We moved to Cambria 6 months ago and have slowly been trying all of the fine restaurants that Cambria is known for. I'm just sorry that it took us so long to find this awesome restaurant. The food is absolutely delicious! The owner's were fun and entertaining. This is definitely going to be one of our regular spots! read more

One of the most exciting places we went in the Cambria area. Interesting menu. Great owner. Deb was kind and helpful to everyone in the restaurant. We went on a Monday night and there wasn't an open table which goes to show what a fabulous restaurant it is. We ordered one prawn dish and a special of noodles and pork. Loved loved love this restaurant read more

Wild Ginger is a gem tucked away on the Main Street in Cambria. Once or twice a year I visit the Santa Barbara and a trip up the coast to experience a meal at Wild Ginger is a must do. Always fresh , innovative and delightfully plated, eating there is always pleasure with so many alluring menu choices , I'm always coming back for more. read more

While walking down Main St., I saw a sign for Vietnamese caramelized prawns. The GF and I were already hungry from our drive, not to mention the wine we had just had. Need to get something going and the prawns fit the bill. Inside, the place is tiny and a little cramped. Good thing we were the only ones in there. If were packed, we would have turned around, but hey, it's the middle of the week in the late afternoon. So we gave it a chance. We started it off with the smoked salmon cream Cheese wontons. This was a fun little dish. Very tasty. I ordered as I stated above the prawns. Loved them. The GF got the sesame chicken and really liked. Was it a great place? No. Was it a horrible place to eat? Not even close. Just a nice little quaint place to eat some food. read more

I can vouch for all the 1 star reviews below: grumpy service by the owner, mediocre portions and overall tasteless and watery. Worst Thai / Asian food I've had in many years. read more

Its interesting - a bit strange but, once you get past that bit, its real good! The cafe is tiny. The seating is a bit weird but, the food is lovely and the staff is quite enjoyable. I can't imagine why anyone would order anything but the specials. We shared the green papaya and shrimp salad and the scallop special. I had the Quail recently and it was amazingly good. Thumbs up to the Wild Ginger Cafe for doing something unexpected in Cambria read more

My husband and I have eaten here just once, and we'd eat here more often if we were in Cambria more often. We ate here on a whim a year or so ago and were very happily surprised by the quality of the food. Since some time has passed, I can't recall exactly what we had. I just remember we were both very happy and really enjoyed our meals. read more

We've always had wonderful meals in this quaint little dining establishment in Cambria. And Deborah, the owner and main chef, is very friendly. You'll find the food delicious, a great mix of flavours and textures, that fit with the mix of East Asian tastes she brings to the table. read more

Wild Ginger - Salt & pepper calamari - Outstanding! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambria, California

Asian fusion. somewhat pricey considering you are in Cambria. It was packed and we had to wait on seating, as was stated earlier there are few tables. Quite a few interesting choices to select from, prepared by the chef who will is quite friendly and very interesting to talk to. I did have an issue with the wine glasses we were served with though. It was a type of small glass that reminded me of what a parent puts drinks in for their children, the kind that has the spill proof sip-able lid, the restaurant did not have the lid of course. It just seemed odd to me to have very interesting dinnerware, somewhat elegant and then serve your wines in a glass that looked like you just went shopping at target. Other than that, good atmosphere and food. A good place to go if you find yourself on a sunday drive along highway 1 or near Hearst castle. read more

Ordered beef chow fun and it was very tasty. Good mix of vegetables and the beef was tender. Added chili and it was very good.

great Asian fusion with great attention to detail. Great fresh fruits and veggies possibly from the farmer's market. They have a lot a specials to feature what is in season. They have an open kitchen so everything the chef does is visible from the dining room. We order 3 things from the special board and 1 thing from the regular menu. The roasted fig salad with boysenberry vinaigrette was wonderful. Great fresh lettuce, some fresh peppers, fresh cucumbers cut into flower shape, some blue cheese, the fresh purple figs are heated at the last minute and placed on top. Since I had a clear view of the kitchen, I could see that the won ton was made at the very last minute. Fried foods are not my favorite, but my husband like it and the chili sauce it was served with. The presentation was incredible -- The plate was covered with tender, crisp, fresh baby lettuce leaves. There was also a handful of fresh blueberries and a couple of strawberries. The Vietnamese caramelized prawns were delicious. Again the presentation added lots of unexpected details: a slaw over some pea sprouts, a small piece of melon. The vegetarian coconut curry had very fresh, vegetables that were cooked but still a little crispy, not mushy...(perfect). Service was great. Yes the restaurant is tiny but the night we were there, one chef cooked everything. It was cooked to order and as I said, each plate was prepared with extreme attention to detail. read more

