We were passing the area when we decided we needed some lunch. I found this place on yelp and decided to give it a try. It was an open layout that had plenty of seating inside the restaurant. The decor was moder, but not overdone. We were greeting and pointed to a table but that was it. We realized there was a QR code on the table and we could order our food on there. It took a little while to get our food even though no one else was there. I found it really odd to not even be told to use the QR code to order or be informed of anything. Stewed beef noodles with Ramen- 9/10 My husband ordered this and I tried some. The broth was delicious. Rich and flavorful but not overbearing. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the meat was tender. The bok choy was a needed touch. My husband ate the whole bowl and wanted a second because was so good. Certified Angus Beef hot pot- 8/10 I ordered this with the tom yum broth. I didn't know it was a creamy version of the broth until it was served. I'm not mad about it but it wasn't in the description in case others are dairy sensitive. The broth was flavorful and really delicious. I will say that the beef was tough and it a typical cut that overcooked very quickly in the broth. I'm not positive it was Angus beef grade. I just now realized it was missing the lotus root but gave me zucchini instead. I was also missing my quail eggs. If I didn't read the description to know I was supposed to have them, I would've missed that too. Overall, the food was delicious but the service was 1 star for sure. We were never checked on and the waiter only appeared if we pushed the call button. If you can overlook the lack of customer service, the food is really delicious. read more

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For our monthly house dinner, we stumbled upon Uniboil and were knocked out of the park! Their vermicelli was absolutely delicious when paired with the spicy broth and beef! It also my first time having lotus fruit and now it's a must have for any broth/hot pot! It was a very relaxing restaurant to enjoy conversations with friends! It was incredibly easy to order food using their QR code menu on the table and the servers were very attentive if someone needed a refill on water or if we needed extra utensils! I'm looking forward to the rainy season when I can really leverage their Hong Kong-style hot pot! read more

Uniboil - J3. Certified Angus Beef Meat-Up - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

Small shop located on the corner. There's a lot of construction going on right now along the streets so the entrance into the parking lot was a tad bit hard to find. There was only like one server for the entire place so service was a tad bit slow, but understandable. They have pretty good portions for the price and flavor was rich but nothing too special. - T1. Sizzling fried rice: 3/5 - G2. Korean Army Stew: 4/5 read more

Uniboil - G2. Koren Army Stew with Kurobuta Pork - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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Besides not getting greeted for the first 8 minutes when we got there, service was good. We were the only patrons there when we came during a week day at the beginning of our visit. You order from a QR code on the table with your phone. Because I was having bad reception for some reason, I couldn't get the QR code to load the website quickly. After a few tries, I finally ordered successfully. Nonetheless, afer we ordered, from then on, the service got better. I ordered the seafood noodle soup with vermicelli and my son got the popcorn chicken bento. I really liked my boiling seafood soup a lot! I ate all of it while I was there. read more

Uniboil - Seafood soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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A decent hot pot place. Not the best but decent. There's was a lot of chicken in the hot pot. I wished they would have added for vegetables to balance it out. You order and pay through your phone. Very easy self-service. Perfect place if you don't want to interact with anyone and just want to eat. read more

Uniboil - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

It was a rather cool day so we decided to find some soup and found this place. We ordered the Korean Army stew, Tomato beef stew, and Beef noodle soup. They were all very tasty and delicious. We asked to have the fire turned off because the hot pot gets too hot for us. We also ordered some Pork Katsu as an appetizer as well and It was cooked perfectly and very crispy. Their drinks were very good also. We ordered a Thai tea with boba and Matcha latte. Both drinks were very good and the boba was soft and chewy. The restaurant is very clean, many tables inside, and menu is a QR code. You order online and ring a table button for service. Staff was attentive and helpful. We'll be back when we are craving some good hot pot soup. Happy Nom Nom! read more

