Aegean started as a popup, but now has its own restaurant near State street. Efe Onoglu is a superb…read morechef and brings Turkish/Mediterranean food to Santa Barbara. We got the hummus with a herbaceous zhoug sauce, which was smooth, nutty, and not too tart. I can't stand extra tart hummus. We also got an extra order of pita because one was not enough to scoop up all those delicious hummus. I didn't taste the kofte because I don't like the gaminess of lamb, but they looked beautifully grilled. The levrek on the other hand was insanely good. It came highly recommended by our server who seemed very passionate about all the delicious food that she was serving. She said people even drank the sauce the fish came in. Yep, she was correct and I did drank all the sauce. I normally only get fish in Asian restaurants, but this seabass was perfectly cooked to tender flakiness, bathed in a savory and delicate sauce with dill, lemon, and oregano.

Nice hole in the wall in downtown Santa Barbara. Service initially was pretty bad but eventually it…read moregot better. Seems they were understaffed for the night. Highly recommend you get a reservation on open table. Limited seating and parking can be a hassle. We ordered the bread with hummus which was incredible. The green goddess salad was good, especially the dressing. For main we got the chicken and the sea bass. The chicken at first seemed a little underwhelming but the chicken was super tender and the garlic was sauce was stupendous! The sea bass was also very good. I would argue that the price is a bit high for the amount you get but the food is good. Restaurant is Amex platinum Resy eligible at the time of this review.

Most warm and welcoming home EVER!! Filled with love, food, uplifting conversations, laughter and…read morefun! Went to hot springs and came back to Joanne and Rakesh's place and Rakesh had made a heaping tower of gourmet pasta, soup and salad! Deeeelicious!!! Then in the morning a scrumptious breakfast of baby Dutch babies with blackberries, raspberries and blueberries topped with whipped cream awaited me as well as a cup of fresh coffee! After breakfast I went streaking in the rain with Joanne in their backyard. Best of times!!!

Jo and Rakesh really know how to make you feel at home. This is the best home cooking in all of…read moreCalifornia.

Leaving reviews for all my favorite spots in town in hopes that they stay here forever. Secret Bao…read moreis perfect. The Kung Pao Cauliflower has never disappointed. The Udon Carbonara is insane. Their baos are 10/10. And don't even get me started on the passion fruit or matcha crème brûlée when they have them. Truly one of those places where I want to order everything on the menu every time. Please never leave us, Secret Bao.

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

Freshly shucked Santa Barbara uni (and arguably some of the best uni in the world) for breakfast?…read moreCount me in!!! Tip: If you're already making the trip to Santa Barbara, come early; ideally by 9AM. They'll shuck and clean the uni for you and provide all the condiments (ponzu, wasabi, etc.) to complement it. $20 per uni and they were huge and SO flavorful. Truly such an authentic experience and absolutely worth making the trip to Santa Barbara for!

Uni for breakfast? Why not! You definitely can't get uni any fresher than this. Santa Barbara Uni…read moreis located on the pier in Santa Barbara Harbor on the weekends. The sea urchins are freshly caught, and they'll cut them open and clean them right in front of you! The uni was so yummy! I also appreciate that they offer a variety of different complimentary sauces, such as ponzu, lemon, soy sauce, furikake, wasabi sauce, and sriracha. Although, I preferred to taste the natural sweetness of the uni! They have a few folding tables that you can enjoy your uni at. Just watch out for the seagulls and other birds on the pier. They're lurking around waiting for the opportunity to steal your food! Santa Barbara Uni accepts cash or Venmo/Zelle.

Just had Lofi Smoke and Grill BBQ for the first time at VITA Arts. Damn it was good! I ordered the…read more2 meat plate with BBQ Beans and slaw. Enough for me to share with my wife. The pulled pork was addictive. I wanted more. Nice flavors with all the food. Loved the mustard sauce, with the Tri-tip. I'll keep my eyes open for their pop-up.

We chose LoFi BBQ to cater our wedding recently, and are still hearing compliments from friends and…read morefamily on how good the food was. Steve and family truly helped create a memorable day. They were easy to work with on menu selection and the food was remarkably good. Look for them at one of their events in the area. You must try their food and we highly recommend for your next event.

Amazing food and great people. They definitely know their way around the BBQ. I highly recommend…read moreOak & Fire for any event!

For the tri tip bbq sandwich which has house coleslaw and fried onion strings. It was good! The bbq…read moresauce and with the coleslaw, meat, and the fried onion strings was a tasteful combination. i wish the seats were in the shade, especially since it was a pop-up. It was a hot summer day. The wait wasn't long but would have liked to enjoy the sandwich with some sun coverage.

