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Sizzling Lunch

4.3 (150 reviews)

Sizzling Lunch Photos

SIZZLING LUNCH ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Sizzling Lunch

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Reviews With Photos

Beef Pepper Rice
Corinna W.

Good spot for lunch. It's similar to our fav beef peppered rice place in SF. Our server was friendly. Simple menu. We ordered the beef peppered rice and the kimchi beef peppered rice. I really enjoyed the garlic bits in the beef peppered rice . Both dishes were similar. Only difference was the kimchi in one and the garlic bits in only the beef peppered rice dish. I wish they offered an option to add a fried egg. Glad the UCSB students have an option to dine here. It's something different from Pizza or Panda Express.

Tina S.

This place never disappoints from food to service! Jubei is friendly and attentive to our needs. Our faves are the tonkatsu, beef pepper, and cheese corn. Also, this place is clean. One of our fave spots plus the pricing is reasonable. One of the regular places we go to. Give this place a try. This place is near UCSB and beside a 711 convenience store. Parking can be a bit tricky at times though.

Garlic Beef Pepper Rice
Caro F.

first time visiting Isla vista and we stumbled upon sizzling lunch. Cute & affordable little restaurant where you place your order at the table on the screen and pay up front. We tried the garlic beef rice & pork belly rice plus some gyozas and an order of fried chicken appetizer. Personally the chicken appetizer was too spicy. I loved the beef & rice and thought it was cool you finish cooking yourself as it's served on a hot cast iron plate. The pork belly was delicious! The server was super nice and gave me my entree free for Mother's Day which was totally unexpected and super generous! I'd recommend and would return!

Chicken Kaarage
Alyanna M.

I usually love places that do sizzling plates. But this place was a bit of a disappointment. I do appreciate that you can order from an iPad at each table. However, Food lacked flavor & needed a hefty amount of the available sauces/seasonings at the table.

Originally Beef Pepper Rice
Megan O.

Love the beef pepper rice. After mixing, it tastes pretty plain, but after adding a bunch of teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of garlic soy, it taste amazing. Love that it's on a hot plate so the rice can be crispy on the edges. Don't forget to order the fries. It's a huge portion, good for sharing but really addicting :) Service was fast, and make sure to pay at the counter. Nice

Cheese French Fries
Viviana G.

Had lunch with a friend here for the first time and it was a great experience. The staff was welcoming and nice from the moment we came in and the food was served fast. I liked how they have plenty of seating area and how u can order everything from your table through a kiosk. I tried the cheese fries and garlic pepper plate and they were both delicious! The amount of food was generous too, ended up having leftovers.

Cheese corn precooked
Doc Ev E.

4.8 rounded up. Excellent place for UCSB students. The sizzling hot plate literally cooking the raw meat served and need to stir to cook. Adding the various sauces enhances everything. The corn cheese to share is unique and Yummie. The garlic rice I loved and other varieties like udon helps vary the texture. Gotta start mixing right after served or will burn per daughter . Gotta love this place

Chicken Kaarage. 5 stars. IG: @amei.eats
Alex M.

(Overall: A) - Sizzling Lunch is easiest my top restaurant pick in Santa Barbara. I feel that their beef pepper rice is definitely the star dish with an interesting premise if you know how to handle the sizzling stone. In addition, they have your classic tea shop appetizers -- Chicken Karaage, Sweet Potato Fries, and Takoyaki -- which are all of decent quality. From a cost analysis, I think the prices are very fair for the food you're getting, especially compared to everything else in the area that is not as great quality.

1. Curry Beef Udons
Grace L.

If I were to eat out in IV, Sizzling Lunch would be one of my top choices. With a bunch of NorCal locations, I'm glad they (re)opened in this college town, increasing the variety of Asian food in the area. We seated ourselves, ordered on the iPad, and paid at the register at the end of the meal. Each table has a pack of Clorox wipes as well as garlic shoyu sauce, teriyaki sauce, chili powder (shichimi togarashi), salt and pepper. I find the instructions on the wall helpful in explaining how to eat the teppanyaki style dishes because you want to make sure the meat cooks fully. The teriyaki chicken wings (not deep fried) are pretty standard and tasty. Although the garlic beef pepper rice is popular, I always find myself ordering the curry beef udon because it's so comforting and satisfying. The curry powder is Japanese curry and not spicy at all. I hope Sizzling Lunch sticks around!

Self ordering
Liz N.

Udon and beef was so good! The sauces were flavorful and you can add it to your liking. The service was friendly and the waiter took the time to explain the ordering process and the way to eat the food. Lots of great options on their menu for everyone!

Kurabuta Pork Belly Pepper
Regina C.

My second time trying this place and it never disappoints! We went a little close to closing time but they still welcomed us which was appreciated! We got the Kurabuta Pork Belly Pepper and shared it between two people. But honestly, with the way we finished the dish, we coupd have ordered one each! Definitely a go to when visiting Santa Barbara

Kurabuta Pork Belly Pepper
Anmol L.

Ok... yes it might be a bit pricy for a college student... but most things in IV is pretty expensive. It was a super cool experience. I've gone twice and I enjoyed it both times! They bring the dish out to you and you get to experiment cooking it yourself! I do recommend not getting the chicken as I am more iffy of finishing that off in a shorter period of time. My personal favorite is the pork belly rice, but the pork katsu curry is decent too. Their sauces are delicious and you can order directly off of the tablets. The service is ok, could be better. The tables are nice and big and there is room for a big group. That being said, be aware that they do have a service fee. The lighting is nice and I do think it would be a nice place for date night! The service sizes are pretty large! I personally like to share a dish!

Ha L.

Decent place for lunch and hanging out with friends. Due to Covid-19, they have a monitor at each table that you can order everything from there, and the order will be sent straight to the kitchen. Friendly staff, fast service, great food. I love the chicken wings and sizzling rice. Plenty of options. Would love to come back again when visiting UCSB.

4/15/23

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6 years ago

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7 years ago

Went here and got the garlic beef rice with cheese and egg and it was so good. Shout out to Christine for being such a gem love dis place!

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

10 out of 10 would most definitely recommend cuz Jason shen's cute ass is working there and also food is good too

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7 years ago

Decided to give this place another shot. Service was much improved and the sizzling rice plates were really good.

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7 years ago

Amazing food. The waiter Andy was always really attentive and provided excellent service.

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7 years ago

Great place to eat the food is fantastic and the service is even better. True jem in IV

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7 years ago

This place is dope! I've already been a few times since opening and it always hits the spot. I'll be a loyal customer here

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7 years ago

Very pleased with the service from Andy during my meal! Hottest worker there.

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7 years ago

Great food great service, best spot in IV, Jason was the best server I've ever had, like wow

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Sizzling Lunch Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Sizzling Lunch

Is it open? I miss this place so much!!! When will it open??! I took it for granted!! I would've wanted to go every day.

It's open now!

Are there any vegetarian options?

Yes they do!

What time do they open?

I think at 11am

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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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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Sizzling Lunch - japanese - Updated October 2026

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