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I enjoyed coming here! There's a wide range of items on the menu: baked rice (which might be Cantonese), budae jjigae (Korean) and other soup noodles, hot pots (which I didn't get), popcorn chicken and boba (Taiwanese), and fried spam musubi You order online, and there's a button to ring for service. Here are some comments on a few dishes: Boba: The dirty latte is just brown sugar syrup with milk. I didn't realize that before ordering. Popcorn chicken: This was the highlight for me! Really even frying, and flavorful. read more

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Is it the best hot pot you'll ever eat? No. Is it the only option in town? Yes. Is it still decent and yummy? Absolutely. Uniboil serves individual hot pots but I typically will split one with another person. They have a lot of broths and ingredients to choose from. My favorite is the satay broth, lamb, and adding rice cakes. They also have other menu items like taiwanese beef noodle soup and porkchop rice, all at very affordable prices. You can also order a wide selection of drinks from the attached boba joint, along with snacks like popcorn chicken. My favorites are the watermelon slush and popcorn chicken. It has zero atmosphere but you can't argue with good food at good prices. I see a lot of families come here and they'll split one or two hot pots. All in all, I'm glad we have this option. It's pretty much the only Asian style cafe in the Santa Barbara area and while it can't compare to LA, it still satisfies the craving. read more

I finally tried this restaurant after knowing it's been around for years! The food was really good and it would be great to come back on a cold winter day. We ordered the fried spam musubi, black pepper beef baked rice, and szechuan pepper noodle. We were a fan of the fried spam musubi. Very crispy and flavorful! The beef baked rice was probably the tastiest dish. Never had an asian rice dish with cheese on top and I have no complaints! Probably my fave dish out of everything we got. The szechuan noodle was very tasty, just a bit salty. Definitely got that szechuan tingle! The restaurant was empty when we came for dinner on a Sunday. We were greeted by a worker, but had to order from a qr code. I have no problem not having a waiter, but it felt like no one was there. I think they tend to the neighboring boba place more. Feels a little hostile in there, but the food came out fairly quick and was very yummy! read more

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Great place. The actual dining area is a bit bland but it is clean and the food is excellent. You order on your phone via QR code on the table so no menus or language barriers. I had the hotpot and it was very good. Served in a boiling pot over a flame. Lamb shoulder and shrimp are great but note these are complete shrimp so you do your own peeling. Finished off with a strawberry smoothie. I loved that you decide how sweet you want it based on the % amount of normal sugar they would add. I did 25% and it was still sweet and excellent. Recommend read more

4.3 Yummie personal hot pots. Some of the spicy ones a bit hot for me but the chicken stock and tum yum were just right. Vermicelli were uniquely thick. Connected to a boba place next door that looked good. read more

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Best ever taste!!!! My husband and i visited late evening on Monday. Not expecting much, But it was soooo good!!! I totally recommend read more

Located on the corner of Hollister and Kellog behind the Floral shop, Uniboil serves great Asian comfort food with very nice portions. Walking into the left side dining hall, there's a great hand painted mural of what looks like a seafood hot pot. The restaurant itself is typical local Chinese diner feel. Very causal and relaxed, not surprising to see high school and college kids meeting up here to eat and hangout. The food is solid. We love the hot pots. It's perfect when the weather is cold. I've had the beef and seafood. Both are very tasty. When we crave popcorn chicken in the area, this is where we go. We order it as a bento and it's large enough to share. The teas and boba are nice. They can be sweet, and I usually order them at 25% or 50% sweetness. Overall a solid place, no frills, good food. read more

Absolutely delicious meal! Had the Korean Army Stew (pictured) and the Korean Cheese Diced Beef. They are also a boba drink shop and the hot honey citrus tea was excellent. read more

Uniboil - Korean Army Stew - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

It's a quiet little escape that would be perfection on a chilly day, but was equally satisfying as a spontaneous lunch on a random weekday. The staff was friendly and helpful enough to walk me through their process and selections, and the delicious and affordable "popcorn chicken" appetizer and the Korean army stew hit the spot AND left me with enough food for two more days! There was a lot of sodium involved, but it didn't feel salty, and I REALLY want to try some more of their MANY options. I love finding unexpected gems. read more

