzeria Bella Forno in Old Town Orcutt. Meanwhile, Goodloe upped the ante as Branch Street’s head chef, boosting the deli’s old menu with a combination of long-standing Branch Street staples, Pizzeria Bella Forno hits, and culinary conceptions of his own.
“We gutted it from the back to the front of the building. Put new flooring in, paint, tile, ceiling, equipment, a wood-fired pizza oven from Italy,” Goodloe told the Sun. “Classically, it was mostly a lunch deli specializing in sandwiches and burgers. Now, we have elevated that side of the business.”
The renovated eatery’s menu includes soups like the tri-tip chili, appetizers like calamari and garlicky brandy mushrooms, salads like the Thai chicken and mango, entrees like shrimp carbonara and Angus steak sliders, and artisan pizzas like the hot honey and candied jalapeño pie.
San Luis Obispo County residents who are fans of Pizzeria Bella Forno can now venture to Branch Street to get their fix. The deli menu shares items with the Orcutt pizzeria like pear and prosciutto pizza, the pesto Genovese pizza, and the Angus beef meatballs, among other treats.
“He’s [Spallino] won some awards for his pizzas down there, so we tried to bring that up here,” Goodloe said. “We also have Italian-style gelato, and we took the dinner business that was kind of nonexistent before and added pastas and entrees.”
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, Goodloe’s worked commercial kitchens for more than two decades. He honed his skills at private clubs and high-end hotels in Newport Beach, at Clint Eastwood’s former Hog’s Breath Inn in Carmel-by-the-Sea, in Sonoma, Las Vegas, and at a desert country club in La Quinta.
Goodloe and Spallino’s business partnership germinated years ago when the Orcutt pizzeria owner catered Goodloe’s wedding. They’ve kept in touch since then, driven by conversations to one day open a restaurant together. The duo struck a deal in 2022 when the former Branch Street Deli owners looked to sell the space, and Goodloe and his wife moved from La Quinta to Orcutt to start their new culinary chapter.
“It’s been a big collaboration between Bob and myself,” Goodloe said. “He has a good following on the Central Coast. … I work with the food and stuff, but I have a chef that worked for me before, Jaime Mendoza, that’s helping me oversee some operations.”
Goodloe and Spallino also built on the entertainment element of the old deli. Branch Street Deli was famous for its weekly live music events. Now, the revamped pizzeria is looking to expand its current Friday and Saturday performance schedule to four nights a week. Catch Chris Beland on May 31 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
“The deli was always known for its Friday night music,” Goodloe said. “We’ve added Saturdays, and we’ll have Thursdays in a few weeks, possibly Sundays as well.”
More changes are coming to Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria. The menu will reflect seasonal upgrades depending on the fruits, vegetables, and produce available during the summer. The owners plan to add steak and fish as dinner specials, and they’re also entertaining the possibility of a weekend brunch service.
“We just try to keep it simple here like with comfort foods,” Goodloe said. “Our lunch business is really strong. … We have countless regulars that come in multiple times a week. Any night when the weather’s great, the place is packed.”
New Times Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal, from the Sun’s sister paper, is ready to bask in the glow of Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria’s wood-fired oven. Send sunblock to [email protected].
