Presentation on Map Reviews Nearby

Meet Up Chinese Cuisine in Santa Barbara

4.2 (119) 2251 Las Positas Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, United States

Categories

Chinese restaurant
Asian restaurant
Chinese noodle restaurant
Mandarin restaurant
Restaurant
Vegetarian restaurant

Location on the map

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California, US

Phone: +1 805-507-7777
Site: http://meetuprestaurant.com/

Opening hours

Monday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Tuesday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Wednesday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Thursday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Friday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Saturday:11 AM–9:30 PM
Sunday:11 AM–9:30 PM

Edit info

Total reviews rating 4.2

119 Reviews for Meet Up Chinese Cuisine 2024:

Review №1

2023-09-03 04:45:24

Really good. Authentic food. Make sure you order the authentic dishes though and not the americanized stuff. Any famous sounding dish you should stay away from. Ask the host for recommendations. Or show them my photo

Review №2

2023-07-14 14:42:08

Best Chinese food in Santa Barbara!!! Me and my boyfriend come here every month and the food keeps tasting amazing and flavorful! In addition, their service is fast and the workers are very kind and friendly, they even remember us everytime we go! They also have a robot as a waitress which is pretty cool, I highly recommend this place!

Review №3

2023-02-26 21:07:29

Getting authentic Chinese food in Santa Barbara was a totally unexpected surprise! Love the fact that they also have a separate section on the menu listing “American Chinese food” (which we didn’t try on this trip).But everything we got was quite good and reasonable authentic! Dry braised String Beans, shredded pork and dry tofu, and the most interesting Spicy chicken platter which was listed on the menu with three red peppers and three black peppers (spicy : numbing). Delicious!And oh yeah, can’t forget the robot server!Will definitely come back when we get a chance!And oh yeah, they were preparing a Chinese Soup Noodle vending machine when we visited. Looking forward to trying that out!

Review №4

2023-09-20 03:12:55

The most amazing hidden gem in SB! It is so hard to find good Chinese food in SB but this place is the best in the area!! Super friendly wait staff, our waiter Hong was the best! We LOVED the robot that brings you your food. I wish more people knew about this place!

Review №5

2022-08-22 12:01:16

One of the best kept secrets in Santa Barbara! The food is as good as you’ll find in China or HK. Fresh, flavorful, skillfully prepared, and a good variety. The people are lovely and warm. The atmosphere is very clean and fun. Oh, and robots serve some items! Try the toothpick lamb, A Choy, pork and bamboo shoots, spicy fish in tofu pudding, and sesame balls. It’s all so good, and the people make it better.

Review №6

2023-05-01 00:46:00

Excelente Experience!!💫Someone recommended to stop at this place in the past. He expressed, that I should experience this wonderful restaurant with a beautiful name and incredible food well serve by an amazing team working together with technology robots helping share their traditional food with everyone. My gratitude to all of made this possible.

Review №7

2023-09-20 03:12:15

What a great place! Hong was super friendly and made us feel very welcome! The robot server was super fun! The sweet & sour pork ribs were delicious. Everything we ordered was great and came out fast! This was great authentic Chinese right here in SB! We will be back!

Review №8

2020-01-31 04:14:05

Loved the flavors, spot on for what I expect in dishes off the chinese menu. Though some may find some dishes a bit oily, this is the traditional style. Theres a smaller American-Chinese menu for more general fare. I will say that the staff is still learning the nuances of service, that will come with time and experience.

Review №9

2023-08-09 00:47:23

Randomly ordered take out from Meet Up and was so pleasantly surprised that I had to write a review- it was fresh, hot and delicious. Generous portions and even superior packaging that kept it extra hot- the kind that you could wash and reuse if you wanted to. The Dan Dan noodles are awesome, the steamed potstickers were great, the pork belly was super tasty, also had a chicken with bell peppers and onions (can’t remember the name) which was SO good, oh and I loved the green beans! Highly recommend! It all did seem very spicy, which I love but you might want to ask them about that when you order.

