My sister treated me to this place and wow was I impressed! I got the galbi and I loved everything about it! Flavor was yummy and I loved that it came with some mini sides to dress up your meal (kimchi, pickled veggies and lettuce). I also got the matcha horchata which was also yummy. I love that this was also a faster restaurant but sit down quality. Tucked next to a parking garage so you won't have to worry about parking. After lunch, I recommend taking a stroll around the area. Lots of cute restaurants and shops nearby. I easily could have spent more time walking around the area. I will definitely be stopping by again during my next visit!

So delicious! A bit pricey for the casual setting. Maybe Santa Barbara has just gotten more expensive in general. In love with the udon carbonara. All the food was delicious. My favorite was the udon carbonara. The fried flowers with stuffing were great too! I could not find it on the menu and forgot what they were called.

I would highly recommend making a reservation here if you're not going to walk through their doors as soon as they open up. We got there 10 mins before they opened and there was a line. Most had reservations and the ones who didn't were seated at a community table. This is what we ordered (keep in mind you get one bao per price point): KFC Bao ($6): The chicken was nicely fried with a crunchy batter, not salty, and tasted really good. We were able to cut the bao in half and share it amongst the two of us. Avocado and Korean Pear Salad ($17): This was really refreshing and I would never think to have avocados, pears, walnuts, and furikake mixed together...but it works wonderfully. The pear was crispy, sweet, and cold. The avocado brought in softer textures and rich, fatty flavors. It was a very nice blend of salty and sweet. I would get this again. Chili Noodles ($19, happy hour price): I didn't think this would be in a huge bowl with tons of mushrooms in it. I love mushrooms, but this was more of a mushroom soup than a noodle soup. I didn't care for the broth, there was this unusual aftertaste to it. It was mildly spicy. Would not get again. Pork Belly Bao ($6): The meat on this melted in my mouth and the bun was super soft. Pickles were included in this dish and it added a nice crunch, but I would put this as second place in the bao category. Kalbi Half Pound: I wanted meat! So I ordered this and we killed it! Not as good as my grandma's marinade (it's a little bland), but the meat was tender. Doughnut Bites ($7): Mildly sweet, but I wouldn't get this again. We tried their Moshi White Peach Yuzu Sparkling drink ($7): This was refreshing and honestly not very sweet. It also came in a can, which was a surprise. Probably would try something else if we go back. This place is well lit inside featuring a lot of open space and windows and there is an outdoor seating area with heaters. Service was really good - Our waiter kept coming back asking if we wanted to put in more food orders or needed anything else. Food came out pretty fast. This place is located on a corner next to the Santa Barbara Courthouse and is down the street from the Art Museum.

Pro Tips - Make reservations if you and can and menu changes! Parking garage is a close walk to the restaurant. My husband and I enjoyed dinner on a Saturday night at the beautiful restaurant. Inside was buzzing was people deep in their dishes. We were seated on the patio and the table was a little wobbly and small. Non the less the area was beautifully lit. We order the noodles that were on the special menu as well as the KFC Bao and Shu Mai bun. Everything was amazing! Packed with flavor and authenticity. I can't wait to go back because I am already craving the entire meal again.

Came here on my last day in Santa Monica for a quick lunch. Nice and quick perfect for an afternoon work lunch or just a weekend treat. Atmosphere: Quaint little area with an open view of the kitchen and bits of asian decor. Food: Fresh and filling, I remember really enjoying the chicken katsu and baos. Succulent and filling. Service: Great service, no complaints, came in and the hostess greeted me and even gave me recommendations. Since I was from out of town I didn't get a chance to try Secret Bao again, but if I lived in the area I can see myself easily recommending it for a quick and easy reliable lunch spot.

The first time I came, I was around a four star ranking, since the portions were relatively small, given the price, and my date and I were seated on a tiny counter top right near the door; but this time around, I felt like I truly got the value of my meal. First time: got the kalbi, curry Biang Biang noodles, pork belly bao, and soft shell crab bao. The kalbi was very tender, as was the pork belly bao, but I felt a bit scammed on the biang biang noodles as the portion was quite small and the flavor had an overpowering spice to it. 2nd time: No more tiny counter top! The restaurant seemed much more spacious with a number of booths added. Started with the duck spring rolls (not pictured) which were much smaller than your traditional egg roll - they are fried btw - but the duck flavor with Chinese 5 Spice was spot on. So delicious, and then the Curry Crab noodles were absolutely epic! The price was totally reasonable for what was offered in flavor and portion, and I want to learn how to cook this dish, because it was so amazing. Pork belly fried rice definitely has a kick to it and I loved it, especially when I could take some of the leftover curry sauce to drizzle on top of the rice. I cannot stress this enough, but BOOK YOUR RESERVATION IN ADVANCE via OpenTable. The food is worth it, but the space is small. Love how much light it has inside, and noticed there is outdoor seating available also.

Interesting restaurant in Santa Barbara! Looking for something unique decided to try this Asian Fusion. Unique is definitely what we found. We didn't have reservations so we were limited for seating. Although we like eating outdoors but the weather this evening was iffy. We made it work. We decided to try a little this and a little that. We started with some mocktails. The tropics and honey citron lemonade. Both were delicious and refreshing. For food we went with the special salmon on crispy rice, pork belly Bao and udon carbonara. The salmon was my favorite. Lots of flavors in one bite. Pork belly was good but the cut has admittedly never been my favorite. That's my fault. The Udon Carbonara was the most unique; and it worked. Not sure how but it did. Overall everything was good but not "wow". Something I recommend to try at least once.

First off, make a reservation! Highly recommend making a reservation by calling a couple days ahead as the wait can be long. The experience we had from checking in to the server was great, no complaints. The staff was attentive, checked on us frequently, and the food came out quick. All the dishes we had were tasty. Be warned, the portions are small. The focus is on presentation and flavor, instead of quantity. Therefore, the quality was on point and high. Our favorite was the chow fun and the soy chili dumplings. The restaurant is on the smaller side, with both indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor has tables in close proximity of each other, but aesthetically pleasing. They were maximizing the available space they had with putting tables so close. It's a little loud, due to close proximity of the tables. Would recommend for a good date night and a fuzion Asian flavor. Not your traditional Asian restaurant.