Secret Bao

4.8

671 Reviews

$31 to $50

Asian

Make a booking

2 people

16 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 18 times today

Innovative
Hot spot
Lively

Modern Asian American Restaurant from Chefs Peter Lee & Felicia Medina.

"Consider the bao. Chinese in origin, it’s most easily described as a steamed bun filled with something savory. Yet, like the American concept of a sandwich, the bao exploded into a flexible format of untold bounds — served at any meal, filled with you-name-it, completely closed or wide open, with endless regional variants from across Asia and far beyond." - Matt Kettmann (SB Independent)

1 Block From State Street, Easy Parking, Public Lot Nearby, Free 75 Minute Parking, Walking Distance, El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, Superior Court, Spanish Colonial Revival Courthouse, Santa Barbara Museum Of Art, Courthouse Gardens, Bell Tower, Bao, Food, Restaurant, Asian, American, New, Modern, Fried, Chicken, Octopus, Vegan, Vegetarian, Paelo, Friendly, Dog Friendly, Outdoor Patio, Heaters, Warm, Inviting, Hospitable, Modern Design

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Asian, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of Operation
Lunch Wed–Sun 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(805) 259-3226
Website
https://www.secretbaosb.com/
Payment Options
Contactless Payment
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Peter Lee & Felicia Medina

Location
1201 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2009
Area
Santa Barbara
Cross Street
Anapamu
Parking details
Free 90 Minute Lot Next Door
Additional
Patio/Outdoor Dining

Popular dishes

K.F.C.
korean fried chicken, dragon sauce, coleslaw, umami mayo, pickled red onions
- eaUS$7.00
Pork Belly
scf pork belly, kewpie mayo, sunomono persian cucumbers, hoisin
- eaUS$7.00
Shrimp
shrimp tempura, sweet chili sauce, kewpie mayo, sesame slaw, scallions
- eaUS$8.00
Octopus
crispy spanish octopus, pineapple kimchi, felicia's chili crunch, umami mayo, cilantro
- eaUS$13.00
Soy Chili Dumplings
steamed pork & rainbow charred kimchi, glass noodles, felicia's chili crunch, sweet soy, cilantro, crispy shallots
- 4 PcsUS$15.00

Eat Some Veggies

Sugar Snap Peas & BurrataUS$17.00
tutti frutti farms sugar snap peas, cara cara oranges, burrata, mint, easter radishes, miso vinaigrette
Kungpao CauliflowerUS$15.00
charred red onion, red bell pepper, japanese dried chilis, kung pao sauce, roasted cashews, cilantro
Mapo Tofu Tteok-BokkiUS$16.00
korean rice cakes, shiitake mushrooms, mapo sauce, soft tofu, cilantro

Rice & Noods

Hamachi PokeUS$17.00
japanese hamachi, granny smith apples, jalapeno ponzu, umami mayo, sunomono cucumbers, pickled red onions, avocado, furikake calrose rice
Garlic NoodlesUS$11.00
sun noodles, caramelized garlic, oyster sauce, parmesan reggiano, scallions, crispy garlic, sesame oil
JapchaeUS$16.00
korean sweet potato noodles, roasted shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, spinach, beansprouts, sweet soy sesame sauce, furikake, sesame oil
Kimchi JjigaeUS$16.00
braised pork belly, baechu-kimchi, gochujang, soft tofu
CongeeUS$23.00
5 spice duck confit, pickled shiitake mushrooms, felicia's chili crunch, radish, chives
Katsu CurryUS$17.00
breaded pork loin, japanese curry, shiitake mushrooms, calrose furikake rice, scallions
Kalbi BowlUS$23.00
momma lee's korean short ribs, baechu kimchi, red leaf lettuce, calrose rice, sesame oil, furikake, scallions
Pork Belly Fried RiceUS$17.00
scf pork belly, caramelized kimchi, onions, garlic, jasmine rice, farm eggs, sugar snap peas, scallions, momo sauce
Chicken BulgogiUS$15.00
grilled marinated chicken thighs, brussel sprouts, furikake calrose rice, umami mayo, scallions, togarashi, red pickled ginger
BibimbapUS$15.00
spinach, beansprouts, kimchi, soy pickled shiitakes, fresnos, sunomono cucumbers, pickled onions, hooni sauce, calrose rice, sunnyside fried egg, furikake, sesame oil

What 671 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.9Food
4.8Service
4.5Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

California Central Coast
Innovative
California Central Coast
Hot spot
Santa Barbara
Best Overall
Santa Barbara
Best Food
Santa Barbara
Best Value
Santa Barbara
Innovative
Santa Barbara
Hot spot
Santa Barbara
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Secret Bao impresses with its "consistently amazing" and "creative" Asian fusion dishes, making it a favorite in Santa Barbara. Diners rave about the "delicious flavors" and "fantastic" menu variety, including standout items like the pork belly bao and crab noodles. The "friendly" service and vibrant atmosphere enhance the dining experience, though it can get "very loud" inside. A must-visit for food enthusiasts!

