Arigato is one of our favorite sushi spots in Santa Barbara. My family and I go there often, and we…read morealways have a great experience. We especially enjoy sitting at the sushi bar. The owners are wonderful, the chefs are amazing, and they're always friendly and helpful. One of the things we really appreciate is how willing the chefs are to create something to your liking or come up with a one-off based on what you're in the mood for. It makes every visit a little different and special. The sushi is consistently excellent, the atmosphere is great, and we always enjoy our time there. If you haven't been to Arigato yet, I highly recommend giving it a try. And if you're already a regular, keep supporting this great local Santa Barbara restaurant. We certainly will

Very average food the night we went. Lots of "different" kinds of ingredients. Not the…read moretraditional rolls for the most part Ordered a hot dish hoping to get something my wife loved. I asked "it's as good as Roy's?" And was nowhere near The server we had- she as very nice and friendly.

This place was so good, I had to take out my phone to take notes. Each dish blew me away, and I…read morestarted texting my friends about it before all 9 courses were done. Had reservations for 7 pm dinner on Friday. The place wasn't busy during our entire dining experience. Aside from a larger table of ~10 people and 2 smaller tables, the place was empty, which was nice and quiet for date night and anniversary celebration. The 9-course Kaiseki was plate after plate of flavor. Highlights: - Course 4: Somen with sweet broth, grilled beef, and grilled green onion. THIS. The beef was so good, I refused to swallow, so I could savor the flavor. Fatty in flavor. Lean in cut. Somen cooked to perfection. - Course 7: Chilean sea bass simmered in bonito chicken broth with daikon and green beans ~ THE SEA BASS WAS GAS. Marinated in miso before grilling, the tenderness and juiciness of the sea bass is locked in prior to simmering in the broth. Chicken broth with the bonito added depth to the dish. - Course 9: Black sesame pudding with tangerine jelly ~ THIS. This dish embodied the level of black sesame I expect for any dish. Tangerine jelly cuts through as a nice refresher for the next bite. Perfectly not too sweet. All in all, I had the best experience. Each component of a dish adds its own flavor that completes the dish as a whole. Ultimately, one of my favorite culinary experiences that took my taste buds on a journey! Would return!

This was one of my best omakase experiences in the US and I'm glad we found this place! The owner…read morewas extremely nice and makes you feel like you're eating at his house, which is an apt feeling since the restaurant is in a small house. All the dishes we had were flavorful, had perfect texture, and the seafood was all very fresh.

Great food. Well priced. Service is fantastic. Try the…read moredome and tempura .......delicious!!!

Three of had a wonderful experience here a few nights ago. We made a reservation and only waited a…read morefew minutes to be seated We ordered a wonderful bottle of sake. We also ordered soft she'll crabs(delicious) a wonderfully prepared plate of sushi, including eel and unagi with quail eggs Many other wonderful dishes. Our was knowledgeable and suggested some excellent items. We left not full but satisfied and very pleased with this establishment.

I can't stop thinking about this sushi spot in Santa Barbara Everything we ordered was SO good!…read moreThe seared salmon literally melted in my mouth, the salmon carpaccio was fresh and buttery, and don't even get me started on the press box sunny and spicy tuna crispy... insanely delicious. On top of that, the staff were super kind and the vibe was just really nice overall. Such a good experience, definitely coming back next time we're in Santa Barbara.

The service was so amazing. Everyone was so sweet to us and the food was so delicious. I've never…read morehad sushi rice that was so incredible like that and all the sushi was so yummy and everyone was constantly checking on us and making sure we had everything we needed. It's really cozy vibes. There are only a couple tables inside the restaurant so it's a super chill intimate place with amazing service.

Food was excellent and our server was just lovely. There was a small hiccup in our experience that…read moreshe handled as best she could within her level of experience (saying this in a positive way), and then the manager came in and was insanely gracious in all respects. Most impressive to me was that as much as she wanted to take care of us as her customers, the manager seemed equally dedicated to taking care of her server and staff. Huge respect and appreciation to both our sweet server and the woman leading such a strong team this evening

We went to Oku around 6pm and it was BUSY, but somehow we lucked out and were seated right away! We…read moresat outside with an amazing view of the water. The vibe was classy and trendy but still lively. Such a pretty spot! The four of us shared a bunch of things. The Everybody Loves Raymond was my favorite roll. It had these little cubes of tuna on top that were almost like a mini poke bowl. SO good! The Crouching Tiger was another favorite. The rainbow and spicy tuna rolls were good too, just more classic. The crispy tuna nigiri was my favorite appetizer. Super fresh with perfectly crispy rice. We also loved the firecracker rock shrimp, which was light and crispy without being oily. We got the sauce on the side so the spice was totally manageable. But the GARLIC NOODLES!! Easily some of the best I've ever had. Buttery, garlicky, creamy and everyone at the table agreed they were amazing. The shrimp fried rice was great too, and they were able to make it non-spicy for us. We obviously did not have room for dessert, so we ordered it anyway The French vanilla crème brûlée was delicious, the green tea mochi was good once I got past the texture since it was my first mochi experience lol, and my sister said the tiramisu was the best she's ever had! Service slowed down a little after our entrées came out, but they were also extremely busy. Great food, gorgeous water views and such a fun dinner. I would absolutely come back. And I'm not sharing the garlic noodles next time.

The perfect place to eat some bao…read more I came here for our first night in SB to kick off the night of dinner fun for my sister's birthday. This place is very accommodating for large groups as our group was of 10. Delicious baos up and down galore. It felt like food was home away from home. Love, love, love.

