Lao Wang

Hands down, the best noodles in town!…read more Such a hidden gem in Goleta! The customer service was amazing--everyone was so friendly and quick to greet us. The restaurant is on the smaller side, but I honestly loved the overall theme and atmosphere. The little panda signs throughout the restaurant added such a cute touch to the ambiance! Definitely a spot I'd recommend if you're craving some delicious noodles! Definitely going back to try other items on the menu!

Pang Zi has become one of my favorite places to eat pho and until recently, their fried rice! We…read morewere sat immediately on a busy Saturday night and we were taken care of right away! Their servers were incredibly sweet and made sure to check on us during the night! My partner ordered their rare steak pho and she destroyed it in no time! I fell in love with their combo fried rice! They had a Vietnamese hot sauce that worked perfectly with the rice and the pork. I'm looking forward to my next fried rice trip!

Inside

WONTON IN CHILI OIL

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China King

3.8(289 reviews)

2.4 mi

China King - Goleta, California While in Goleta, I stopped…read moreby China King for lunch. It's a nice, clean Chinese restaurant, and the owner was very friendly with great customer service. I ordered two lunch specials--the Curry Chicken and the General Chicken. Each lunch special came with rice, salad, an egg roll, and a fried wonton. Everything was delicious and flavorful, and you get a nice variety of food with the lunch special. Good food, great customer service, and a clean restaurant. If you're in Goleta and looking for a good Chinese lunch special, China King is definitely worth a visit!

I quite like this place. Good food and ample portions. (I often get 2 meals per portion.)…read more More important is the friendly atmosphere created by the owners. They are also very accommodating for special requests.

Jasmine tea

Delicious Lunch Specials. Thanks Patrick for taking good care of us.

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I loved it so much I put a menu up in my car!! for easy access. I will never take it down.

Uniboil

This is a lil hidden gem! We have made it a tradition to stop by to have dinner on our way to our…read moreevents. This is definitely not a fancy schmancy restaurant, but the food, variety and service makes it worth it. It is in a shopping plaza with spacious parking. The ambiance is very casual. You know it's good when you see locals frequenting the restaurant. You can get a variety of hot pot dishes, rice dishes, traditional dishes, boba, drinks and appetizers. The broths have several broth options and each of them have its own yumminess. Our favorite dishes are: peppered dice steak, spicy seafood hotpot, popcorn chicken and their fruit teas! The servers are young but are so friendly! If you want to add or adjust ingredients they will do it if they can. Highly suggest giving this place a try!

My friends and I visited Uniboil on a Thursday night as we were craving hotpot and I wanted some…read moredelicious food for my birthday! It's a small restaurant so just a heads up if you're trying to go with a group. As you walk in, you're able to select a table of your choosing and scan the QR code to place your order. There's a lot of variety to choose from on the menu, from different meats and appetizers to even some vegetarian options. As a group of 3, we decided to share 2 mini hot pots - the NZ lamb option and the Korean army stew. Starting with the lamb, the slices of meat are cut thinly and folded neatly into the broth, so I recommend moving it around to ensure that it cooks evenly. From the fish cake and mushroom to the tofu, I enjoyed eat bite of this dish. The only feedback I have is due to personal preference - I wish it did come with sauces because the lamb itself was not as flavorful as I hoped it would be and the broth doesn't necessarily add depth to it. Now with the Korean army stew, it's more of a mild spice level so it would be fine for anyone who doesn't have as strong of a tolerance. The standouts of this dish would be the shin ramyun, the rich broth, the quail eggs and the kimchi. It's really comforting and warming! Lastly, we did try the popcorn chicken appetizer. It was perfectly fried, still tender, and I can even taste the five spice which paired nicely with the fried basil. It's really good to have either on its own, with the sweet chili sauce provided, or even with the hot both broth as well. I definitely recommend checking out Uniboil!

