Bibi Ji 2.0

"Getting out of the city for a day can feel like a special occasion in itself. But if this is some extra-special occasion, milk it for all its worth with a trip to Santa Barbara. And when you’re there, your first stop for dinner should be Bibi Ji. This upscale Indian spot has an incredible wine list and a great a la carte menu, but our move is always to get the Chef’s Tasting Menu and wine pairing, which is $50 per person (plus $30 for the wine), and includes a selection from the menu, plus the fantastic thali platter with curries. And - although it doesn’t come with the tasting menu - always order the uni fried rice, which comes in a still-moving sea urchin. It’s salty, fishy, and excellent. Stop by McConnell’s Ice Cream next door to really complete the night." - brett keating

"Located in downtown Santa Barbara, Bibi Ji is on a stretch of State Street that’s better known for Billabong discount stores than destination restaurants. But once the food inside this casual Indian restaurant starts hitting the table, it becomes abundantly clear why you spent two hours on the 101 to get here—this is some of the most exciting Indian food you’ll find on the Central Coast. We’d make a trip just for the uni with biryani rice, but as long as you’re here, you should order the grilled lamb chops dusted with turmeric and cumin, curry made with local halibut, and the tangy passion fruit lassi. There’s also an excellent natural wine list. " - brant cox, garrett snyder

"This high-style modern Indian restaurant (by way of NYC) is located right on State Street in a neon-light-covered space that works for anything from date night to a group dinner to solo drinks at the bar. We'd make a trip just for the uni with biryani rice, but as long as you're here, you should order the grilled lamb chops dusted with turmeric and cumin, the curry made with local halibut, and the tangy passionfruit lassi. " - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins, garrett snyder

"Bibi Ji isn’t just our favorite Indian restaurant in Santa Barbara, it’s one of our favorites in all of Southern California. And now, they’ve taken advantage of their shaded back patio to assure safe, socially distant outdoor dining. Their current menu is slightly pared down, but whether you order the butter chicken, crispy cauliflower, or fish of the day, know you’re still in for an unforgettable meal." - brant cox

"There comes a point in every workweek when fantasies of a weekend trip creep into your psyche. Maybe that fantasy is walking around nature or drinking wine flights with friends or sitting by a pool in solitude and ignoring everyone for two days. But an entire fantasy where you leave town just to go to one restaurant? Only if you skipped lunch today. Once you eat at Bibi Ji, though, that will change. This restaurant serves some of the best Indian food in Southern California, and you shouldn’t just daydream about going - you should make it a reality. Located in downtown Santa Barbara, Bibi Ji is on a stretch of State St. better known for Billabong discount stores than destination restaurants. You could easily walk past its nondescript exterior (a black door and two shaded windows) and assume it’s a closed-down electronics store. But once you get through that door, things change. Bibi Ji is the kind of approachable place where you could spend all night. There are big family portraits along the walls, people getting drunk at the bar, and hot pink accent lights at night that make you feel like you’re inside a limousine. This is a neighborhood restaurant, but with food good enough to justify however long it took you to get here. You can come to Bibi Ji and order as many dishes a la carte as you’d like. But if this is your first time or you’re seeking a higher level of existence, the chef’s tasting menu is what you get here. It’s essentially a highlight reel of Bibi Ji’s menu - and at $50, it’s an incredible value given the amount of food that will hit your table. Whichever route you take, make sure Mr. Tso’s cauliflower is part of your meal. There’s some sort of fried cauliflower on almost every menu in California, but the sweet tomato and chili sauce it comes with here will make you feel like you’re eating cauliflower for the first time in your life. Similarly, you’ll be thinking about Bibi Ji’s tandoori chicken for a week. The main event of the chef’s tasting is the curry sampler platter - six curries plus rice, yogurt, and garlic naan. It’s an enormous spread that you could eat six times and walk away with a different favorite each time. One item that’s not on the tasting menu, but is essential anyways, is the uni biryani. Outside of chardonnay and Katy Perry in 2010, Santa Barbara’s greatest gift to the world is sea urchin. When combined with the saltiness of the fried biryani rice underneath, this becomes the most destination-worthy dish at a restaurant that’s already proven itself worthy of a weekend away. You might even have to extend your trip an extra day to experience it all again. And that’s something we’ve never said about a yurt." - Brant Cox