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overall score: B+ order: popcorn chicken rice i settled for just a side of rice and popcorn chicken as the bento box cost a lot more and was not interested in the selection it had. i looked at pictures on yelp and had high expectations. and my expectations were exceeded. i did not expect this place to have such good popcorn chicken. it was tender, perfectly crisp and perfectly seasoned. in addition, they also gave sweet chili sauce and it tasted great. it cost about $9 but it was a lot of chicken. very worth and i would get it again. service: service was a little on the slower side, and they were not very attentive but they were nice. ambiance: the store layout is a little confusing but it works. there is a tea place inside the store called phresh. pretty spacious inside as well. read more

We sat outside with our dog, we ate amazing personal hot pots, and everything was delicious! Is it normal hot pot? No, and part of what I love about hot pot is that it's a communal, social event. But what I love about Uniboil is that we get to try two types of soups and I don't have FOMO because we only get one broth. I got the regular beef and bok choy, and he got the spicy Korean army stew. I'd skip the musubi and spring rolls - not because they aren't delicious, but because there is SO MUCH FOOD. Honestly, ONE hot pot could have been enough. I did not get any boba, but was severely tempted. The soups are literally boiling and the add-ins are worth the upcharge - there are a ton! Parking is easy, service is good. Even though they close at 8:30, someone was still seated at 8:15 and served with a smile. We had no idea what to eat, and are very glad we found this place. read more

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I eat here pretty frequently and everything is quite delicious. The variety is excellent for a place in Goleta (not much good Asian food here tbh). Try their house fruit tea if you like something cooling and refreshing with your hotpot :). The service has always been good too, but I feel like they're understaffed a lot of the time. Not the staff's fault at all and they try their best to make it work while also running the tea shop next door. I usually get a hotpot, as one does here, but lately I've noticed a weird soapy/plastic taste with all of the fish paste ingredients. For example, the fish cakes and the fish balls are not pleasant to eat. It's a recurring problem and I hope they will look into it. Otherwise, this is one of my favorite spots in town! read more

We came as a party of 3 on a Saturday afternoon when they opened around 11:30am! We got seated immediately since we were the first ones there lol and you have to scan the QR code on the table to view the menu and you order your food through the code as well. I ordered the Spicy Tom Yum soup with a side of vermicelli noodles, it was about ~ $20? It came with a good amount of meat and fish balls, however the broth really lacked a lotttt of flavor. I was kind of upset about it because I loveeeee Tom yum soup! My mom and brother got the stir fry with udon noodles and they enjoyed their meal. This place was "mid" as people call it now a days lol, I've had better! read more

Uniboil - Tom yum - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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I will come here again for sure. Only reason why it is not 5 star is because I got sichuan noodle soup and I didn't have a good experience with it. However I can tell that the other soups are going to be great. Next time I come, I'll get a different soup and will change my review if it's good! read more

This was actually really delicious. Quite a surprise. I would totally go back. The food was good. Everything was hot. There's hot plates. It's great. read more

(Overall: 88% | B) - Uniboil and Phresh Teas provide a nice option for hotpot in Santa Barbara, given as its the only one. However, I think there are areas of improvement and elevation to make it stand out as a restaurant people are eager to go to for their specialities independent of the location. (Angus Beef Hotpot: 87.5% | B) - To reiterate, the abundance and diversity of ingredients from quail eggs to fish balls to various vegetables. The numbing spice adds great flavor at first to give the entire soup a kick, but I found it a bit overpowering and one dimensional later on. (Sukiyaki Hotpot: 85% | B) - The base sukiyaki flavor of the soup is correct and it is intriguing to see a hot pot take of sukiyaki. However, given the quantity of ingredients that are soaking in the broth, the broth needs to be a lot stronger to infuse the flavors into the food in a much shorter amount of time. (Tomato Hot Pot: 90% | A) - I was actually very surprised but the tomato soup carried a lot of flavor that helped improve the quality of the taste of beef. The content of the bowl is very diverse and fulfilling. The packaging is also great for takeout. (Phresh Fruit Tea: 85% | B) - The flavors of the tea come through with a diversity of fruit flavor, but I found that there was too much physical fruit in the drink, obstructing the actual drinking. (Passionfruit Green Tea: 90% | A) - This tea has a nice refreshing flavor, that is not too sweet. I love how the citrus adds some dimensionality with the passionfruit to create a nice balance of fruit flavor. (SoCal Fresh Tea: 90% | A) - This tea has a notable amount of fruit slices in the drink for extra decoration, but I still found the underlying tea very refreshing and uplifting. It has a delicate balance of an abundance of fruits! read more