T1 sizzling fried rice

Curry Udon with Chicken

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Tomato beef

Mandarin Palace

3.2(324 reviews)

6.1 mi

Stopped in here on the way to our next destination. It's in a strip mall with a busy parking lot…read more We were seated right away and ordered one of the curated dinners. Food came quickly and arrived hot. Service was good. Some items were kinda mediocre, like the rice. The noodles were very salty. The kung pao didn't have the flavor and ingredients I associate with kung pao, but it was good. We were in and out quickly and would likely stop here again if we were in the area.

Let me start by saying this use to be one of our favorite places to eat over the years. We would…read moreeither stop in or order delivery a few times a month. However, the last we went three times we were shocked at how far far place has declined. So much so we decided this was our last. The food was marginal and extremely greasy. The service wasn't very good either. One of the employees spent most of his time on his phone. The other two were pleasant but never really bothered to check in with us to see how we were doing. They were quick to drop off the bill and disappear. The restaurant use to be clean. Now the seats are coming apart and it had a funky smell like grease and old food.

Walked in and right out when I saw this dirty floor.

Salt and Pepper Ribs

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Mandarin Walnut Honey Shrimp

Saigon Noodle House

3.2(411 reviews)

1.3 mi

College town pho restaurant. They are pretty good and decent. The soup is quite tasty and portion…read moreis ample.

This place has terrible service! When we walked in, no one greeted us. Later customers were seated…read morefirst before they finally found a spot for us. After all four of us sat down, it took ten minutes just to get three glasses of water and take our order. They even promised to bring the missing glass later, but completely forgot--only after we asked twice did they finally deliver it. Meanwhile, while everyone around us had already finished their meals, our dishes still hadn't arrived. The staff kept asking us repeatedly if our food was ready, only to find out it wasn't theirs. We waited for an hour and a half before our meal finally came. In the end, they showed absolutely no remorse--no discount, no tax reduction, not even a complimentary snack as compensation. I definitely won't be coming back again! 这家服务特别差！我们进去之后没有人招待我们，后来的人都先坐下了，才给我们找位置坐下。然后我们四个人坐下后过了10分钟才给我们三杯水并点单，并且答应过一会会把落下的那杯水送上来。结果他们就忘了，催了两次才端上来一杯水。然后我们周围后来的人都吃完了我们点的菜还没上，他还问了我们好几次是不是我们的餐，结果都不是。催了一个半小时终于上菜了！结果最后他们一点歉意也没有，既没有给我们折扣或者扣掉税也没有给我们额外的小吃作补偿。我不会再去第二次！

Seating area

#9 on the menu Rare meat Noodles

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Saigon Noodle House Sampler

Su’s Bowl

4.0(46 reviews)

0.1 mi

Great authentic dishes. The food is just so good. Will definitely come back in the futureread more

It's tasty American Chinese with large portions during lunch. We had the Mongolian beef and Orange…read morechicken. It comes with bowls of rice. Our kids thought it was very tasty, as well.

Fish sauce eggplant

Garlic lamb (cold dish)

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Steamed noodle

Noodle City

3.7(629 reviews)

2.2 mi

•$

If you can't find street parking there is a small parking lot in the back. We came right when they…read moreopened so there was nobody there. I was going to get a large pho, but after the wife noticed they had a super pho size, we knew we had to get that size. The broth has more of a star anise and clove flavor, it's not very heavy but clean tasting. I do like that they had a combination of regular meat and tendons. The tendons was actually chewy and not soft and mushy like a lot of different places. The crispy fried shrimp was not bad. Wife enjoyed them but I thought they were ok. Long crispy wonton shell and near the thick part has the shrimp. The Viet coffee was premade. Everyone has their preferences in pho flavor. I will say service was good. Waiter checked up on us to ensure we had enough water and was ok.

