This was my first time having Indian food & OMG SOOO GOODD!!! We stumbled across this place & decided to try it since it looked pretty busy (almost always a good side). I ordered the tandoori chicken, samosas, mango lassi, crab cakes & garlic naan. All of them were a 10/10. The mango lassi was so creamy & not overly sweet. The samosas were so crispy & the chutney & cabbage that were provided on the side added extra dimension to the appetizer. The crab cakes were also amazing! So cheesy & creamy & not an overwhelming taste of crab. The shrimp tandoori (in medium spice) was yummy & had a good amount of kick. They also gave our table a side of yellow rice that was nice & helped complete the meal! The garlic naan was crispy & just as great as I imagined! Definitely recommend coming here! read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Food is good and the service great. It's pricey and the ambience is better for a casual meal than business or romance. Try the naan and chicken tikka masala. read more

New experience for me... Indian... was concerned about heat and the mild was just flavorful and was a pleasant surprise. I ordered Latkes, and Chicken skewers with rice. Latkes were sweet and spicy; I'd think they'd be crispy if you ate them there vs to go, but still delicious. The chicken was a huge portion. I have plenty left for another meal or two with the rice. I'd definitely try this again ane get something else and more latkes! read more

See all

The food was excellent. It was good home cooking. Fresh Flavorful and did not have the unnecessary cream that is put in other Indian restaurants. A special mention for Babli who checked us in and was our server. A very warm welcome and hospitality by her made the experience delightful. read more

I had a delicious dinner at Apna a few nights ago and left perfectly satisfied full of Indian food. As I was walking to the car and was a few blocks away, I heard someone running towards me saying I forgot something. The kind waiter at Apna had chased me down to return my tiny bottle of Lactaid! This was such a nice gesture and emblematic of an incredible restaurant. Apna's food speaks for itself, but this type of service goes above and beyond. Thank you Apna! read more

Service has gone downhill since past few months since when the new waiters have replaced the owners who used to take orders in the past. The new waiters are grumpy. They will not sit you at the tables of your choice, close down the outside seating area well before the closing time. They will also rudely deny the service with no apology. I hope the owners see this review and fix their service until then I will not go to this place. read more

W.O.W Welcome to Flavor Town! Apna Kitchen is a must go for some tasty Indian cuisine. Located on the popular State St. of Santa Barbara, Apna's colorful and decorative outdoor seating makes for fun ambience. With a few booths and a wine rack inside, we had to see what the place was all about We ordered Curry Fries, Tandoori Shrimp, Cheese Naan, Chicken Curry, and Rice! The appetizer, Curry Fries, were 10/10, savory and sweet sauce on some crispy potato fries. The Tandoori Shrimp was super flavorful, served with some Chutney, Coleslaw, and Pickled Cabbage! The second protein was the Chicken Curry, oh boy was it amazing! The curry sauce with the Cheese Naan was to die for. I will say, the Cheese Naan is definitely CHEESY! So if you are lactose like myself, stay clear of the Cheese Naan! The food we all got at the Medium spice level and it was not bad at all. The service was amazing, the workers were very attentive and always checking up on us! I would definitely go back to try the other dishes! read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Cheese Naan, Tandoori Shrimp, Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Good service, ambiance was nice as well. Really flavorful dish and good chunks of paneer in my paneer Korma 5/5 stars. Some places are cheap and dont put a lot of paneer in the sauce but this was good portion and the garlic naan was really buttery and crispy. I will say I didn't like the gobi mancherian 3.7/5 as much because they have a thick batter on the cauliflower pieces and it would've been better with a lighter layer but the flavor of it was good. So it's personal preference. The chai was good 3.5/5 but it kind of had an old taste to it as if it was made hours and was left to boil a long time beforehand? Or something about the taste was different but it didn't taste bad. Just if you're not Indian you probably wouldn't notice the taste difference. Also if you can't handle your spice ask for a side of raita to eat with your dishes it was really good. But definitely like the wait staff here they are kind and friendly and they mind their own business too they don't try to bug you or linger around your table but they are attentive to you throughout your time there. Definitely coming again read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Paneer Korma gobi manchurian Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Delicious Indian cuisine with disconnected service. Mid-week lunch out on the parklet with two others. The restaurant was almost empty with only another table seated shortly after we arrived. It took 5 minutes or so before someone came to check on us after we were seated even though staff wandered around. Utilized the Yelp Check In deal for a free Mango Lassi $4 and placed our order. Malai Kofta $14 (off menu) was delicious! Highly recommend you ask about this specialty and will be a staple dish each visit. Masala Curry with Paneer $14 was very good Saag Paneer $14 small portion and a little dryer than I'm used to but good. Garlic Nann $3 was light and fluffy with just a little crunch. Perfect. The food was delicious and I will return but not expect quick or attentive service. Maybe this is the way of the Covid telling me to slow my already relaxed roll. Or maybe it was just an off day. One thing is for sure, I'll be back to eat some more Malai Kofta. read more