We rented out The Lark for our wedding reception last week, and every step of the experience was…read moreimpeccable. From the event planning team (Zachary, you rock!) to the perfectly executed menu and thoughtful follow-up afterward, we truly could not have been happier. We were also lucky enough to meet the chef, Jason, after the reception, and he was incredibly kind and gracious. The food was outstanding! The cornbread, fried chicken, and pasta are absolute must-haves. For cocktails, I highly recommend the Paloma and Serpent's Tooth. Thank you to the entire team at The Lark for making our wedding reception such a special and unforgettable night. We couldn't have asked for a better experience!

Best cornbread of my entire life…read more Whilst bar-hopping, we only stopped at The Lark for a bite, and a cocktail... (we were hoping to find something on the less pricey side for our main dinner) The whiskey fruit-infused cocktails sounded amazing, but just tasted like whiskey. Bit of a let-down, despite being good whiskey. But HOLY-YELP, if you're looking for THE best CORNBREAD you will EVER eat in your life... look no further. It's insane. We didn't explore the menu much beyond that, but it's honestly worth a stop for the cornbread alone.

On October 30th, I attended Daily Greenz Pop-Up Open House. For some time I had heard wonderful…read morethings about this catering and meal delivery company, so I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself. I had the pleasure of meeting both Chef Cristina Gonzalez ("back of the house") and her life and business partner, Elsa Cisneros ("front of the house"). Together as one they run this sustainable, local and organic-focused business. To begin, both women are extremely talented and experienced. Chef Cristina attended the School of Culinary Arts at SBCC and then later worked under Wolfgang Puck and for Bon Appetit. On the other hand, Elsa focused on catering at Philip's College in San Antonio, later to find herself at Bon Appetit elbow-to-elbow with Cristina. Next, viewing the exterior of where Daily Greenz shared kitchen is located is unassuming. However, after entering you quickly realize that this is home to one of Santa Barbara's cleanest kitchens. Everything from the ovens to the pans were sparkling clean and new. Daily Greenz Pop-Up allowed me the opportunity to taste a few items. To begin, there was a refreshing Jamaica "Blood" Tea (for Halloween) and a perfectly-balanced Margarita. They provided a fresh Caesar Salad as a starter, followed by a choice of two tacos. The tacos included Achiote Chicken (refried beans, caramelized onion, cheese, and avocado-tomatillo drizzle) and Pork Chile Colorado (Pork Palace Heritage Pasture pork, refried beans, and queso fresco). Both tacos were small and bite size, yet huge and full of delicious flavors. Each ingredient could be tasted individually and enjoyed immensely. I learned and appreciate that Daily Greenz gives you the option to reserve your chef-created meal service between 48 hours to 2 weeks in advance. Not only that, they allow you to choose a flexible meal plan for lunches/dinners (either or both) for one to every day of the week. Bottom line: If you are seeking a meal delivery service for your family, or a caterer for your business, please contact and give Daily Greenz a try.

I kept hearing about Daily Greenz on Facebook and thought I'd check it out. It's an unassuming…read morestorefront so keep an eye out! But there's an awesome curbside pick up option. However, I pulled into the small parking lot. Plenty of parking spots for easy in and out. The kitchen is brand new and clean. It's a very large, open space; neat and organized. It appeared to be a very high standard of food and safety in this kitchen! When I arrived, my order was being labeled and packed up. Everyone was so sweet and answered all of my questions about where everything was sourced from and when. Extremely fresh ingredients!! I love that everything is organic and locally sourced. When we first ordered, we thought it was a little pricey just for a couple of salads, but once we were home and sitting down to eat, we realized we got our money's worth in quality AND quantity!! These salads are HUGE!! The flank steak my husband added to his salad was a generous serving. Fortunately, the salads were prepared with the dressing on the side, so I'll have fresh, crisp greens for round 2 tomorrow! The vinaigrette alone would have been amazing, but the peanut sauce drizzle it also came with made it superb! I was so impressed. The whole menu sounds delicious! I was told it changes regularly, depending on what's in season, so I plan to hustle back for the Chile Colorado, the Brunch Strada, and the sun-dried tomato goat cheese spread. I'm drooling just thinking about it!!

I got a side salad that was great and the tomato bisque soup. Very good! Good for vegans too!read more

We could hear live Blues playing down the street which meant there was life. We had just left the…read moreSanta Barbara Bowl and wanted something to eat after the show ended at 9pm. Not much was open which is how we ended up here. The place was super hot so we decided to order our food to go and there was a super annoying drunk guy ahead of us in line. I felt bad for the 17 yo employee stuck interacting with them. We ordered a sandwich with shrimp in it. L said it was good but the title shouldn't mention shrimp as they were super teeny tiny and basically non existent. I got the gluten free fried rice bowl with chicken spicy. It was not spicy at all, and the chicken was a bit dry, however I could taste the flavor of the chicken and the meal was bland enough that I knew I would be okay. Earlier in the day before the bowl we went to a winery and I had a headache, so this food for me last night worked especially since we picked it up to go and had it at our Air BnB.