Review №10

2023-01-16 02:22:08

Food was amazing. Might be my new favorite Chinese food in SB - after 18 years of living here. The Robot was very cool too and the kids loved it! I had no idea a new place opened up here after the last one left years ago - and I drive by it many times a week! Very pleased. We will be back

Review №11

2023-10-28 04:26:45

This is definitely a hidden gem. The service is incredible, the food is delicious, the atmosphere is amazing and the robot server is a fun and interesting touch. Absolutely love this restaurant and will be coming back regularly!

Review №12

2023-09-29 04:44:42

If your order takes a long time to arrive, then know that the owner of the establishment pays the minimum price for delivery and does not give tips, and therefore couriers do not take orders. Greedy Chinese. Expensive food, but they don’t give tips at all, they don’t take into account that gasoline is expensive.

Review №13

2023-09-16 04:14:30

I placed a to go order and was told it would be ready in 25 min. I went to go pick up my food and was patiently waiting for someone to help. There were other people waiting for Mobile/ to go orders and a tall Asian (presumably the son) screamed at us to go wait outside. It sucks because I really liked the food there but that dude stained their reputation for me. I will be taking my money to China pavilion instead.

Review №14

2021-06-07 15:24:02

This is our first time in this restaurant and it is an interesting name for a Chinese restaurant. I called to check what time they close and the person who answered said that they only take reservation. The restaurant has excellent COVID-19 health protocols. We ordered 3 entrees and the portions were huge. We enjoyed the General Tso chicken. The chicken chow mein could have more vegetables. Our food came fast. We had limited contact with the server and found out that there was only him serving. The restaurant had lots of takeout orders.

Review №15

2023-08-15 01:57:56

Delicious, huge portions that are great for family style sharing. Has the feel of a family run business - and very nice people. Will be back! And I’ll have to stop in for music night. Spent $30 each and everyone has leftovers.

Review №16

2019-12-27 05:20:49

I havent got my bill but value nor real quality have a set price. The food is amanzing, fresh and mild, letting you dance with the various flavors.The place is pretty elegant yet not intimidating. The place deserves sucess more than the Barbarians deserve this place.Prices are pretty reasonable.

Review №17

2022-03-27 02:21:20

Good portions got the sautéed green berms, steamed dumplings 🥟 pot stickers chicken chow main, beef chow fun, wonton soup and egg drop corn soup. You got your food served by a robot. I was thinking that the kids will have a blast. But the adults got the best of it.

Review №18

2023-08-20 00:47:52

The food was VERY authentic, oversized potions, freshly delicious, and zesty.The robot was fun for the kids.I felt like I was in China with American cleanliness.Do yourself a favor and visit.

Review №19

2023-08-02 22:29:04

2 thumbs up, fun and delicious! We had a plates of veggies, fish, and lamb fried rice. Will definitely go back.

Review №20

2019-12-10 04:45:10

I had a wonderful dining experience. My food was delicious and possessed an excellent blend of herbs and spices that elevated each dish. The staff was friendly and attentive throughout my meal. I cant wait to go back and explore the rest of the menu.

Review №21

2023-07-25 04:55:06

Just go. So fun and delicious. For the tradish and also super American chinese food eaters. Robots a plus of course.

Review №22

2023-10-17 22:42:45

So good and loved our robot waitress!!!

Review №23

2023-05-17 03:35:45

The black pepper beef was absolutely delicious. The Singapore Noodles are absolutely yummy. I cant recommend this place more. Bonus the robot is pretty cool.

Review №24

2022-02-22 03:00:04

My food was OK but not amazing, and my friend was a little disappointed with his meal. We dined inside the restaurant and it was also extremely loud in there, because of a table of about 10 people that would periodically start laughing and shouting at full volume.

