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.

Horrible customer service . Walked in no hello no let me help you . Stood there like a donkey…read morewaiting for some one to even acknowledge a customer. The front of house person knew I was there and still no word. The cooks back there looked super lazy and not even a hello. Me and Another customer were just looking at each other. We both walked out- the front of house or customer rep didn't look bothered. Owner : hire someone who has basic customer service skills. It's not that hard or do self check out. We might prefer AI. Horrible wasted time on my break going to a lousy place

10/10. The chicken pho was delicious and was genuinely the best I've ever had, and I'm a pho…read moreexpert. It's family owned and everyone there is so kind, service was amazing, prices weren't bad, the portion for the small was perfect and the outdoor seating area was very cute. Will definitely be coming back all of the time.

Honestly I don't even think this is authentic Vietnamese pho. Who would use vegetable as a…read morereplacement of bean sprout? For a small beef pho for $18+ only took me two bites? I would not recommend it! With fresh spring roll the wrapper is way too soft and doesn't hold everything together at all. I am extremely disappointed that this restaurant is definitely not authentic Vietnamese pho and how unsatisfied this can be. I would not recommend any Asian restaurants around here, the quality is not great (extremely poor) and serving in a highly popular place like state street is definitely not worth it. If anyone wants real authentic Asian foods, please go to LA. For example, if you are looking for Thai food, go to Thai town, if you are looking for Korean food go to Korean town, Chinatown, or other places in LA that serve better quality of foods. For those who rated this restaurant 4+ STARS, I am sure they are definitely not Asian to know the real authentic Asian foods. Asian immigrants or Asian American can tell if the quality of the real authentic Asian food is better or not. Blind people don't understand the quality and authenticity of the food so whatever they think it's good then is good but to me or any other Asians, they would definitely feel the same way too. What a disappointment. I can promise you, my pho broth tastes so much better than this.

The food is fabulous! Such great flavors and interesting combinations…read more Server was attentive and very friendly. I recommend outside seating if available. Inside was noisy but every table was full.

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.

The service was friendly and welcoming, which made my visit a pleasant experience…read more I had the sausage and chicken fried rice, with egg, onions, and green onions mixed throughout. I also had a bowl of broth on the side. It was a simple pairing for the fried rice, and I appreciated the friendly service throughout my meal.

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!

Where do I begin? This place deserves a gold medal in the local hidden gem Olympics…read more This fine afternoon, I took myself on a pho date, and went here because this place had vegetarian options, unlike 2 other Vietnamese spots in Goleta. The service is on top of it and attentive. They are so kind, efficient, and awesome. But the food basically sent me to another plane of existence. I got the fried tofu spring rolls, which were phenomenal. They were a little flimsy to start, but what spring roll isn't? The tofu in it was NOT stingy... thick tofu blocks that are somehow so tender for fried tofu SO GOOD. The sauce that came with it was fantastic. The rolls were overall so refreshing and a perfect appetizer. And I got the fried tofu pho as well. When I say it was perfect, I mean PERFECT. Although it could do with a little veggies added, it was fine without them because the giant amount of noodles stuffed me anyways. Again, the tofu was PERFECT. If you are hungry in the Goleta area, give this place a try. I will be coming back.

We were looking for a place where we could get some fried rice and pho but everything near us was…read moreclosed! We remembered coming here before and having a great time! Their rare steak pho was absolutely delicious and savory. The noodles were springy and absorbed the broth perfectly! I had their fried rice and was blown away by it having shrimp and chicken! Both were cooked perfectly and it went well with their sriracha. Even packed, they did a wonderful job!

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.

This was the highlight of our Public Market eats !…read more The beef was crispy but tender at the same time. It had so much flavor. The bread was nice and crunchy and the slaw nicely seasoned to cut through the richness of the meat. I would order this again and highly recommend !