You won't find many choices for Asian cuisine in Cambria, so if you're really, really craving it come here, as there are no other choices. It's hit or miss, depending on the owner's disposition that day. The atmosphere is quaint, cozy with outdoor seating options. It's squeaky clean (+++), which was a plus. When I asked the owner for suggestions from the menu, she refused to offer any. I ordered the Thai Basil Chicken. The chicken was kill-cooked a month ago and reheated in the microwave. The veggies were fresh but saturated with sauce leaving them without any real flavor. Maybe it's best to select from the daily specials. read more

See all

If I could give it a negative star I would. It's overpriced we paid $50 only to be served food fit for two people. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to splurge even then the food isn't worth the price. The service was really bad as well. I really don't know why I came here :/ read more

Delicious Green curry chicken!! My sister and I both ordered this dish and agreed that it was the best we had ever had. We appreciated that it was served with brown rice instead of white. Service was friendly and very fast. A hidden gem that more people should try. read more

This place is worth the 4hr drive from San Fran for the sorbet alone. It's all made on site and delicious. The wild ginger prawn curry and the samoosa's are also worthy orders, the laksa however could've done with a bit more ommph flavor wise. Do not judge the hospitality of the hosts on your first impression. The service was a little slow and abrupt to begin with. But... once we settled in we were treated to jokes, smiles, and a bib to stop me from sloshing curry all over my white top, and made to feel very welcome and at home. Loved it. Would definitely recommend. read more

We love Wild Ginger ! This is our favorite place to go to eat. It's always fresh. She shops the local farmer's market. The owner-chef always has interesting and tasty specials. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the regular menu either. My personal favorite is the Crispy Calamari Salad with warm citrus honey dressing. We've had soft shelled crab over noodles with crab and shrimp that was very good. Vietnamese bbq ribs are excellent. Stuffed Eggplant was prepared differently than we'd ever had and was excellent also. The sesame chicken is a good one for kids. The sorbets are soooo good. Like nothing I've had in a sorbet. Even friends that don't like sorbets like these! I would eventually like to try everything on her menu! I'm limited though by my wimpy tongue. I can't handle hot spice. That's disappointing because I'm sure everything she makes is wonderful! You leave with wonderful tastes in your mouth that haunt you until you return! The owner is very personable. After you get settled and order your food she comes back and is willing to chat a bit if she's not busy. She has always been friendly and very enjoyable. Being only 45 min. away we go here often. Wild Ginger used to take reservations but she's so busy at night she no longer does this. read more

Wild Ginger is fantastic. My husband and I were just in Cambria this weekend for our anniversary. We were walking around the small village looking for somewhere to have dinner. We decided to try out Wild Ginger. The food was amazing! I had a the Chile Relleno stuffed with Lobster. It came with a small salad, some veggies and rice. SOOOO GOOOODDD!!! It's not on their regular menu, it was a dinner special for the day. I'm so glad I had it. My husband had a shrimp plate and he said it was really good. It came with rice, and some sort of slaw salad. Check out this restaurant!! Highly recommended!! read more

Second visit to this delicious hidden gem. First time wifey and I on a weekend getaway, this time with the kidoes. Had the Thai wings as an appy - awesome. Mains were spicy beef, wonton soup for the kids and a lobster chili reneno...delicious! Sat outside on the patio under the heat lamps which were great since we had the baby (6mo) as well - spoke to the chef, an Asian lady...great menu...definitely worth trying!! Inside the rest was packed...on a Wednesday night...but after tasting the food can understand why! Leif read more

Definitely can tell the demographic population the food is made for. Nothing traditional about the Asian food. The place is WAY over priced for the food. Very slow service. Had to ask a variety of times for items. Would not recommend if wanting a traditional Asian cuisine. read more

We vacation in the central coast once/twice a yr for 10 yrs...Always a fine meal. Deb the owner/chef is amazing. Consistently great food and service. read more

