When I tell you we did not leave any crumbs, I really mean it!! It's been a long time since I've…read morewritten a 5 star review that felt so well deserved. Flare's menu was extensive and I wish we had more people to order a bit of everything and share it family style! We got the Beef Boiling Pot and WOW. The broth was so flavorful and deep. Very well seasoned! The Korean Fried Chicken wings also had a satisfying crunch and the flavors were also on point! We got the half and half, and the Original flavor was my favorite. The other half was plain, but I still enjoyed it. Super juicy and tender! For dessert, I got the Brown Sugar Milk Tea w/ Honey Boba. The boba was soft and slightly chewy, which is exactly how I prefer it! I'm bummed I'm not a local, because this would easily become a go-to spot!

Wow! The flavors at Flare blew us away…read more My hubby and I were looking for a new place to try for our date night. I remembered the opening soon signs for Flare when we used to live by Ryon Park. Since we moved, I'd almost forgotten so I was excited to finally try their food. The staff that greeted and tended to us were friendly and attentive. The atmosphere has a hole-in-the-wall vibe with its intimate seating. The back tables have glowing lights like stars which was a nice touch. That being said, I feel like the interior could use some more color. Maybe some Japanese or Korean art would be cool. We started out with some milk tea. I ordered the tiger milk tea which was sweet with caramel and I added honey Boba. For the food, they have hot pots! A unique offering for the Lompoc area. The food at Flare is mostly Korean and Japanese inspired food with some California influences. Like the beef Bulgogi fries my husband ordered-- were bomb. They came with a spicy mayo like sauce that was a savory and sweet suprise. The saltiness of the beef and melted cheese-- ultimate comfort food. It would've been even better with avocado. I ordered a fusion rice bowl. At first I was skeptical about the sauce the shrimp came with. But after the first bite my mouth was bursting with flavor. Freshness from the sour cream mixed perfectly with the mildly spicy red sauce dressing the shrimp (no tails which I appreciated). Little bits of cilantro mixed into the warm jasmine rice balanced out the salty and savory shrimp. Add in the freshness of the crisp lettuce, pico de gallo and corn. Overall, it created a beautiful balanced dish I didn't know I needed; a meal that satisfied my soul. Next time we come I can't wait to try their hot pots! Highly recommend you check out Flare.

Great food Nice folk…read moreIt's Real Chinese food, which makes me feel homesick- comments from a Shanghai Chinese

Consistently good food, friendly service, comfortable atmosphere. I love seeing a large Chinese…read morefamily (the owners?) regularly dining at the round table. Easy parking.

Such a fun spot that Im excited to visit again. I went to dine-in but they also have a grab-and-gp…read morefridge or online ordering if you want to eat outside in the courtyard area. The dine-in area is tucked away from the larger marketplace which gave it a bit of a different vibe but you could still hear the live music they had going outside which was also great. The food tasted so fresh and this seems like a weird thing to harp on about, but their seaweed wrap had the perfect crunchy texture. They also have pickled horseradish which i LOVED - I hardly see that! Within our group we ordered the: -3 piece handball (yuzu salmon, albacore, bluefin tuna) -3 sushi tacos (crab [my fav out of all], tuna, yuzu salmon) -Pork Tonkotsu Ramen I think the owner or manager was there and he was the sweetest! He overheard it was my niece's bday and he surprised us with a sweet gift at the end

We had a great time at Sushi Table! The food was delicious, the staff were friendly, and Chef Sunny…read morewas very nice to talk to. My girlfriend and I shared the Chef's Choice Sashimi, Hand Roll Set, and two cocktails. The Chef convinced us to try the O-toro nigiri and it was delicious, then he let us sample White Fujisan Salmon and it was the tastiest sashimi we've ever had. We had a great time and will try to stop by anytime we're in SLO. We highly recommend sticking to the more traditional dishes if dining in.

Big portions , great customer service , delicious food . Everything was clean and workers were very…read moreattentive .

The place is cute and quaint, right across the street from the Historic Santa Maria Inn. The…read moreservice was friendly and pretty quick. Our food was good, plentiful! The Cashew Chicken was ok, could use more cashews though. The Salt & Pepper Shrimp was delicious but SPICY! The green beans were good too. The dishes were full enough to have to-go plates for lunch the next day!

Dined here with my girlfriend on our first out of town trip to SLO. We both had the braised beef…read moreramen soup and it definitely had the best noodles of any ramen I've tried so far. The broth was so savory with great depth and was delicious. The location itself was really inviting, clean, and with a very pleasant dining area interior design. The real star of this whole experience however was the incredible customer service and staffing at this establishment. All of the service workers were incredibly friendly, attentive, and enthusiastic to serve all of our needs even when we arrived around 40 minutes before closing. While the food and location are amazing, the atmosphere and experience created by the employees is what really elevates this establishment to the next level. I recommend this place to anyone wanting a comforting meal and uplifting experience in the downtown SLO area. I hope to be visiting again!