Three Monkeys is one of those places you come to if you don't feel like eating a heavy meal, but…read moreyou need sustenance to satisfy your hunger. Located at the very end of the SB Public Market and right next to Cooneys bar. Their menu offers chicken, pork, beef and tofu Bánh Mi, as well as meat skewers, stir fry and salads. Just to name a few. I've tried the chicken and beef skewers which comes in the Hungry Box. I subbed two of the skewers for beef, but in all honesty the beef was too too tough to break down. My one pet peeve is meat that is chewy, dry and too tough to eat. Although it was flavorful, but I wouldn't order it again. I did enjoy the chicken skewer though! The Hungry Box also comes with rice and a salad. Both of which were simple but a nice compliment to the skewers. On my recent visit I ordered the Buffalo wings. They were delicious! I appreciate that the sauce wasn't too spicy. I haven't had buffalo wings in a long time and these really hit the spot! The French fries were also good and not too salty. Overall, three monkeys is worth checking out if you're visiting the public market. Customer service is fast and efficient.

Wanted to check out this place after a friend's recommendation and I had a pretty good experience…read more I ordered the Large Pho #6 Beef Combo: Rare Steak, brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe, and the portion was generous. There was a lot of meat and noodles which I really appreciate. The broth had more depth and flavor than what I've had at other pho spots, which I really enjoyed. I also got the spring rolls, which were good and quite fresh. The service was fast and the food came out quickly as well. The atmosphere was pretty quiet during my late afternoon visit, but more people started coming in as early evening approached. Overall, a solid, casual, and above average pho spot with ample portions, flavorful broth, and quick service. I'd definitely come back!

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！

We visited Sama Sama Kitchen around 7:30 pm on a Sunday and were seated immediately. The restaurant…read moreitself is beautiful, and I loved the overall ambiance and vibe inside. There's a parking garage a short walk away, along with street parking nearby, so parking wasn't too difficult. We ordered the Crispy Rice Salad, Chicken Satay, and Nasi Goreng Jawa to start, then added the Larb Gai afterward. Honestly, our original three dishes would have been plenty for three people, and adding the fourth ended up being too much food. The Crispy Rice Salad was BY FAR the star of the meal and absolutely lived up to the hype. It was so refreshing, flavorful, and easily one of the best crispy rice salads I've had. It was also the one dish from our meal that felt truly memorable. The Chicken Satay had a really good sauce, although the chicken itself leaned a little dry. The Nasi Goreng Jawa was good too, but tasted like a fairly standard fried rice to me and didn't stand out much. The Larb Gai was refreshing, but after having the Crispy Rice Salad, it felt like a much less memorable version of those same bright flavors. I honestly found myself wishing we had just ordered another Crispy Rice Salad instead. The staff was friendly, although service was a little inattentive at times and it could be difficult to get someone's attention. There was also a small mix-up at the end where I was handed the wrong physical receipt. The amount on the actual payment terminal was correct, but the receipt itself wasn't ours and the mistake hadn't been noticed before it was handed to me. They also have a gender-neutral bathroom, which was pretty clean during our visit. One random thing to watch out for is the sink because the water comes out surprisingly strong, so turn the nozzle on slowly! Overall, the food was good, but the Crispy Rice Salad was on another level compared to everything else we ordered. I'd definitely come back for that alone and would be interested in exploring some other dishes on the menu next time.

I had heard good things about this place and as a fan of south east asian food, I was excited to…read moremake this a stop on my trip to SB. While the ambience was quite nice and trendy, and the servers were friendly, the food was very much sub-par. The wings that everyone raved over was certainly the star of the show, but for the price and how much you get, it was not worth the visit alone. We also got the puffed rice and the mie goreng. The puffed rice was very disappointing, even when adding sambal to it, it was so bland and I was unable to eat it. The noodles on the other hand were very salty. The honey pot drink was nice, and being on State St made this a fun little place to have some wings and a nice vibe, but I wouldnt come expecting an authentic yummy dinner

I wish I had gotten the kao soi here after trying my fiances chicken pad Thai. It was some do the…read morebest pad Thai I have ever had. Noodles were perfect texture and not clumping, the chicken was tender, little peices of tofu, green onion , shredded carrot, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts, with a lovely balanced sauce that coated the noodles beautifully. Located inside an enclosed food court it also has its own bar seating unlike the other spots that count on the communal seating of the building. We had kids with us and people ordering from different spots so sat elsewhere. I would for sure go back and order there next time as the other food spot there I used to like went down hill.

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.