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I e and simple tasty place to eat on a holiday. Family really enjoyed the items especially the popcorn chicken and satay beef soup. read more

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Good hotpot! Plus since Phresh Teas is connected to this restaurant you can also order boba and food offerings from Phresh Teas. It was raining today so my hubby and I decided to get some soup which is perfect for the weather. We ordered korean beef stew with kurobuta plus additional kimchi, noodles and rice (which made it a perfect combo) and popcorn chicken. With regard to ordering, you just scan the barcode and place your order. The hotpot serving / portion is just right for 2 persons and you can add additional ingredients (with an additional cost). We'll definitely come back. read more

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Boba is good., ultra tasty noodle soups, they're pretty quick with the service and it's a nice Taiwanese hot pot experience! It's a bit pricy but very worth it on occasion!! read more

Our orders appeared to be wrong. There were hot dog slices on my beef hot pot along with things I do not eat and weren't listed on the menu. My husband's order of army stew hotpot was equally strange. We bother ordered vermicelli but got one rice. The beef in my hotpot was sparse and dry and chewy. You order using your phone after scanning a QR code that's on the table so I don't understand how they could get it so wrong! We ended up taking it to go so we couldn't get the errors corrected. The food was pretty terrible so we ended up cooking after all. It is super loud inside because of all the hard surfaces. read more

Uniboil - Beef hot pot and army stew hot pot - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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I didn't really like the Budae jjigae (Korean army stew) as much as I wanted to but the food here in general is great. I wish the Budae jjigae was more spicy and more flavorful like classic shin ramyun( and a Less watery broth), but it's not bad at all. I love the popcorn chicken the most. The milk tea is excellent. read more

I love hot pot. I can literally eat hot pot 10 days out the week. I've ate here several times, but haven't had a chance to write a review. The first few times was ok. Service isn't the best but hey.. like I said I love hot pot. I'll serve myself if i have to. I've ordered their noodles on fire the last time, but forgot how bad it was. Their spam and hot dog isn't cooked. I know it's hot pot, where it's supposed to be heated in the pot, but since the way they had it was just straight from can, and packaged, I felt like I'm eating boiled spam and hot dogs. I wished they would lightly fry them and then add in the pot. My other suggestion for them would be to lessen the Sterno. It's way to much for the pots, so all of their pots are badly burned and charred. Not sure if it's even safe to eat since it's all badly burnt. read more

Uniboil - Noodles on fire with boiled spam n hot dogs - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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Always craving Uniboil on a cold day. The service is good and they offer call buttons at the table for convenience. Ambiance is very casual but fast. You can never go wrong with the Korean Army Stew and Takoyaki. You can also customize your own hot soup with all your favorite toppings. read more

Uniboil - Korean G2. Koren Army Stew with Kurobuta Pork - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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The food was really good, I highly recommend the fried spam musubi! The spicy soup was mouth numbing in a good way, and the portion size was huge. I like that you can scan the QR code for the menu and not interact with the servers, but they were very attendant to us every time we put in a new order (and my waiter was really cute). I definitely want to come back and try more menu items from here! read more

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I was a HUGE fan of Uniboil when there was a location in the San Gabriel Valley, but that one closed a few years ago. So you can imagine my surprise when my sister found a location in Santa Barbara! I don't think the menu is identical to the OG location, but very close. We didn't know they closed at 8:30 and felt a bad because we walked in around 8:15 on a Saturday, but they were still nice enough to accommodate us. It was fairly empty at the time, with most parties finishing up their meals. I'm obsessed with their Tomato broth, so you know I had to get that with the Angus Beef. It honestly really hit the spot, especially because we wanted something soupy. The tomato broth has such a heartiness to it. The rice was also very fresh. My parents also got an order of the Popcorn Chicken Bento, and that was also really tasty and the chicken was very crispy. read more