Review №25

2023-12-04 06:01:12

Never disappointed.. Service and food on point

Review №26

2019-11-05 03:34:37

The sesame chicken and orange chicken were practically the same in appearance, but Id recommend sesame for a sweeter dish. The soups were very reasonable portioned for the price! Great service!

Review №27

2020-08-28 23:50:59

Super amazing Chinese food.We group of Chinese were sooo lucky that we found this restaurant and even dining in there.And the boss was very polite to us.We were satisfied with everything including food, service and the environment.

Review №28

2023-02-12 01:35:27

The food is just amazing! Ive been searching all over Los Angeles for a restaurant that makes mapo tofu as good as Meet Ups, and I havent found it! The one with minced pork is especially amazing, but the vegetarian one is very good too. Ive loved everything else Ive had at Meet Up, like the hot & sour vermicelli soup, the crispy fish in minced chili, or the garlic eggplant.

Review №29

2022-05-15 18:55:23

Best Chinese food I’ve had in Santa Barbara! Definitely will be coming back!

Review №30

2022-11-01 22:44:26

They need website help---- if you order ONLINE BEWARE! The restaurant has NO way to contact the drivers, so even if you specifically request the drop off time in the notes, like for later, they tell you they cannot adjust the time at all, so you ARE STUCK with what time they assign you which it turns out is ALWAYS 30 minutes after you press ORDER. Ridiculous. On the phone, when I called the restaurant 1 minute after sending the order - they will not help you at all. They say they cannot contact the driver. Not happy with food cold by the time its dinner time. There is no warning either when you are entering your order. I advice not using the internet ordering method. Sad, because I liked the ease and locality of this new Chinese Restaurant. I could not cancel the order either, they would not allow me to, so Im stuck.

Review №31

2022-12-05 03:36:54

Delicious food, large portions, and being served by a robot. This is the best Chinese food in Santa Barbara. Coming back my second time the restaurant was packed. It has definitely been discovered. Good for them.

Review №32

2021-12-27 19:08:23

We were so excited to try a new fun restaurant in town. It was clean. However staff was disorganized and overwhelmed and we didn’t get any food for an hour and half and when only one dish came it was entirely the wrong dish. We decided to pay for what we had so far (drinks) and leave. No one communicated with us the status and when we would ask about or order. They would just say it would be out really soon. An hour and half is inexcusable. So sad because we wanted to love it.

Review №33

2023-06-27 18:44:06

Great food, great staff and I loved being served buy the robot.

Review №34

2022-09-02 04:50:05

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Robot gimmick was awesome, staff was professional and friendly, food was amazing. You have to visit this hidden gem and you won’t be let down. 🙌🔥💯

Review №35

2021-01-16 15:11:44

Not bad, but not good. I ordered the general tao’s chicken. Didn’t come with rice (super odd) but I guess that’s why the price is low given the area. The food tasted like spicy orange chicken, not general tao’s, and it was soggy... tasted exactly like what you would get in the frozen food section. Delivery was quick, which was nice. Definitely won’t order again.Okay so two weeks later we ordered again, because they were legitimately the only place available for delivery. It was not good. Super bummed. The vegetables were so soggy they were quite actually mush in your mouth. The packaging was leaking so badly there is an actual trail of sauce from the street to my apartment door. We ordered a couple Szechuan dishes, so red sauce... it literally looks like someone was shot and dripped down the halls. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

Review №36

2021-04-17 05:36:09

Delicious food, friendly staff, open for dine-in! The Twice-Cooked Pork and Steamed Dumplings were especially incredible! The Bone-In Chicken With Jalapeno was quite spicy but amazingly flavorful. Highly recommend this place!

Review №37

2021-06-14 02:44:35

2 star review turned to 5. After a less than stellar delivery experience, I left a google review and promptly was called by the manager. It was such a nice act of professionalism and it was clear he really cares about providing good food and excellent customer service. They gave me a credit for my next meal delivery, and gave recommendations for what is good for take out because the General Tsao was underwhelming. The Kung Pao Chicken was excellent. The delivery driver was so kind and apologized for the previous delivery confusion and language barrier. Thanks to Meetup for going above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. I will definitely try again and visit in person.

