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Secret Bao, Santa Barbara, CA

Secret Bao

4.8 (748)
$31 to $50
Asian
1201 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2009

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2 people
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
20:00
Booked 12 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Lively
  • Innovative
Contemporary 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, Paleo, Friendly, Dog Friendly, Outdoor Patio, Heaters, Warm, Inviting, Hospitable, Modern Design

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
  • Payment Options
    Contactless Payment
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Peter Lee & Felicia Medina
  • Delivery & takeout

What 748 people are saying

Secret Bao reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Santa Barbara

    Best Overall

  • Santa Barbara

    Best Food

  • Santa Barbara

    Best Service

  • Santa Barbara

    Best Value

  • Santa Barbara

    Innovative

  • Santa Barbara

    Good for groups

  • Santa Barbara

    Hot spot

  • Santa Barbara

    Great for scenic views

  • Santa Barbara

    Lively

  • Santa Barbara

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Secret Bao in Santa Barbara offers "fantastic" Asian fusion cuisine with standout dishes like pork belly bao, KFC bao, and creative cocktails. Guests appreciate the "amazing" service and "delicious" flavors, although some find the noise level high. Reservations are recommended due to its popularity and "wonderful" dining experience.
748 Reviews
  1. Michael VIP

    Chicago / Illinois67 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    A variety of creative dishes from small to larger sizes, but in any case ideal for sharing. We loved especially the avocado and pear salad, as well as the broccolini - but we liked everything we ordered.

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  2. Ronda VIP

    Seattle / Eastern Washington5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best restaurant in Santa Barbara! Everything about it is top notch !

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  3. Kate

    California Central Coast4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We have eaten at Secret Bao multiple times & never experienced anything but excellence. From food to service everything is wonderful.

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  4. Lorene

    California Central Coast2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food! Loved the duck spring rolls and the carbonara noodles! Service was fantastic!

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  5. Kiki

    New York City2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 8 June 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    The pork ribs are greasy…I love fried food…didn’t expect it could be that bad. I’m Asian and I understand that u r an Asian FUSION restaurant and want to be creative. But tbh some combinations are just terrible….

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  6. Quyen

    California Central Coast4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 7 June 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Food: We ordered the pork belly bao and KFC bao, the hamachi taco, duck spring rolls, and the mango sticky rice. The sauce for the duck spring rolls was super sweet. They are good but nothing excited about. Basically they were deep fried duck meat rolls. I'd give some lettuce leaves and herbs like basil and mints to wrap them in to cut the grease. The hamachi tacos were over powered by the sauce as they added way too much sauce. We could not tase the hamachi. I would reduce the sauce to minimal to bring out the taste of the hamachi. The pork belly bao was the best. The KFC bao, I am not a big fan of deep fried chicken breast. The mango sticky rice was so so. The rice wasn't sticky enough and they used milk instead of coconut milk. Service: the staffs are friendly but not very efficient. For example, we waited for quite some time before someone took our order. In the meantime there were two waiters cleaned the table and set the table and other waiters walked around. When he took our order, he didn't take the menu away. When he brought the food he didn't see that there was a fork missing. Since he disappeared, we just took a fork from an empty table next to us. They do not need that many waiters. They just need efficient waiters. I worked as a waitress in a restaurant for 7 years so I can tell whether the place is run efficient or not. Overall, the place has a potential but need to improve. We will come back to try the lunch menu as they have different menu for lunch.

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  7. David

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 5 June 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely DELICIOUS food!!!! Service was exceptional, delicious cocktails, creative dishes, amazing all around. It was pretty loud in there though, which I’m noticing more when eating out with my aging parents.

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  8. Laura B

    Washington, D.C. Area4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 29 May 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The flavors and choices keep bring me back... and back.... and back

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  9. Ashley

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 26 May 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful food - and even better atmosphere. Very glad we decided to reserve ahead of time because the few walk-in’s were told an hour wait when we showed up at 7:30. The bbq bao is a must. The galbi was another highlight — with banchan, of course. Everything was lovely!

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 26 May 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Return visit - and just absolutely delicious each time. Innovative dishes, delicious flavors, attentive service. Food is always fresh and fast. One of my favorite spots.

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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 748 OpenTable diners.

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

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  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Santa Barbara
  5. Santa Barbara

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Booked 12 times today
Google Map for Secret Bao

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
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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