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.

What an amazing little shop right next to one of my favorite taquerias. My partner and I were…read morelooking for a sweet treat! We were enticed by their water-based or diary options that they had available and you were able to get two scoops with their smallest option. Getting two flavors is the best! I got watermelon and lemon while my partner got strawberry and lemon. Overall service was amazing and the shop was really cute. We're craving more Italian Ice for our next visit!

Enjoyed the lemon flavor. Other stuff felt sort of too…read moresweet. But would be down to go again for lemon flavor again.

Sama Sama Kitchen in Santa Barbara on State Street. You thought Michelin stars were only for fancy…read morewhite‑tablecloth spots... Meanwhile Sama Sama out here serving Bib Gourmand realness with reasonably priced plates. Santa Barbara flavor, Michelin‑approved, and zero starched napkins required. Pet friendly patio! #SantaBarbara #michelinguide #BibGourmand #foodtok #indonesian

We visited Sama Sama while in Santa Barbara, and it was hands down the best restaurant we had the…read morepleasure of experiencing during our trip. We feel pretty fortunate to have so many great restaurants near home, so finding a place that genuinely surprised and impressed us was both refreshing and an absolute pleasure. Everything we tasted was amazing. The standouts were the ribs, crispy rice salad, wings, and short rib noodles, but there truly wasn't a single thing we didn't enjoy. The drinks were great, and the ambiance and service were equally impressive. Our only regret is that we have to wait until our next visit to Santa Barbara to eat here again.

We had their truck at a company event yesterday and they were a big hit!! Highly recommend!!read more

I often book Kona Ice for events/classroom parties for my daughter and her classmates. They LOVE…read moreKona Ice! They get so excited seeing the fun Kona Ice truck pull up! The best part is they are mobile so they just park and let the fun begin! Max and Jordan are so incredible to work with and make everything super easy! Prices are affordable. Such a fun concept and loved by all. I highly recommend them to everyone!

This was such a fun spot to stop by on the beach. While we were in line, some of the local kids had…read morevery specific orders obviously after ordering shaved ice here many times before.  I would highly recommend getting the condensed milk on top, as it greatly improves the texture of the shaved ice by making it much creamier.

Penelope's Sno Balls is an absolute must! Friendly fast service, huge portions and delicious…read moreflavors. Don't miss this fabulous food truck by the beach.

This was the perfect ending to dinner out at the collection and to help beat the heat. This…read moreparticular visit it was much cooler to sit outside with the ice cream. I'm not sure if the shop has a/c and it was not working or if they do not have a/c but was too hot to sit down inside with our ice cream. I've only had the Taiyaki (fish waffle with filling) at the shop in the Ventura Harbor so this was my first time trying a different shop's Taiyaki. The cashier took our order and our ice creams were ready within 7-8 minutes. I ordered an Ubechata Taiyaki with Oreo crumbs for my topping and Nutella as the filling inside of the Taiyaki. It was a great tasting ice cream and the Taiyaki was filled with ice cream and Nutella. So I felt like it was a good amount of ice cream. At $8.50 it felt like a good value. The other desserts looked delicious but the bowls servings looked larger and was $13+. This is a great addition to the Collection and is great if you are craving a Taiyaki but don't want to go to Ventura harbor.

We had come during the heatwave around 6pm. Upon entrance I was immediately blasted by a wave of…read morewarm air. Apparently they do not have AC, so the fan was just blowing warm air. It probably would have been better to just turn the fan off. Since it was cooler outside we ended up taking it elsewhere to enjoy. Service was good. The bear theme was cute. I got the taro bingsu and my friend got the mango one. The snow was fluffy and both were good. Would be back to try other flavors.

Hidden gem! Tbh we went looking for it last night but the whole area looked empty so we wouldn't…read morefind it in the dark. I'm thankful we found it today. It's tucked into the Fine shops & Restaurant behind the park. The sign for the Kunafa peeves my interested so much I had to Google it. We came inside, were greeted by a super kind employee. I asked her what it was but mispronounced the name. She smilled & politely corrected me then told me what it was. The guy behind us in line told us it was amazing so we ordered it. My hubby got yhr Arabic coffee (made in sand) I got a salted Carmel latte. It cost $44. The Kunafa was absolutely to die for! We shared 1 & in thankful because it's too much for me. The sweet sauce with the salty cheese & crunch of the philo are a perfect combination. Our coffee was strong, just how we like it. We had great service & food. Definitely coming back for icecream. My only suggestion is maybe a sign by the road that you're open late.

Wanted a sweet treat after dinner, so we walked over to Cafe Dolce. You can't see it from the…read morestreet and it's a bit hidden in the back, so you might miss it unless you're looking for it. Cafe Dolce offers breakfast and lunch items, acai bowls, drinks, and more. They also have a huge selection of Lebanese Baklawa, as well as ice cream. They serve a variety of McConnell's ice creams, as well as an additional case of flavors. I noticed they have a baklava gelato, so I decided to get this! It was pretty good, but I will say the prices are a bit steep for the amount of gelato I received. Fun to try this unique flavor regardless!

Ice cream was absolutely disgusting. Had obviously melted and refrozen! I asked to exchange it for…read moreanother flavor. Nope! I am crazy, he sells mint chip all the time. I handed him the cone told him it's disgusting and walked out. Walk up the street to Mr. Softee! Plus, the customer service is better at Mr. Softee, as well!!!

Cute boba spot located inside Choppa Poke. Just look for "Choppa Poke" in front of the building…read more Walk inside and it's on the right. This confused me at first. They don't have a super extensive menu, but they have all the classic milk and fruit teas. They have boba, popping boba and jelly as toppings. It's reasonably priced, less than $6 for a drink + boba and it's a decent size. I got the Mango Green Tea with boba and it was refreshing! Definitely a solid fruit tea option if you're not in the mood for something heavy and milky.

Says open until 8 I came all the way from Ventura jus to say that the boba part was closed waste of…read moretime.

I came in to try a mango snow bowl after seeing a Tik Tok about it--I'm also a sticky rice and…read moremango lover. Service was great and the man who helped me was very kind. The bowl itself had delicious fresh mango on the top and chewy mochi which I liked. I wouldn't say I would order this again but I would definitely come here to try their food. I really liked their tv with a cute cartoon playing on repeat.

This was a cozy little spot with really friendly service. One kid really loved her omurice, though…read moremy wife wasn't a fan of the bulgogi - it was pretty dry and tough to chew. Everyone dug into my mango snow bowl though, which was the true highlight of our meal. It was a generously-sized portion overflowing with fresh mango, mochi, and sweetened condensed milk and shaved ice.