Secret Bao was an okay experience overall. The food was decent, but nothing really stood out enough…read moreto make me want to come back specifically for it. We tried the garlic noodles, spicy beef noodles, popcorn chicken, and corn dumplings. The garlic noodles were creamy and the spicy noodles had good flavor, but the dishes overall felt a bit underwhelming. The popcorn chicken was soggy (but probably cause I had it to go), though it wasn't particularly memorable, and the corn dumpling were fine but didn't leave a lasting impression. The service was friendly and our food came out in a reasonable amount of time, which we appreciated. The restaurant had a relaxed, casual atmosphere that made it a comfortable place to grab a meal, but was super packed for a weekday. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, but it also wasn't anything special. I might give it another try in the future and order some of their more popular items before making a final judgment.

Amazing service, friendly staff, great food!…read more My wife and I had the Mizo and pork ramen that hit the spot after a day trip of wine tasting. The staff constantly checked our table to make sure our needs were met. The food was delicious!

This was our first visit to this restaurant, and unfortunately, the overall experience was…read moredisappointing, mainly due to the atmosphere and pricing. We were drawn in by the happy hour specials, which were advertised until 7:30 p.m. We arrived at 7:15 p.m. and ordered a couple of appetizers from the happy hour menu, along with miso soup and sushi rolls. At the time, we were the only two customers seated in the dimly lit dining room. As soon as our appetizers arrived, gnats began swarming our table. One landed on my water glass, and another ended up in our soy sauce. After dealing with a couple of them, we felt rushed to finish our meal before more appeared, which made for a very unpleasant dining experience. The food itself was decent, but nothing memorable. The miso soup could have been served hotter, though I did appreciate that it wasn't overly salty. Our server was friendly, attentive, and our food arrived promptly. One aspect that made the experience uncomfortable was that the four staff members stood nearby watching us eat, which gave the impression they were waiting for us to finish and leave. Finally, despite ordering multiple happy hour appetizers before the advertised cutoff time, only one item was discounted at the happy hour price. Overall, the service was good, but the insect issue, uncomfortable atmosphere, and pricing left us disappointed. Unfortunately, this isn't a restaurant we'll be returning to.

这里的海胆非常棒，软壳蟹也很出色，寿司同样美味----在圣巴巴拉想饱餐一顿海胆的话，来这儿就对了。我们吃过两次，每次都很满意。…read moreExcellent sea urchin, great soft shell crab, good sushi - great place to get you sea urchin fix while in Santa Barbara. Very happy with our two experiences here.

Edomasa is hands-down one of my favorite sushi spots in Santa Barbara. It has everything you'd want…read morefrom a neighborhood favorite--friendly staff, consistently fresh fish, and prices that don't break the bank (a rare combo these days!). One of the things that keeps me coming back--aside from the great sushi--is the warm, welcoming vibe. The staff is always super friendly, and if you go often enough, they'll even remember your order, which adds such a personal touch. As for the sushi itself--delicious. My go-to orders are the spicy tuna rolls and the scallop roll. Both are packed with flavor, the fish is fresh and well-seasoned, and the portions are generous. It's clear that quality and care go into every dish.

Overall wonderful experience! Food was delicious. Both…read morerolls we got was enough in terms of quantity. The unagi rice bowl was very good. The spicy beef udon was a really good choice if you like spicy. The broth was fire! The chaschu ramen was amazing. The pork was so soft, like melt in your mouth. The spicy miso wings and edamame were a good surprise. The wings had such a yummy sauce. Service was commendable. They were all attentive! Perfect for a lunch out after the zoo or other family activities in the area. Casual and family friendly inside. Although I have to mention the bathroom did not have a baby changing station.

My friends and I were excited to get some ramen. Was pleasantly surprised to see their menu also…read morehad sushi, pho etc. There was also confusion with our food. We ordered a papaya salad and they brought out a different one with chicken. They were quick to correct it once they realized the mistake. Some dishes came with an egg when the menu didn't include it. The papaya salad and spicy edamame were good (the sauce was more sweet). One friend got a veggie miso ramen which looked and tasted like regular noodles with interesting vegetables. The miso ramen looked the same minus the veggies. Another got a honey boba with their dinner which left them feeling disappointed. I got the black garlic tonkotsu ramen which was good. Their spicy level wasn't spicy. I got a mild just in case and one of the servers overheard me & brought more chilli on the side. I didn't find it spicy but that may have been because it was really fatty dish.

We visited Sama Sama while in Santa Barbara, and it was hands down the best restaurant we had the…read morepleasure of experiencing during our trip. We feel pretty fortunate to have so many great restaurants near home, so finding a place that genuinely surprised and impressed us was both refreshing and an absolute pleasure. Everything we tasted was amazing. The standouts were the ribs, crispy rice salad, wings, and short rib noodles, but there truly wasn't a single thing we didn't enjoy. The drinks were great, and the ambiance and service were equally impressive. Our only regret is that we have to wait until our next visit to Santa Barbara to eat here again.

Sama Sama Kitchen is a Indonesian-inspired, Michelin Gourmand rated restaurant, was in the area so…read moremy family and I decided to go. We were greeted and seated right away, as for a Saturday afternoon, the restaurant wasn't so busy. Our server Izzy (on my receipt) was attentive and answered our questions, concerns well. I appreciate her service. My favorite dishes to the least favorite in order: Lamb gai (fresh and light), Braised pork noodles, Vietnamese wings, and lastly, the chicken satay (a bit dry, but sauce was flavorful), see my pics of each dish. It's not easy to judge from pics, one might think for the portion size for the price, is a bit smaller size. Indoor and outdoor seating. Cute, casual interior. Nearby paid parking structures, or good luck finding free street parking. Definitely a restaurant to check out when/if you're in the area.