My girlfriend and I visited Noodle City since our regular pho spot was temporarily closed…read more I ordered the pho super bowl with everything except rare steak (flank, tripe, tendon, and meatballs. Personal preference but, I believe it is a crime to not have brisket when serving pho. The only options left were dry, tougher cuts that felt very mediocre. Regarding the broth, it was overwhelmingly bland. It was extremely clear and had minimal fat. Again personal preference but, it seems they had extracted all of the fat after simmering the beef and that left the broth so lackluster. We also got the Thai tea and my girlfriend thought it was delicious. Regarding the ambiance, I think Noodle City tries their best making use of their limited space. However, it wasn't very clean: the spoons were a bit dirty, it seemed like the floor isn't cleaned often, and the utensil/condiment holder on our table was a mess with the chopsticks about to fall off the table. As for the service, they had plenty on their hands tonight as a ~12 top came in shortly after us and they a line out the door until right before we left. They checked in multiple times, however, we did have to mention our thai tea was forgotten and got it AFTER our pho came out. It also seemed like there was an altercation with a male server and the party of 12: orders were confused and he yelled "well figure it out". Overall, I've been to Noodle City for ~3 years and I think they have GREAT rice dishes. However, their pho is pretty mediocre, service is often fast but not friendly, and prices are always CHEAP.

Vermicelli with chicken

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Super fresh produce for #58!

Charcoal Grill Odyssey

4.0(1 review)

2.2 mi

Scanned a QR code at a UCSB bus stop, and next thing you know I am eating spicy lamb and beef…read morekabobs. Limited hours, but where else are you going to get grilled Chinese chives, milk toast, or mala potato slices? Two kids and a grill outside of a Mexican restaurant. What's not to like? I recommend walking your order over to Centennial Beer Hall and chasing town these cumin-forward, authentic street snacks with a frost craft beer. Literally just like China!

Meun Fan Thai Cafe

3.7(209 reviews)

2.7 mi

Wonderful food, and excellent service. we particularly like the pad Thai and the sizzling platter…read more it would help for them to have some sound absorbing materials on the wall to make conversation easier.

Tom Ka Gai (small) flavor was good. Not enough items in the soup. They also ran out of mango sticky…read morerice. Food took a while to come and they needed more servers for Monday night.

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Font of the house.

Pad Thai with Chicken

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Pad Thai

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32 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Cruise Z.

175

9 years ago

I went there three times during last three weeks. I tried craft my own, our own choice, and chili chicken. The price is decent, and food are pretty good, especially compared to most restaurants in IV. Moreover, they have so many good sauces! The chili sauce and peanut butter sauce are the best! They serve food really fast, and workers there are very nice and helpful. I will definitely come back for the food and the service!! The photo is the chili chicken. I highly recommend!! read more

Kristen L.

8 years ago

Keanu A.

1 year ago

I Enjoyed exceptional service and the amazing flavor of Mal ti noodles, which are fresh, vibrant, and full of flavor. The authentic taste of Lao Wangs refreshes in a classic noodle bar. The meticulous attention to detail not only provides value to the community but also creates an inviting and cozy ambiance in a small college town. Here, you can savor not just a great meal, but an authentic and memorable experience with your entire friend group. read more

Diana L.

10 years ago

The place was raaaaad. Very clean. Their pork belly bun is my favorite, very tasty and the bun was very soft. The Chinese sausage tastes exactly what it taste like in China. I like it. My friend ordered the popcorn chicken, the pieces were big. She said it's better than most of the places in IV. I ordered the "Our way choice" with original soup, but my friend told me the DRY also tastes good. Ima gonna come back for that for suuure. read more

Ian S.

379

8 years ago

Great place to get full off of delicious food. Definitely try out a rice bowl if your looking for an affordable, good sized meal. The sweet and sour chicken bowl never disappoints. The broth for the noodle bowls is also amazing. Sometimes I just order the broth to sap on and love every second of it. Don't forget they have great beers on tap. Best place for beers and bowls!! read more

Amanda H.

173

10 years ago

I ordered their pork buns, was one of the most disgusting things I have ever ate. I ordered three couldn't even finish the fist one. It was 90% fat with bland flavors and grossly limp greens. I love pork buns and was very sad that this place was such a disappointment. read more

Taylor T.