The food here visits me in my dreams! The Chef is quirky and knows her way around the kitchen, my favorite kind! Every item I have ordered here to eat in or to go is ridiculous. It is the type of food that blows you away... so good it frees your worries of the bathing suit figure. I hope anyone coming to the central coast of CA stops in, it truly is an eating delight. I don't think you will be disappointed. read more

Amazing food and the owner is such a nice lady and very friendly staff. I had a great experience and always come back. read more

Wild Ginger - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambria, California

The WORSE dining EXPERIENCE in Cambria... 100% the waiter's fault from the moment we sat. Setting was lacking a fork, he had 5 tables working, no big deal about a fork...we waited. Passing us 6 times, NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or look toward us WHATSOEVER...we waited. Fifteen minutes in, still nothing, no water, NO MENUS...we waited. At this point a couple enters, acknowledged, seated, water, menus, within the first minute...we walked. We are well presented, clean business people which to this very moment can not pinpoint any possible issues he had pertaining to us. We do know, it had everything to do with he, and nothing to do with us. We read ALL the reviews, saw how people feel about the proprietors, and figured let's do it. We never got to try their offerings. This is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! To post this review, one must give at least one star...the service does not warrant that much. IF...excellent service is what one expects from their dining experience, it will absolutely behoove you to STAY AWAY FROM WILD GINGER!!! Date/time of occurrence...10/28/19... 6:30 pm. I would hope ownership sees to it this waiter doesn't ever get the opportunity to disregard a customer again. read more

Just waited for an hour and one half on a to go order. Originally they said it would take 40 minutes after I paid. Only ordered 3 dishes. Then told another 10 minutes. Then told another 20 minutes. You have a duty to warn your customers BEFORE they order and stand around for an hour and half waiting that you are this backed up. To add insult to injury our to go dishes began leaking in the car the moment we left the restaurant. Not happy. Just read other reviews that complained of the same thing. Will never ever come back to this place. This is not how you run a restaurant. I don't care how good or bad your food is. 1.5 hours on a to go order is completely inexcusable. read more

My sister was craving asian food and we saw their specials when we walked by. I really wanted to like this place because the decor seemed cute and the food sounded good, but sadly too many things just went wrong tonight. First off, I walked into the restaurant and I get that there were other people in there but the hostess just stared at me. No greeting whatsoever. So I just told her that we needed a table for five and she seated us. This is not a big deal, but definitely was something I noticed that indicated how the service would be. After we were seated, we were given menus and we looked it over. Our waters came out quickly after we sat down. Our waitress took a while getting to us though, but it's understandable because they were busy. Anyway, I ordered first and got the pad thai to share with my sister. When my mom ordered the papaya salad, however, there was a misunderstanding and the lady didn't understand that she wanted the salad as an appetizer for us to share. Once it got cleared though, our waitress was just like to my mom, "That's what I said." Like, umm, rude much? Then she proceeded to get annoyed that my dad couldn't read the menu very well because he forgot to bring his reading glasses. The food took a considerably long time to come out and my family was starving so we were getting a little impatient. The papaya salad was decent, I wish there was a little more papaya and less other greens though. The pad thai though, oh god. It was actually so gross and bland and cold. It came out and my sister and I already knew it wouldn't taste authentic just from the color. Throw in that it was flavorless and there were these random veggies (like squash and broccoli???) in it, we couldn't even eat half. I was so disappointed with my food, but I guess the dessert kind of made up for it. The lychee sorbet was slightly on the sweeter side, but there were real lychee bits and pieces in it. I was okay until the check came out. It was actually so expensive for such barely mediocre food. Yes, it's Cambria, but pad thai that gross should not cost $19. On top of that, we were charged $1 for water that they did not even refill and without being told beforehand. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone and will not be coming back. read more

Overpriced, cold and small portions of tasteless food ! Extremely disappointing lunch with raw uncooked spices in the curries. Pad Thai only tasted of eggs, the soup was nothing more than a few veggies in water.. and this is on a long weekend despite an empty restaurant.. read more

UGH!!!!! This place was the worst. I can't even think of a worse dining experience I've had in my whole entire life. The owner/server woman was so rude - didn't even acknowledge us when we had been sitting there waiting for our appetizer for a full hour while people sitting at a table outside were served quickly. (I think they use that inviting outdoor seating as marketing for passers by and the owner knows to keep them happy.) We waited and waited thinking our food should be coming out soon. Nope. We left without any food, sad, solemn, angry and bitter. It seriously felt like that woman had something against us. We weren't the only ones who were unhappy though - another table was STILL waiting for their take-out food when left after two hours - and they were there when we got there. If you want to be treated like absolute crap, come here. I myself am not a glutton for punishment and won't return even if you paid me. UGH!! read more

Quality food at a great price. Flavors are out of this world. You can really tell that they put time into their food prep.