Uniboil - Budae Jjigae Noodle - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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We came in on Christmas Eve. I'd never been here but heard good reviews. I ordered the spicy noodle soup with ramen. It was so flavorful and filling. My mom ordered the angus beef soup and was over the moon with all the ingredients. Our waiter was helpful and quick to refill our water cups. There were a handful of people coming in and it was a great atmosphere. Also, the booths and chairs were comfy. Definitely will be returning with more friends! read more

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Food is absolutely delicious. We both had the Korean Army Stew and needed containers for leftovers. I think getting it with rice would've been a better option instead of vermicelli, but the cold vermicelli helped eat the hot piece faster initially. It's a super deal if you have the Axxess card - one time offer of BOGO Hot Pot, then a free boba drink with hot pot purchase every time. Our server was very polite, but didn't really smile. Understandable since they were only person there. Something different than other restaurants, there is a button on your table to call for service, instead of having to flag down your server, which is interesting. There were two murals on the walls, but other than that, it was gray inside and there was no music or anything, so waiting got quiet when there was a lull in the conversation. read more

Uniboil - G2. Koren Army Stew with Kurobuta Pork - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

So glad we pulled over and tried this gem. Food was beyond great! Excellent service by Sammuel! read more

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I come here whenever we come up to visit my son in UCSB, the spicy chicken with fried rice is so good. The hot pot is good too.

This would have gotten a 5* review but unfortunately couple of things that caused the point deduction. Pros: good variety of items are on the menu, many different style of hot pots, bake rice dish, bento box and boba too. Restaurant is clean, they have both menu and QR code online menu for ordering. Call button for service on table is convenient. Cons: when we walked in, zero services, sever girl sat in the corner is off duty, completely ignore us, wouldn't call her co worker or whoever on duty until my son went up to her to ask for service! They do charge 18% gratuities for a table of 5 instead of industry standard of 6, but the server did mentioned it to us when we ask for the check. We ordered the Angus beef hotpot, good portion size, flavor is great. My sons ordered a Katsu curry and spicy beef noodles. Both are tasty. Boba was very good and refreshing, so good that we went back next day to get boba again. We do recommend this spot, don't go in the late afternoon as service maybe slow and not giving attention. Good thing the online ordering helped 4* overall, would have been 5* if better attention to service and the non industry standard 5 person gratuity charges. read more

Wow! Uniboil was an awesome experience. I went here with some friends for a birthday dinner, and we all had a tremendous time. When you sit down at a table, you create a tab/order through a QR code -- so be prepared for that! -- but the staff is helpful if you have any questions. I ended up getting a szechuan noodle dish which was delicious and was NOT light on the pepper... which is exactly what I wanted! Others got hot pots, noodle dishes, and a "sizzling plate," all of which were totally awesome. The boba tea they serve was also really good, and I'm not even a huge boba person. Overall, I'll absolutely come back to this place and would definitely recommend checking it out. It exceeded my expectations and I had a great time! The only downside, really, is that the menu is LARGE and a little confusing... so don't be afraid to ask the staff for help or recommendations if you need any! read more

Uniboil - Szechuan noodles! This dish was great, and mouth-numbing! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

the hotpot seafood so yummy. Service was ok. Only one server for whole store so table still had lots of food on it. Store was quiet hopefully has some music much be better. read more

My experience was awesome. The food here is always great. My waiter Samuel was the BEST. He helped my boyfriend and I order and decide what type of broth to get, even brought out the broths for us to try. 10/10 food, and the prefect service (the waiters don't overly fret and give you space but help when needed - my favorite) read more

Uniboil - Asian Fusion Near Me - Goleta, California

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Their boba is the best and most authentic in down, and they always are quick and accurate with their orders.