We happened to walk by Lao Thai while visiting Carpinteria, and honestly, we feel so lucky that we…read moredid -- what a hidden gem! We brought our puppy so we sit at the patio. It's great for us to have the outdoor option. We had never tried Lao food before, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. We ordered the pho and Khao Soi, and we were pleasantly surprised by how much we loved both. The pho was definitely different from the Vietnamese pho we're used to, but in the best way. The flavors were bold, rich, and incredibly aromatic, while still feeling fresh and refreshing. It was something completely new to us, and we really enjoyed it. This was also our first time trying Khao Soi, so we don't have anything to compare it to, but we absolutely loved it. It was flavorful, comforting, and something we would happily order again. Such a wonderful unexpected find during our trip to Carpinteria. We came in not knowing much about Lao food and left already excited to try more.

We were just passing through and found this place. We had some…read moregreat soups. We enjoyed the atmosphere, cleanliness and friendly service.

Update from the last review:…read more we wanted to try the soup again. it was more than perfect this time. Also got the gyoza dumplings as well for myself, Loved it. Like i said before The quality and the customer service is absolutely top-notch and would definitely recommend them for catering orders or just a nice dinner.

​Just looking at this picture makes my stomach rumble! This meal is packed with goodness--a…read morefragrant stir-fried noodle dish with that amazing wok aroma, paired with a rich, golden-yellow curry and steaming hot jasmine rice. Super flavorful and well-balanced. Everything goes together so perfectly--spooning that rich, creamy curry over hot rice or alternating with the savory, aromatic noodles is just pure bliss.

We dined here last night and it was fantastic! It's a smaller restaurant, so we had to wait a few…read moreminutes for a table, but it was absolutely worth it. Even though the restaurant was busy, the service was excellent--friendly, attentive, and efficient. The food was incredibly flavorful. One of the best pad thai dishes we've ever had, and my green curry with chicken was delicious as well. The portions were generous, and everything arrived fresh and hot. A place easy to recommend.

Ive been back multiple times and it tastes different. My fave dish the Panang is so watered down…read morenow. Still great service and good food but I've visited three times now-verdict Panang is now watered now. Cute spot and I'll keep supporting but watered down now and portions are smaller. I understand though all costs are up.

Amazing! Nice big portions of fresh delicious food. Might be challenging to find parking, but i…read morehappened to get lucky. Was just driving by and man, this place is great!

Wednesday night Beer and Patty's Easy Thai Street Food at VCBC is a perfect pairing!! The menu…read moreoffers Good quality of food at value prices with generous portion sizes. I love Thai food and I recommend everything I've tried so far: the Fresh Roll, Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles. VCBC has plenty of indoor and outdoor tables. Great Beer, Food & Vibes!!

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.

great Thai food. lots of parking around the place. excellent service and friendly staff.read more

The food is Always great! The staff is so friendly and…read morewelcoming. We highly recommend Chili Basil Thai!!!

Finally, some great Thai food ! Ample parking in back which…read moreis the main entrance. Great menu and service. We had pad Thai and yellow curry which were both awesome!

Still my fav Thai place. The menus looked new/redone but they still had our favorites, Papaya salad…read more& yum woonsen Thai spicy. They use the fresh Thai peppers to make it spicy. Their pigs in a blanket is good and the shrimp is thick. The pad Thai noodles were chewy so wife finished it bc she loves chewy noodles. The seafood in the pad Thai was fresh and I liked how they just gave me the 1/2 muscle in the shell so I don't have to pry it open. Was not crowded for lunch and I like how they have plenty of parking.

We visited Carpinteria for the first time as a little summer escape from the heat in Simi Valley,…read moreand after arriving hungry, we came across this place. What a great find! The restaurant was busy, with tables pretty much full both inside and outside, but luckily we were able to get seated without a wait. I ordered the fish tacos, my son had the linguini pomodoro, and my wife ordered the cioppino. Everything was delicious. The seafood tasted incredibly fresh, and the fish in the cioppino was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. The broth was rich and savory--maybe a little on the salty side, but we still really enjoyed it. The service was another highlight. Everyone was kind, friendly, and welcoming, and you could tell the staff was working hard to make sure everyone had a good experience. I also really liked how diverse the menu is. There are plenty of choices for different tastes, whether you're in the mood for seafood, pasta, tacos, or something else. Overall, this was an awesome first experience and a great discovery during our trip to Carpinteria. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town, and we're looking forward to trying more dishes from the menu!

This used to be one of our favorite spots in Carpinteria, which makes it especially disappointing…read moreto leave a 1-star review. Unfortunately, after giving Teddy's by the Sea multiple chances, the problems have become too consistent to overlook. We've had repeated issues with online orders--food mixed up or not prepared the way we ordered it. On one occasion, we even found a piece of plastic in our lobster mac and cheese. But the most frustrating issue has been the completely inconsistent closing time. They advertise that they're open until 8:30 PM, yet we've shown up as early as 7:40 PM and been told they're already closed. This hasn't happened just once--it's happened to us multiple times. We really used to enjoy coming here, but between the order mistakes, the plastic in the food, and never knowing whether they'll actually be open during their posted hours, we've finally given up. If you advertise that you're open until 8:30, customers should reasonably be able to expect you to be open at 7:40.

I love Pad Thai, it's the first thing I try at Thai places and this place did not let me down! I…read moreasked for Thai hot and man, did I get it! The flavors were on point! My server was Kim and she was great, sweet and helpful. It's a small place with lots of seating, it was quite inside, the place looked pretty clean not much decor on the walls. It sits on a busy street quite inside and if you can't find parking in front you can find it in the back.

When I return to Santa Barbara. I always order from this place…read more It's always great and the staff friendly and engaging. I attempt to order always not order the same thing . This trip garlic pepper ribs... duck eggs rolls.. calamari... and the fish cake's awesome, I think the salad that accompanies the fish cakes was one of my favorites.

We visited Rice by Mama in Ventura and tried the pineapple fried rice, pad see ew, edamame, and…read morechicken coconut curry with white rice. Our favorite dish was definitely the pineapple fried rice full of flavor and really satisfying. The pad see ew and curry were good as well, but the edamame was our least favorite since it lacked seasoning. Overall, the food was decent, and the restaurant filled up quickly right when they opened at 5pm, which says a lot about its popularity. The service was amazing very kind and attentive and the atmosphere was quiet with a nice, cozy decor. I'd come back again, especially for that pineapple fried rice!

Amazing, just amazing. And everyone knows it…read more I've had a lot of Thai food! I lived in Thai town in Los Angeles for 4 years and we tried nearly all the spots. Rice by mama is at the top! We ordered red curry and a beef dish with a sauce and some beer. Our friends ordered yellow curry, gyoza & calamari. Everything was exquisite! I also love the large beer options. Service is good and fast. I love the different seating options of indoor / outdoor. A cozy experience for sure. Treat yourself & go to rice by mama!