See all

Excellent food, great selection of Indian beers, and kind service! I ordered the chicken Vindaloo and the server informed me that it was only available in spicy or very spicy options. I asked if it was American spicy or Indian spicy, he said Indian so I opted for spicy (not very spicy). Wow was I blown away! My fiancé ordered the traditional chicken curry and I had to ask him to switch dishes halfway through our meal as the spice had built too much for me. Nothing wrong with the dish, it was me and I was made aware of the spice level ahead of ordering! Both dishes were tasty and we'd order them again! We also had the Old Monk and Wild Horse beers which were also great. The servers asked how we were doing multiple times and were very kind! The ambiance is relaxing and authentic. I love the art and traditional music. read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Samosas - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

SO GOOD. Omg I LOVE the food best Indian food place in sb !!! The curries fries were so yum! Come here for date night often since this place is amazing!! read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Curry Fries - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Terrible service. was ignored for the entire evening. asked for water six times. I would not recommen.

Service is great. Food is probably the best in Santa Barbara in a range that is affordable. The fish fry appetizer and the crab cakes are ridiculously good. The lentils are a must every time. The lamb korma is also phenomenal. All in all, when someone asks where should we go out to eat, my answer is always Apna. Must come here! read more

Came here for my brothers graduation lunch and everything was delicious. My Indian (and picky when it comes to Indian food) parents were also very happy with the food. We got spicy on the foods and it was actually a wonderfully high level of spice which hit the spot. We got paneer tikka, channa masala, malai kofta, and the dal. Also got 4 garlic naans and a tandoori roti. And a taj beer! The food was great. Malai kofta and channa was my favorite, with the dal a close second but it was a little spicy for me. The paneer tikka was average and more on the sweeter side. Total was around ~$100 and we had a large box of leftovers to take home. Service was a tad on the slow side but they were busy as it was graduation day. I'd come back here for a meal to treat myself! SB never disappoints on the Indian food! read more

See all

I'm so glad to have Apna conveniently located in the middle of downtown. The naan is fresh and great (will have to try the cheese stuffed next time!) I had the vegetable samosas, which were amazing, and the traditional curry at medium spice level and it was the perfect amount of spice for me with a good ginger kick. Dishes include rice! (annoying how many places in SB do not include rice with entrees- be sure to ask when unsure) I've been told that the curry waffle fries are one of the best snacks in santa barbara, so thats on the list for my next visit. read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I absolutely love this place! Wow. Have eaten here at least 4-5 times this year and each time we are pleased with the food and service. Warning the hot was so hot my other half was hallucinating and sweating profusely, and he loves HOT. If you don't love extremely hot, order the medium. The staff is very friendly and attentive even when busy. I don't really have anything constructive to say, other than they were closed last time I went mid-week, which was a bummer because I was craving their food. Did find another Indian restaurant nearby that was open and it was good as well. read more

We went out for dinner on Saturday night, restaurant was packed. It's run by family members and they seem to really care about every customer who goes to dine there. As far as food nothing less than EXCEPTIONAL. Must try place. read more

Everything was really good!!! I was recommended to the place by a friend ~ and was not disappointed :) I really liked the complementary chai. Sorry my photos aren't the best haha. The curry's were all super creamy, my fav was the Nirvana. I would def come again if I'm in the area. read more

See all

Great food, excellent service, cool ambiance! Cool elephants and love the mango lasi!

My favorite place in Santa Barbara to get Indian food! The curry fries are a MUST. Great customer service and recently became Halal!