Review №38

2022-01-15 19:32:43

If you want legit Chinese food in Santa Barbara, this is the place to go. We usually get takeout and the food is always good. Oh, and if you dine in there is a robot server which is super weird but awesome!

Review №39

2023-08-28 04:28:18

Loved the robot waiters and the food was good, too.

Review №40

2023-06-22 01:28:34

Make sure you say thank you to the AI waitress! =) Food is great!

Review №41

2021-07-17 00:30:47

I give Meet Up 5 stars for Santa Barbara and Goleta area chinese, better than any Ive had in LA. Since moving to SB, I have tried many, many restaurants and have settled on Meet Up as the best and recommend to all my friends. Their mapo tofu is amazing, the spicy garlic eggplant is awesome, their vegetable lo-mein from one of their chefs is reallyyyyy good. The other chefs is good. Their pepper fish is SOOOO yummy and they like to use a lot of szechuan pepper. They have a really diverse menu and I suggest trying things you havent tried before like their sour glass noodle soup. They are always friendly, never had a wrong order, and always super fast.

Review №42

2021-10-25 04:02:59

Worst pineapple fried rice ever !!!The orange chicken wasn’t all that good either.I was able to at least eat the orange chicken, but the pineapple fried rice had to be thrown out. I have never written a review about bad food before but this was the worst experience I’ve ever had. Will never eat here again.

Review №43

2022-01-19 06:30:37

Our meal was so obviously re-heated leftovers from at least two/three days ago... we complained, and I withheld judgement bc they offered to comp us a meal at a later time... the compd meal was terrible as well. I dont know how this place came to replace the AMAZING Mandarin Palace which once stood in its place! (tip: I found the wonderful Mandarin Palace; they moved to the Five Points Shopping Center at the top of State St. do yourself a favor and switch plans while yu still can =^-^=)

Review №44

2022-11-25 04:40:49

Terrible service. Waited for five minutes to be seated when there were tables available. Waited for an hour for the first dish to come up when we ordered four dishes.

Review №45

2022-10-23 04:05:35

Absolutely amazing food, and the human waiters were fantastic! The robotic waiters were even better though. Delish!

Review №46

2020-03-14 04:11:10

The food was great - the green peppercorn fish was the best among the dishes we tried. Flavorful and with just the right amount of numbing spice. The service was pretty bad, though, so minus one star.

Review №47

2021-05-18 05:31:57

Hands down, the best Chinese food Ive had in town over two decades. The dry pot short ribs, and dan dan noodles were sublime. Mapo tofu, addictive! Cant wait to go back and try some more dishes.

Review №48

2022-04-16 21:18:48

Food was great. Robot was pretty cool. Will be back again.

Review №49

2020-01-03 22:37:53

Food was good portions are goodPrice was about the same around townSpace is big enough so you dont feel bunched up together.Inside looks clean.A little confusion with orders but waitress tried and she was ok.Parking lot medium size

Review №50

2019-11-09 04:44:34

Ordered on DoorDash, waited 30 minutes for our driver to arrive then got a notification stating our ordered was cancelled. I called the restaurant and they said they canceled the order because they were busy. Based on the other star reviews because of food quality I think we dodged a bullet!!!

Review №51

2020-01-18 00:01:22

Delicious! The food came quick, it was plentiful and hot, perfect for a cold day. The wait staff was so kind and prompt. Airy, bright with a band stand for evening entertainment. Definitely going back!

Review №52

2020-01-31 01:31:00

It was take-out delivered so maybe eating at the restaurant would be different but I was not impressed. Soup: bland, mu-shu pork ok but very little plum sauce -- which would have helped the flavor. Kung-pao chicken -- I expect more flavor/hot and it was bland.