I get that it's Cambria but this place is so overpriced for food that is so mediocre. There were only two other parties there (one of which arrived after us yet ordered and were served before us) and it still took them 45 minutes to get our food out. When it finally arrived, we noticed how tiny the portions were. My boyfriend paid $20 for a lump of rice and a teacup full of curry and I paid $19 for the most bland Pad Thai imaginable. A cute place but lacking in every other virtue... read more

Friendly service and fresh food that never disappoints! Always have new and delicious specials and some staples that we love!

Absolutely loved the fresh natural ingredients! My new fav place to eat in Cambria! read more

Wild Ginger - Organic field greens with Pacific snapper in a Thai tamarind glaze...delicious!! Definitely going back! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambria, California

Not good for vegetarians. The tofu salad marked as vegetarian had fish sauce. Blarg. All together bummer experience for a non meat eater.

Don't let the looks deceive you. Looking for a lighter option in Cambria? Look no further. Vegan and gluten free options available. The mango and jicama salad was so yummy. We had the basil chicken and Szechwan tofu; both were good. read more

Wild Ginger - two plates of food on a table - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambria, California

See all

We ordered takeout from Wild Ginger and absolutely loved it. The menu clearly states that the food is Asian/California fusion, so the flavors and preparation style may not be what you expect. However, with an open mind, the food is fantastic. I can't cook zucchini nearly as well as it came on the Pad Thai. The owner was such a sweet person when I spoke with her, and the other reviews seem very harsh in this regard. Please have some compassion for this business owner who is trying to survive in a pandemic that has probably taken a lot from her. read more

This was a great find. Reasonable prices in a beach town of overpriced restaurants. And the food was delicious! Everything was made fresh and from fresh ingredients. No premise or frozen dishes. Very small but very good! read more

We were in town for the night and chose Wild Ginger because of other awesome reviews. The service was prompt and friendly. We were taken care of by our waitress and the owner. They were both very attentive--filling water, checking in, etc. I loved that they had multiple clearly-marked vegan options for appetizers and main dishes. They also have house-made vegan sorbet. We had the sweet and sour tofu and Szechuan tofu. Both were delicious and the produce was super-fresh. The serving sizes were perfect. The desserts were so good! The sorbet was amazing. You could tell they use fresh fruit. My wife had bread pudding and she said it was fantastic. The place was clean and pretty. I could see the kitchen from where we sat and it looked clean and neat as well. If we're in the area again, we'll definitely come back. read more

We ended up here after all the other places had waits. We were so glad! Very fresh vegetables and mixtures of original Asian flavors. We had sesame chicken, caramelized prawn, and curried prawn. Yum. We will definitely come back. read more

Super cute and quaint restaurant. So 5 stars on atmosphere and service. The food that I ordered wasn't great. Pai thai was dry, mushy, and bland. The Curry was a bit better, flavorful but a bit runny. At this time I wouldn't go back. read more

Everything we ordered at Wild Ginger was delicious... it was all very fresh and flavorful! I can't pick a favorite from the 6 dishes we ordered (each was better than the last)! However, I definitely would recommend the homemade sorbets! The service was also fantastic! We got to talk with the owner / head chef who was very friendly and personable. Great atmosphere and it was very reasonable for a family of 4! read more

My wife and I went on a California Coastal Tour by car last week and found this lovely gem along the way!! Talk about delicious fresh food!! Wow!! Wait!! Did I say DELICIOUS?!? This was one of our best meals on the California coast from Bacara in Santa Barbara to the Inter-Continental in Monterey!! Tempeh, tofu, greens, curry, sauces, fresh tasty mixed ingredients well balanced and soooo good!! Portions were big & healthy and prices were just right!! Can't wait to get back to Cambria and stuff our faces with this awesome goodness!! read more