1 year ago

I recently had a bowl of noodles paired with some popcorn chicken, and it completely hit the spot. The noodles were cooked perfectly. The popcorn chicken was crispy and well seasoned and the portion size was generous. Great for a quick lunch! Highly recommend! read more

Richard M.

2 years ago

Lao Wang is the worst restaurant I have ever been to. I paid $17 for a vegetarian noodle dish and received plain boiled noodles with barely any vegetables--no salt, no sauce, no flavor whatsoever. It was incredibly disappointing. I do not recommend this place! read more

David D.

6 years ago

Super Bomb! Not to compare, but this place is like Hana Kitchen but with a lot of different choices. I liked everything I have tried so far and the broccoli and little spring roll that they include is amazing. I look forward to trying more things! read more

Craig M.

9 years ago

This place is disgusting. Customers urinate and crap behind the building. Service is fine if you don't mind eating with feces. Some restaurants allow you to throw peanuts on the floor. However, at Lao wang they let you piss and crap out back. read more

Alec A.

5 years ago

Something about this place makes me want to come back over and over. It's probably the friendly employees, the music, the menu, and the vibe! I really like the buns, soups, and rice bowls. Definitely stop by, you will not be disappointed. read more

Arthur W.

3 years ago

味道是非常正宗，家常的，沒有吃到味精或雞精的味道，非常的純天然的食物，沒有添加劑，不符合天然的條件的任何東西，值得推薦，即使在整個大洛杉磯地區來說，都可以說是獨一無二的，而且非常健康的餐廳。可以毫不誇張的說這是我在美國吃到的最好的味道，這家店如果在洛杉磯，我相信會引起很多人的支持的。這比很多那些網紅店的味道要好很多，建議周圍想要吃到好吃的中餐的人都來嘗試一下。請相信我作為一個吃過中國各地美食的不算美食家，但也算是美食愛好者的推薦！ read more

Peter D.

5 years ago

Lao Wang has phenomenal food and exceptional service. I will definitely recommend this place for friends and visitors who are t familiar with this place already. Definitely a 5 star spot in IV FOR SURE!! read more

Brenda E.

5 years ago

Lao wang is a cool spot to hit in IV and chill with some friends while eating some ramen and popcorn chicken if you can handle the spice. The service is friendly and quick even when ordering online. read more

Joseph C.

7 years ago

My wife's boyfriend brought me here today, I had the Fried Chicken Curry, which was awesome and filling for such a quick wait time. Definitely gonna be coming back soon read more

Lizette J.

5 years ago

Lao wang has great pork belly! Best ramen spot In IV. Plus they have beer. They're super close to campus so I can get there quickly between classes ! read more

Susana H.

5 years ago

Bar far the best noodles in IV! The service is quick and friendly. They also have great deals on pitchers. Definitely recommend their boochcraft! read more

Callie R.

9 years ago

Really fun place in IV with good food and great beer. Fun place to hang out at with friends on the weekends. Definitely stop by if you get a sec. read more

Immanuel B.

5 years ago

Food is great, service is better. Vibes are amazing you can even request music. Josh is the man tip him heavy!! Pitchers of beer are fire too read more

Nathan J.

5 years ago

Good food at a reasonable price. One of the few good beer and ramen spots in IV. Great location right next to campus and smells good read more

Lao Wang - chinese - Updated October 2026

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We came in and were seated quickly and our food also came quickly. We ordered dumplings, padh see…read moreyuw and holy basil crispy pork belly that was on their special for the day. The pork was crispy and paired well with the sauce. The padh see yuw needed more flavor and was maybe a little dry but was good as well. The dumplings were my favorite, they are wrapped like shumai and come with a flavorful soy sauced based sauce that made it the star of our meal. The place was decorated well and has pictures of their food for you to see before you order. The staff were very nice and helpful throughout our dinner.