Review №53

2019-10-20 21:41:47

My girl friend called me there is a new Chinese restaurant opend and we like to try new, got there little before noon, the parking lot was empty, I thought its not a good sign. We whet in order eggplant, green beans with minst pork and mugbean noodles with minst pork, we had no minst pork also over cooked greesy and taste less grininy hot peppers with sees, yucky..... thumbs down dig time👎

Review №54

2021-02-17 12:57:56

I went there in person & this time it was on point, I mean it was really good. This time It was a young man that cooked for me & let me just say The young dude knows what he’s doing. I wanted to give them another chance so I had to stop by, let’s hope it stays this way. When I’m in the area I’ll try to stop by again & see if it’s still on point.

Review №55

2020-06-05 03:07:11

Best Chinese food I never had

Review №56

2021-12-11 03:30:17

Real amazing food ... the noodle dishes are fun ..Landau beef noddle soup on a cold ight, they wrap it up in and you wont spill a drop

Review №57

2021-10-17 19:11:08

Awesome experience here the braised pork belly was super duper good and a robot waitress brought food to the table which was awesome again definitely will go back

Review №58

2022-12-24 01:49:50

Such yummy food!! And a robot brings you your food which is so fun.

Review №59

2022-01-06 03:27:06

Excellent food, robot brought out our food. Come and see bands on Friday and Saturday nights. We will be back!!

Review №60

2022-12-11 20:31:17

Lotsa of spicy items, great menu, and a cool robot waitress!

Review №61

2022-01-03 05:48:19

Very authentic. Szechuan style. Nailed all of our veggie dishes. Quick service.

Review №62

2019-12-12 23:33:11

My car was overheating so I pulled off the highway and into their parking lot and they gladly helped me and topped off my coolant for me. They really helped me out being a restaurant and me not purchasing food. Much thank you

Review №63

2020-01-09 04:02:13

Great food with great environment. They got authentic traditional food and awesome American-style Chinese food.

Review №64

2022-09-09 02:39:22

Very Very Real Chinese food

Review №65

2022-12-26 05:04:58

Terrible food and service don’t recommend for for vegans!

Review №66

2020-01-01 05:31:25

One of the best food i’ve ever had in ages!Amazing food, friendly atmosphere and great customer service...

Review №67

2019-11-09 23:27:26

Wow amazingly authentic sezchuaun food the ask for the Chinese menu the beef tendon is fantasticly tender nicely balanced spices and a hip interior to boot 👌

Review №68

2021-08-01 02:58:43

Delicious food, excellent service, clean and joyful environment with big screen/karaok equipped.

Review №69

2022-10-18 03:24:55

Robots bring you amazing Chinese food. What’s not to love?!?

Review №70

2022-08-27 21:28:46

Food and experience was great. Robot server was fun to experience.

Review №71

2023-01-19 08:12:45

Authentic Chinese food. Kind people. Love the atmosphere and service.

Review №72

2023-03-11 04:39:30

Excellent, tasty food with wonderful service!

Review №73

2023-10-28 03:09:16

The pickup was excellent!

Review №74

2021-11-27 18:31:47

Excellent service, all dishes prepared to perfection and very tasty.

Review №75

2021-07-30 04:42:50

Prices where outdated, from las year, false advertisement.Other then that, the food is great!

Review №76

2021-07-03 20:50:08

Food was really yummy. They have a robot that delivers the food 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Review №77

2022-11-22 22:45:31

Great Chinese restaurant.......first customer,will go back again!

Review №78

2021-08-10 08:08:39

Real good authentic Chinese food. One of my favorite spots.

Review №79

2020-05-14 19:37:04

Fried rice was full of oil and no vegetables nor meat. Worst food ever so far

Review №80

2020-04-26 04:27:39

Food is terrible. Service is more so. Dont even bother to order from this place.

Review №81

2023-05-30 00:47:45

Awesome food and service !!