671 Reviews

P
Paul
San Francisco
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Just so consistently good! Great value. The KFC Bao is just the perfect tasty meal. So many textures and delicious flavors. Yum
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E
Edmund
Los Angeles
7 reviews
4.0
7 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Excellent meal, everything we had was delicious , service was great.
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C
Charlie
Los Angeles
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Delicious menu -- almost every item is great. Love this place.
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v
velvetwink
Central Coast
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on 8 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious food and festive joyful ambiance! Loved the hamachi tacos and cauliflower dishes!
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A
Amy
Seattle
17 reviews
vip
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on 5 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was delicious! We had the scallops (must!), kung pao cauliflower (so much flavor), pork belly Bao, duck spring rolls, and honey walnut shrimp. Looking forward to coming back and getting all the things we didn’t get!
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M
Manon
New Orleans
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on 1 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Very good food we especially appreciated the excellent service . Duck spring rolls is a must
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l
lellebelle
Central Coast
36 reviews
vip
5.0
36 reviews
Dined on 1 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We have been here many times and I think it’s just getting better. It seems like the kitchen has toned down the sugar content in all of their dishes which allows all of the other flavors to come through. We had the hamachi tacos, cauliflower, pear salad, beef chow fun, and the squash dumplings. Aside from the dumplings everything was five star. The dumplings had a lovely flavor but they were lacking in a bit of crunch texture(even though they had pomegranate seeds). So fours stars there. We will be back!
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S
Susan
Chicago
10 reviews
vip
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on 1 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely menu, well-priced, helpful and courteous staff and very tasty.
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L
Lisa
Central Coast
38 reviews
vip
4.0
38 reviews
Dined on 30 November 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
This was our second time at Secret Bao and I can't wait to return. I want to try everything. The specials were all amazing. The short ribs were gobbled down. Highly recommend going full meal on those with all the fixings. We had to return a fish thing that smelled awful but it was a non issue. I don't give it all the stars in all categories because it is crowded, noisy, and a total bummer if you have to wait in the bathroom line. Also, it would be nice to have an in between option for hot sake. They only have a small carafe or the entire bottle.
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MS
MikeS
Los Angeles
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 30 November 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Secret Bao is a pleasure. The food is delicious, and the staff is helpful and attentive. It was a great experience, and the other diners around us commented similarly. We'll definitely go back and have already shared our experience with friends and family.
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FAQs

Secret Bao offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (805) 259-3226.

Secret Bao is rated 4.8 stars by 671 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

16 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 18 times today

Order delivery or takeout

1201 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2009

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross Street
Anapamu
Area
Santa Barbara
Hours of Operation
Lunch Wed–Sun 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Asian, Tapas / Small Plates
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Free 90 Minute Lot Next Door
Payment Options
Contactless Payment
Executive Chef
Peter Lee & Felicia Medina
Additional
Patio/Outdoor Dining

Website
https://www.secretbaosb.com/
Phone number
(805) 259-3226

Secret Bao

Make a booking

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

KFC Bao

KFC

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Baos / Dimsum

K.F.C.

Pork Belly

Shrimp

Octopus

Soy Chili Dumplings

Eat Some Veggies

Sugar Snap Peas & BurrataUS$17.00

Kungpao CauliflowerUS$15.00

Mapo Tofu Tteok-BokkiUS$16.00

Rice & Noods

Hamachi PokeUS$17.00

Garlic NoodlesUS$11.00

JapchaeUS$16.00

Kimchi JjigaeUS$16.00

CongeeUS$23.00

Katsu CurryUS$17.00

Kalbi BowlUS$23.00

Pork Belly Fried RiceUS$17.00

Chicken BulgogiUS$15.00

BibimbapUS$15.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Diners' Choice Awards

Review summary

FAQs

Does Secret Bao offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Secret Bao restaurant rated?

Is Secret Bao currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information