It's my first time trying Indian food so I have nothing to compared this with, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good the meal was! We tried the butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, and garlic naan. We got mild for both curry and loved the flavors. The butter chicken is slightly sweeter and spicier compared to the tikka masala. The chicken was cooked well. The naan had a light and fluffy texture with a slight crispness on the outside and super rich garlic flavor! I loved eating it on its own and dipping it into the curry. They also gave free rice refills which was much appreciated. The pricing was very reasonable as well for the portions. We ordered these for two people and had leftovers to take home! read more

See all

We had a great lunch at Apna Indian Kitchen! Our server Babli was so friendly and sweet and spent some time chatting with my husband Rob in Hindi. We sat outside in the sunshine and had the Punjabi fish fry (which was fantastic). I liked that there were lots of clear vegan and dairy free options, and were accommodating to food allergies. Definitely recommend and we will be back! read more

I ordered the tikka masala on Uber eats and ordered a medium spice level. When I tell you, I'm a Mexican and it was too spicy for me that says a lot. Knocked my socks off spicy. I couldn't imagine what the 911 or hot level would be. The mango lassi was a good fire extinguisher ( although it was very small). read more

Apna more than satisfied our craving for Indian food! The place was pretty busy for a Tuesday night, but there was some seating outdoors under a heater. We wanted everything on the menu, luckily our server did a great job giving us recommendations. We had a great start to our meal with the samosas and curry fries! For the main course, we ordered the masala with lamb (tikka masala), traditional curry with chicken, korma curry with vegetables, tandoori chicken, mixed vegetable sabzi, garlic naan, and a side of rita. The food was delicious, service was awesome, and we loved ending our meal with the complimentary chai tea! Highlights (all the curries!) Curry fries: I don't usually get curry fries because they can get soggy, but I'm so glad we gave these a shot! The thick waffle fries were the perfect base for the curry, they stayed crisp and were a great start to our meal! Traditional curry with lamb: This was probably our favorite curry flavor, you could taste the spices and the lamb was so tender. I could keep eating this forever with the garlic naan! Korma curry with vegetables: I don't think I've actually had Korma curry before, but our server recommended it and it went so well with the vegetables! Distinct flavor from the other curries and went really well with the rest of our dishes [ Parking ] State street parking is usually tough, but there is a little public lot right behind Apna that you might get lucky with! Otherwise I'd just drive a few blocks away and look for metered street parking [ Service ] They provided great recommendations (especially on spice levels), our water cups were never empty, and they gave us complimentary chai tea at the end! read more

See all

One of the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. We had to wait a bit for a table because the restaurant is fairly small, but it was very worth it. The staff were friendly and helpful, and we appreciated how small the menu was (I'm always wary of places with 30+ items on their menu!). The garlic naan was perfect, and the Vegetable Tikka Masala was delicious. The Traditional Curry had just the right amount of spice. We will be back! read more

See all

I got tofu tikka masala, raita, and garlic butter naan. It was amazing!! Very reasonable prices and so much flavor. Seriously the best Indian food I have had. read more

Wow! Indian restaurants closer to where I live but this one is worth the drive. Chicken Vindaloo and Dal of the day was my lunch and it was incredible. Attentive and friendly service. Well done. read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Dal of the Day and rice - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

I don't really crave Indian food and so far the spot I went to in the area that would satisfy me was Tamira. This is definitely the best Indian restaurant I've been to. The food was full of a mix of flavors and I felt heated from the medium spicy level (in an enjoyable way). I enjoy hot foods and anything spicy in general. I got a mail coupon for a free appetizer and checked them out on yelp and I liked the menu options. A good mix of fusion and classics + a free mango lassi with check in? Count me in! I visited and was seated in quickly. The decor is nice and you can see the open kitchen. I ordered the mango lassi (free with check in) curry fries, garlic naan, lamb korma curry (rice included) and the chicken tikka (cooked in a tandoori) Review of each dish: -mango lassi - FRESH mango flavor and super yummy drink -curry fries - CRISPY waffle fries, flavorful curry sauce, cheese. Just this appetizer was already filling -garlic naan - a must have with curry, lots of garlic - lamb korma curry - TENDER and break apart lamb, no gamey taste, full of spice and herb. the basmati rice was cooked right - chicken tikka - chicken breast cooked right and well seasoned. I really like the green sauce that accompanied it. The pickled sweet purple cabbage and the coleslaw, not so much. Maybe other roasted veggies would suit it better (just my opinion) Overall around $40 ish dollars spent and it was enough for left overs. Flavorful food and nice staff. I would recommend for anyone looking to get a proper Indian food fix! It's definitely what I want from Indian food - full of spice and flavor. read more

Must try the curry fries! Garlic naan was perfectly toasted with a lil burnt to perfection.