Review №82

2021-11-27 00:51:10

Yummy

Review №83

2019-11-30 21:12:09

We had a lovely lunch. Eggplant super yummy!

Review №84

2022-08-23 19:49:59

Expensive, the meat is even raw!!! Oh no…

Review №85

2021-11-11 17:23:16

A very nice restaurant location.Delicious Chinese cuisine.

Review №86

2021-09-20 21:11:52

The best Chinese restaurant I’ve met in Santa Barbara!!!

Review №87

2019-10-28 00:01:02

Food has no flavorPoor serviceWouldnt Recommend

Review №88

2022-07-27 01:26:39

Interesting place. Foods good too!

Review №89

2021-04-26 04:42:19

Staff was very rude. The cashier was yelling at costumers

Review №90

2022-01-25 05:12:26

Had the west lake soup and it was amazing

Review №91

2021-06-05 00:21:47

Great food and service

Review №92

2020-03-09 06:57:02

Service was slow. Limited food options. Food lacked in flavor.

Review №93

2023-04-22 23:42:31

Probably the best in town.

Review №94

2021-09-05 02:17:20

Surprise your kids with the ROBOT that delivers the food!!!

Review №95

2021-10-20 23:35:05

The attitude is very bad, not caring, cold face.

Review №96

2021-03-12 07:51:53

Pretty good, I like their taste.

Review №97

2022-08-25 09:33:33

Ive had better Ive had worse

Review №98

2021-04-10 19:34:45

Great service & lunch special!!

Review №99

2020-09-07 13:37:33

Oh my God this place has the worst customer service

Review №100

2022-02-28 20:34:39

Excellent authentic Chinese cuisine.

Review №101

2022-01-27 01:37:07

Good food

Review №102

2022-05-16 15:52:32

Good food and authentic.

Review №103

2022-11-14 06:20:23

BirdNBun

Review №104

2020-02-23 01:28:48

They French-fried the potstickers!😬

Review №105

2019-11-02 22:42:18

So greasy. Taste only oil

Review №106

2022-08-20 02:40:49

Meh

Review №107

2021-03-05 01:01:50

Very nice food.

Review №108

2022-01-26 05:49:03

Bad service

Review №109

2020-11-05 01:55:03

Great food

Review №110

2019-12-10 22:47:29

Nice place

Review №111

2020-01-23 19:16:49

Review №112

2022-12-29 16:50:51

More authentic Chinese food, the taste is good, you can order three bowls of rice, and there is an american chinese menu, which is very considerate

Review №113

2022-12-16 05:47:48

I really love it. Every time I come to sb, I will come to eat🤤🤤🤤Corn ribs soup 5🌟

Review №114

2021-12-25 19:31:32

Before the epidemic started, our family came here for dinner once. Now that dine-in is open, it should be considered a restaurant that our family often visits. First of all, the restaurant environment is very good, the decoration is fashionable and elegant, and our family will watch the live band on recent weekends. Secondly, the food is delicious and the price is average. We think some Sichuan dishes are quite spicy, and we don’t eat spicy food much. I prefer Yangzhou fried rice, stir-fried pork, boiled beef (more meat than vegetables hahaha), large plate of chicken, grilled mutton skewers, sour and spicy potato shreds and the green beans. Finally, the boss is very nice and interesting, and he makes the robot very cool. Now it is regarded as SB’s internet celebrity restaurant.

Review №115

2022-06-28 22:55:20

The dishes are authentic, all the dishes are very good, the only drawback is too salty! can you put less salt

Review №116

2022-06-18 20:54:31

The food is good, the environment is good and the boss is also good. .I ate here again two years later and the taste is still very authentic! really not bad.

Review №117

2022-10-24 16:10:57

The Chinese restaurant is very good, and you can check it out when you go to Santa Barbara.

Review №118

2022-02-01 04:49:16

After waiting for an hour and a half, the first dish has not been served…

Review №119

2022-07-16 03:05:41

Very good restaurant, very nice owner!