Secret Bao

4.8

675 Reviews

$31 to $50

Asian

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 26, 2024

10:30 PM

Booked 42 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
AMEX, Contactless Payment, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Peter Lee & Felicia Medina

Location
1201 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2009
Neighborhood
Santa Barbara
Cross street
Anapamu
Parking details
Free 90 Minute Lot Next Door
Additional
Beer, Gender Neutral Restroom, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

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

Eat Some Veggies

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

Rice & Noods

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

What 675 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

Loved For

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!

675 Reviews

D
Dara
VIP
Los Angeles
19 reviews
5.0
19 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Secret Bao is OUTSTANDING. The food is fantastic. I’m only sorry that we didn’t discover it sooner.
Is this helpful?
R
Richard and Nina
Central Coast
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was our first visit and we were blown away with the service and the atmosphere. I can’t believe the flavors of everything we ate. So much so that we reordered a couple of dishes. Our server RJ was on his game. We will be back….
Is this helpful?
V
Vicki
Central Coast
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 19, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing yummy dishes, very flavorful and exciting! Great place! We love it!
Is this helpful?
P
Paul
San Francisco
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on December 16, 2024
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
Is this helpful?
E
Edmund
Los Angeles
7 reviews
4.0
7 reviews
Dined on December 14, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Excellent meal, everything we had was delicious , service was great.
Is this helpful?
C
Charlie
Los Angeles
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 12, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Delicious menu -- almost every item is great. Love this place.
Is this helpful?
v
velvetwink
Central Coast
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on December 8, 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!
Is this helpful?
S
Susan
Central Coast
8 reviews
3.0
8 reviews
Dined on December 7, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Great Asian inspired cuisine one of the better pics in Santa Barbara. Whose restaurant offers fairs tomorrow middling food. The ambiance is a bit austere could be warmer and softer.
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A
Amy
VIP
Seattle
17 reviews
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on December 5, 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!
Is this helpful?
M
Manon
New Orleans
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on December 1, 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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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 675 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 26, 2024

10:30 PM

Booked 42 times today

Order delivery or takeout

1201 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2009

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
Anapamu
Neighborhood
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
AMEX, Contactless Payment, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Peter Lee & Felicia Medina
Additional
Beer, Gender Neutral Restroom, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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

Secret Bao

Make a reservation

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 & Burrata$17.00

Kungpao Cauliflower$15.00

Mapo Tofu Tteok-Bokki$16.00

Rice & Noods

Hamachi Poke$17.00

Garlic Noodles$11.00

Japchae$16.00

Kimchi Jjigae$16.00

Congee$23.00

Katsu Curry$17.00

Kalbi Bowl$23.00

Pork Belly Fried Rice$17.00

Chicken Bulgogi$15.00

Bibimbap$15.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Secret Bao offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Secret Bao restaurant rated?

Is Secret Bao currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information