Absolutely blown away. This place is so good! My wife and I went and got the Tandoori Chicken, Saag Paneer, Chana masala and a starter of Samosas. This is not some bland Indian food buffet. The flavors and colors were popping off! My brain was overloaded with all the different flavors I was experiencing. You could tell they make everything with love. We chose to get the food with medium heat and it was perfect. I also got some house made the ginger lime soda thing to wash it down. Delicious! The service was amazing. Everyone was so helpful and motivated to make sure we were taken care of even though every table was full. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that it took me so long to eat here. Can't wait to go back!! read more

Amazing food. Totally recommend. Staff was very nice and restaurant setting was ambient.

Amazing meal in SB! My friends and I shared the curry fries, 2 garlic naan, and 1 cheese naan. I ordered the paneer tikka masala, and my friends also shared a chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, chicken pakora, and tandoori chicken among themselves. There were four of us, and we ended up having a good amount of leftovers. The curry fries used waffle fries that were the perfect crispness. This concept was great and was executed quite well. I really enjoyed the cheese naan and my paneer tikka masala. My friends loved their chicken dishes as well! You can get refills on rice, and we weren't charged on those. Overall, we were extremely satisfied with everything we ordered. My one thing is that when the bill came, there were a few incorrect charges and some things missing on the bill. So be sure to look it over before paying! read more

See all

Amazing Indian food and great costumer service. The garlic naan is a must. We ordered four different dishes and all of them were very flavorful and delicious. Highly recommend this place. read more

It's my go to restaurant whenever friends visit SB or I just want a filling meal - I really love this place! The butter chicken, curry fries, cheesy garlic naan, and tandoori chicken never disappoint. We're always seated quickly, and while the wait for food may be a little during the dinner rush, it's always worth the wait. The outdoor seating area is always cozy (they have heat lamps) and nice if you want to people watch. Their chai and rice are also free, so make sure to ask for it! read more

One of my favorite Indian restaurants ever! The nirvana curry was incredible! Appetizers were also delicious, particularly the samosa and accompanying sauce. The server was so friendly and attentive. We dined on the cute little parklet. Unfortunately I don't live in SB but I can't wait to go back next time I visit! read more

Incredible Indian food -- I got the chana masala and loved the flavor. It had a slightly sweet taste to it, which is refreshing. There is plenty of outdoor seating so we dined with our pugs and then walked downtown after. Before we left, the server offered us samples of their chai tea which was delicious too. Will definitely come here again next time we're in Santa Barbara :) read more

Beautiful ambience, aromatic food with authentic flavors. Loved latke's - authentic aloo tikki flavors. Tea - has a hint of cardamom and is boiled right (Kadak Chai). Food is on point. Service is great - they accommodated us on a rainy day. Thankful and would love to visit every time I am in SB. read more

Apna Indian Kitchen - Latke - Indian Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Stop by here on a whim as we were wandering Downtown. They had outside and inside seating options. We got a free mango lassi with our Yelp check-in, which was really tasty :) Got the masala curry with paneer and nirvana curry with chicken. The flavors of both curries were amazing. You can't go wrong with either, though I think we likes the nirvana just slightly better. The only downside is that the chicken and paneer pieces in the curry were really dry and tasteless. The texture of the paneer specifically seemed a little off. I also got the garlic naan, which I really enjoyed. The serving size is huge and definitely worth it. Service was great - the waiter who served us was super nice and attentive. Would recommend if you're looking for some Indian food in the area! read more

See all

Great for North Indian (mughlai) food. The lamb, eggplant, garlic nan were great. Visited with a local friend who claimed it was the best indian place in the area. I see why he may be rig by read more

I ordered food from here via Ubereats while visiting Santa Barbara. I was excited when I first read the reviews but the first bite into the chicken tikka masala dish made me realize the reviews are from people who don't know authentic Indian food. The chicken pieces were barely there in the dish, it was mostly Creme with no flavor. This was by far the most disappointing dish I've eaten from an Indian restaurant in my life. The naans were ok and the samosas were pretty good. I did like the kick that the samosas had and the accompanying chutney that came with it. If you are craving Indian food and actually know what it tastes like, avoid the chicken tikka masala dish here. The only reason I'm not giving them a one star review is the samosa dish, it was good. read more