Secret Bao

4.8

688 Reviews

$31 to $50

Asian

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 28 times today

Innovative
Lively
Hot spot

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 688 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
4.4Ambience
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 Service
Santa Barbara
Best Value
Santa Barbara
Innovative
Santa Barbara
Hot spot
Santa Barbara
Lively
Santa Barbara
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Secret Bao delights with "incredibly delicious food" and "phenomenal service." Known for its inventive menu, the restaurant offers standout dishes like the pork belly bao and hamachi wonton tacos. Guests rave about the "joyful ambiance" and "creative specials," making it a must-visit spot in Santa Barbara.

688 Reviews

R
Ronald
Phoenix
27 reviews
5.0
27 reviews
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great informal dining setting. Fun and delicious Asian fusion. Dumplings are great. The KFC chicken was really special. Definately would do it again.
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H
Helissa
VIP
Central Coast
69 reviews
5.0
69 reviews
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Such a special place in Santa Barbara and a great addition to the dining scene. The food, service & ambiance are fantastic. The flavors and selections are creative, fresh & delicious! The level of consistency is what makes Secret Bao one of the best places to dine in SB.
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L
Laura B
Washington DC
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on February 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Bring back the brussel sprouts! We missed them, but pear salad, walnut shrimp, duck rolls ,, ta da, sticky date pudding... Fabulous
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J
Juan
Central Coast
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Respect to the culinary team. Hands down best dinner ever. Front of house team was very tentative and regularly checking in on needs and wants. Super impressed and thankful to celebrate my birthday here!!
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K
Kelsey
Alabama
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on January 30, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Best food in Santa Barbara we really love each dish.
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M
Michael
VIP
Chicago
64 reviews
4.0
64 reviews
Dined on January 27, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
A variety of uncommon and creative menu items of high quality at a moderate price. Service and ambiance are both good. We particularly liked the Hamachi Wonton Tacos and the Avocado & Korean Pear Salad.
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K
Kristi
Central Coast
31 reviews
5.0
31 reviews
Dined on January 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Delicious, creative preparations! Enjoyed the assortment….ech being their own Flavor Gem! We highly recommend….and encourage visitors to go beyond the Baos.
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S
Samantha
Orange County
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on January 19, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Everything was very tasty. Highly recommend family style eating, ordering a few things and sharing. Service was a little slow but they were very busy even right at open. Drinks were really good and I’m pregnant so I enjoyed having mocktail options other than like kiddie sodas. My only complaint is that the place is called secret bao and they only have two bao options. I also wish they were traditional bao buns like in there logo but the modern taco style ones were good too! I just expected the traditional because of their logo and name. But overall really good yummy spot to share food and cool drinks with friends 😊
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J
Judith
VIP
Central Coast
16 reviews
5.0
16 reviews
Dined on January 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This is our very favorite restaurant in SB and we are reluctant to let others know about it because then we fear we'll never get a reservation!
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L
Loy
Los Angeles
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on January 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Incredible, inventive menu with perfectly prepared food, delivered by a team of organized and well-informed group of waiters. Only criticism is it can be a bit noisy.
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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 688 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 28 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