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Aura

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Everything was so fresh and flavorful. We had the soup dumplings, shrimp dumplings, shu mai,…read moreChinese broccoli, bbq pork buns, and sesame balls and loved it all. I wish we lived here so we could come back more often!! Highly recommend!

Came here for lunch and wanted to give the place a try…read more We ordered dimsum and a miso noodle soup. The waitress was super nice and welcoming but we unfortunately had a poor experience with one of the dishes. We had raw uncooked siumai (pork dumpling). I had it already in my mouth to find out and I was very disgusted. They were apologetic and took it back to remake and cook again; pretty sure they just cooked what we had longer because we got the siumai back but missing a dumpling when the order should have four dumplings. They gave us "half" off for the dish because they said they felt bad the food was uncooked... even though we didn't even get a full new order the second time around. The ramen was good, but after this experience, it was hard to enjoy the meal. We got shrimp dumplings, Chinese broccoli and spare ribs with black bean sauce too. Not sure how I feel about this place.

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This place is such a cozy homey spot. The service is amazing , the staff is so sweet welcoming &…read morefriendly. Also a go to for a quick pick up on my lunch break. They never fail , the food is always delicious warm & filling. They have great combos I love to get the family combos when I want a little taste of everything and can't decide or to share with a friend. Hardest part is always deciding what to order because everything is authentic and delectable.

We used to go here all the time when we lived in the area until 10 years ago. It was my favorite…read moreChinese Restaurant for 20+ years, and the family and staff were always so friendly and helpful. I learned about off-menu vegetables and specialty items from going here and I always felt like a special guest. However the food quality and service at this point seems to have declined. Everything was good enough to eat, but not great. The staff seemed tired and uninterested or even impatient with us - we were a party of 8 persons and seemed to be the best customers they had that night, it was early (5ish) and the restaurant was not full even when we left at 7. We were all disappointed in our experience and in the food. There are so many great choices for dining in Santa Barbara, unfortunately we don't plan to go back again next time we return to SB. I think if you are a local or in need of take out close by this might still be an option.

Sushiya Express

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Came here 6 times throughout my 4-week summer research program at UC Santa Barbara. Service was…read moreincredible, but the food was even better. I specifically loved their hot soups (army stew, tofu soup with clam, etc.), but every single dish I tried was phenomenal. The vibes are amazing, and I would 100% recommend this to any person visiting the area.

Honestly, the sushi was good. While I do think the prices are pretty high, the reason I give this…read moreplace 2 stars is because I was given a used napkin on my tray (in the photo, the napkin on the tray was the replacement). The server had a neutral attitude, not warm, but not rude either. I asked for tap water, and she directs me to this water dispenser. The cups had a noticeable odor. When the server brings me my tray of sushi and miso soup, the napkin on the tray was crumpled and stained with what I would assume dried soup. I was pretty offended because the place wasn't even busy. Had me wondering if it was deliberate or accidental. Even if it was a mistake, it was a severely careless one. How does one accidentally give a customer an old used napkin? It doesn't even look like it was from my soup bowl, nothing spilled out, and the napkin has dried. Anyway, that ruined my mood by a lot, but at least the sushi was good. The miso soup was not as good. I didn't confront the server about the issue, but I did ask for a new napkin. I put the dirty napkin aside (in the top corner of my food photo). I would not lie about issues like this.

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What a wonderful surprise to find such authentic Chinese food in Santa Barbara! The freshly…read moreprepared whole fish was easily one of the best fish dishes I've had in the U.S.--incredibly fresh, tender, and perfectly cooked. The tofu was another unexpected highlight, full of flavor and absolutely delicious. I also loved the seasonal Chinese loofah (silk squash), a simple and very traditional dish that made the whole meal feel even more authentic. Everything tasted fresh, well prepared, and genuinely Chinese. Finding food this authentic in Santa Barbara was completely unexpected. Definitely a memorable meal and a place I would happily come back to!

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Noodle City