Admittedly we were drawn in by a video on instagram. We had to check it out. First off there is a…read moresmall parking not behind right next to the restaurant and a large garage within walking distance. When we entered we were greeted right away and offered any table we wanted. We chose one by the big windows. You order from a qr code. We got the chili dumplings, the spicy pork flat noodles, cucumber with garlic, and their house beef soup with round noodles. The food came out hot and fresh. The owner(?) came by and offered to cut the beef from the bone and then mixed our spicy pork noodles for us so the fresh noodles didn't get stuck together. We appreciated the service. Overall the food was great!

This restaurant serves incredibly authentic Chinese cuisine. Every dish was well‑seasoned and full…read moreof flavor. Ingredients tasted fresh, portions are generous. Service was attentive and efficient. Will definitely come back and bring friends.

Both service and food are great Our go to for family…read moregathering and events Very quaint and clean . Awesome staff

Judging food entirely off my SO who ate here with me having only tea. This review will be a bit…read moredifferent from my others in that I asked him to use a rating scale per item, due to mixed reviews below. Crab won ton: 7.5/10 Not best he's had, but solid. Korean BBQ tips: 8/10 Very good with a little room for improvement vs the myriad of other places he's tried over time. BBQ Dumplings: 6 to 7 out of 10 Good but he prefers another style of dumpling, not the dough-heavy ones.

This place is so delicious, I am so happy to have found such a delicious dim sum place. Definitely…read morea must try if you like Asian food. I ordered a few different things any everything I ate was delicious! My favorite is the Shu Mai, second the juicy soup dumplings. The staff was delightful, I was greeted when I walked in and was checked on many time to make sure I was happy with everything! The atmosphere was chill, very pleasant and friendly. Good music playing.

Well it appears that I have a new favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara! Came last night at the…read moresuggestion of a few locals and a few websites and was fully blown away. The menu is expertly curated, there's not many places where I legitimately want one (or two) of everything but Secret Bao made choosing a dinner for two very difficult. Everything we ate was incredible - the xiao long bao hands down the best I've had. Thick buns wrapped around a hearty and flavorful soup filling. The crispy rice was fantastic too, hot rice covered in cold bluefin tuna made for an excellent first course. Of course the bao were delicious as well, as it's right in the name of the restaurant. I liked the pork belly over the KFC only slightly more. Of course the Kalbi short ribs were perfect with crispy charred edges. The half pound was the perfect amount to split among two with other dishes. The carbonara noodles were an inventive and decadent centerpiece to tie everything together. Service was great, our young lady waiter was personable and gave great suggestions when I was truly overwhelmed by nothing but great options

The best food I had while visiting Santa Barbara! All the dishes were fantastic, can't go wrong. We…read moregot the kung pao cauliflower, beef bulgogi chow fun, and curry noodles to share with my friend. The cocktails were also delicious, my lychee-tini was great. Our server was very friendly and gave great recommendations. We sat outside and the outdoor seating was nice.

Situated in the Santa Barbara Farmers Market complex, Empty Bowl is an inviting space where you can…read moresit right at the bar and watch the wok action. Service is friendly and the food well prepared. Menu options are limited, but everything is delicious. Recommend going at happy hour. There's usually a special offer.

Located inside of Santa Barbara Public Market, Empty Bowl is located towards the center of the…read moremarket. They offer Thai dishes including noodle bowls, small plates, and handmade dumplings. We got the Northern Thailand Curry Noodles "Khao Soi" and the Tom Yum Noodles. The Khao Soi had egg noodles and chicken in a curry base broth with coconut milk, fish sauce, pickled mustard greens, cilantro, green onions, and housemade chili oil. They also give you crispy egg noodles to put on top. I appreciated that they wrapped this separately in foil, so they didn't get soggy right away! The chicken pieces were quite large, but overall the broth was tasty! I enjoyed the Tom Yum Noodles! For these, they use flat wheat noodles with Thai chili paste, bunashimeji mushrooms, white button mushrooms, fish sauce, red jalapeño, galangal herb, makrut lime leaves, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. I chose chicken for my protein. The tom yum flavor really came through! They also give a pretty big portion! Since they are located in a food hall, you can sit at any of the tables. Empty Bowl will give you a pager, so you know when to return to the counter to pick up your food.

Another great visit! This is my third this year and the crew at Mee Heng Low continue to deliver…read more It was super busy and I did have to take some of my dinner to go to make my movie in time, but the service was still very friendly and capable regardless of the huge amount of hustle they were putting out (there was an art reception upstairs). I sat downstairs in one of the booths and had the cold bean thread salad. It was so yummy. I also enjoyed a $4 805 beer. So glad Mee Heng Low is here in SLO, next door to my favorite movie theater (the Palm), and serving delicious food and beer at reasonable prices.

A complete walk back in time at the oldest restaurant in the Central Valley. Tiniest place, maybe…read more7 tables, and tiniest menu with only a handful of items. I suppose that's the secret to longevity, and no doubt, Gordon Ramsay would be pleased - small menu means quick kitchen and fresh food -- not frozen. My buddy and I treated ourselves to all pork dishes: * Pork dumplings (soft, in an amazing sauce, and unreal ground and flavorful pork inside) * Double-pork (thinly sliced pork-chop, pan-fried noodle, veggies -- loved...loved...loved) * Pork Chow Mein (basically the same as double-pork, but steamed noodle, and not as good pork) Great prices, fast service, loved it.