Yankee Noodle

Omg their Ramen was fantastic and their Thai coconut noodle was even more fabulous. I love a rich broth and both were fabulous!

Stopped here for lunch with my friend taking her wine tasting around town. We needed a little break and I found this place on Unilocal with high ratings and promising photos.
The atmosphere is fun and so is the décor. Would be awesome at night. I love the seating arrangement in the main area. Like eating with your family.
There were two people sitting down already eating and we took a look at what they were eating and they recommended quite a few options that we took into consideration.
I ordered the sweet corn, which WARNING: comes with a lot of brown mushrooms. Had I known this, i would have asked them to take them out. I hate mushrooms, but the delicious cheesy corn blew my mind!
I also ordered the Chicken Curry noodle bowl! Soooo good! I couldn’t finish it because I got full so fast. But this would be a definite spot I would come back to.

The customer service is 4 ½ stars in my book but I have to rate it 2 stars because of the food quality. Stephanie, the server, was quick, efficient, and very kind. She could have offered me a glass of water while I waited for my «to go» meal but that’s about it. While the broccoli was a little tasty, most of it was just the stock parts. The barbecue chicken was all brown meat and the worst part as well. I would never recommend this place unless they changed their chicken to white meat and a broccoli to broccoli and not stocks.

No parking, strange food combinations heavy on pork in the Ramen section of menu, dark and dreary interior = bad first impression.
And it went down hill from there. DH, AD, and I were headed back from an overnight trip to SLO. The guys wanted Asian food of the quick kind, but not a chain. A Unilocal search yielded this place.
After missing their location and having to circle back, we were ready for a new experience. Instead, we were greeted, told where to find the menus, then ignored for almost 10 minutes.
The menu options seemed to be for heavy appetites only. We had questions about the choices, but had no one to ask.
Rather than perpetuate the negative experience, we voted with our feet. Sayonara.

Love at first sight. Definitely, love at first sight. My boyfriend and I took a two day trip to Santa Barbara and we ate at Yankee Noodle… on both days.
As soon as we walked in, we were hooked. The aesthetic and the atmosphere of the restaurant immediately won us over. It pretty much felt like we were in a patio with a cool bar set up on the side. There was a large table by the entrance that could sit about 20 people and towards that back were a couple long wooden bench tables topped with paper table mats and cans filled with crayons and pencils for people to doodle.
The cashier (who’s also the food runner and busser) immediately welcomed us and asked us if it was our first time there. He explained to us that they had a counter-​concept which means we ordered at the counter and sat ourselves. He briefly went through the menu and offered suggestions as he was going through.
We went with:
Umami Fresh Off the Cob– the umami is real in this one. It’s very flavorful and the furikake definitely hits the spot!
Seoul City Tacos– You get your choice of protein with the options between Asian Carnitas and Chile-​Lime Chicken. Carnitas OVER the chicken any day. We went with 1 chicken and 2 carnitas (and glad we did!) The meat is so well-​marinated and the sauce they used was so sweet and tasty that it got us coming back the next day for more!
They also had BBQ plates and Ramen that also looked very delicious but we’ll save those for the next time we’re back in SB! The food is on the pricier side but it’s well worth for what you’re getting + the location you are in. Can’t wait to be back!

I went to Yankee Noodle with reasonable expectations. In Santa Barbara the rent is really expensive, so the food is not going to be cheap… even for ramen. We had one Smokey Tonkotsu and one Spicy Three Cheese Ramen. I loved the three cheese ramen! I have no idea if traditional Japanese chefs are turning over in their graves… but aside from a possible attack on tradition, the flavors were great. The service was friendly and I enjoy the communal seating. Perhaps not a place for a fancy date, but we enjoyed interacting with the other people at the table.
I will be back later this week!

After trying 4 places to park and seeing all the hate signs about not parking there, I as a local was wondering how they had pissed a off all their neighbors so bad, and if it was even worth it after triple circling and ending up in the city lot by Amtrak.
Next came the trying to read the paper menu in the very dimly lit hall way, and trying to figure out why there were so many high priced up sells, like and egg for $ 2, or adding spice for $.50-​$ 2. I opted away and wanted to see what I would get just ordering the bowl of ramen, the Tonkatsu ramen with sliced pork and fish ball. Great, two sources of protein to go with my noodles, bamboo and bean sprouts.
After filing through the barred off area for ordering, I picked up utensils and plunked down at the VERY uncomfortable seating at the picnic style benches. The benches are too far under the table, and you have to sit hunch back. Oh, and it is all communal seating. Why?
Then the real dissapointment set in as the emo girl dropped off our ramens. The broth was great, but the noodles were very over cooked and mushy. The bamboo was plentyful, but the meat was not. There were 2 small razor thin slices of delicious pork and one razor thin slice of fish ball. Yes, not a fish ball, but a slice of fishball. You know, like a garnish. Why even put the meat on the menu if you are not really going to out any in the bowl?
I asked for some sriracha and was happily given the whole bottle. I wanted to walk around and offer people a squirt for a quarter, that would have been half off the menu price. Maybe I could sell eggs for a buck and make money too!
The moral of the story is, this is a tourist trap meant to hussle visiting cruise ship people in and out fast and not need to hire wait staff. Too bad, because the flavors were good, just not pleantifil nor enticing to keep the local coming back.

I am a ramen fan.
I am traditionally not a soup fan, but something about all of the goodies in ramen makes me love the whole concept.
Yankee Noodle was a place I wanted to try and compare to my favorite ramen shop (Kuma Bowl In Los Osos).
It’s a an odd setup, to walk in and see metal turnstiles and a long cafeteria like counter. You order at the front when you walk in and sit down and your food is brought out to you.
The prices are okay, though a bit steep for ramen. $ 12 for a bowl. There is no met option aside from pork. I traditionally like chicken or steak in mine, though I know pork is more traditional. The tonkatsu broth was okay, though not as full of flavor as I have had at other places.
After ordering and paying we were told they were out of two of the appetizer options, one of which we already ordered and paid for.
This was Sunday at 5pm when the place was empty. How did they run out and no one knew, it’s not like they were swamped and couldn’t get the word out.
So we went with another appetizer (a cheaper one then what we paid for) and were not reimbursed for the difference.
The corn add-​in was good, but the egg add-​in was disappointing, as I wanted a shoyu egg and asked if that what I had ordered and was told ‘yes’. It was not.
The beer selection was good and they had some cool funky cocktail ideas. The communal tables were a nice idea too.
While the other places in the funk zone were packed, this one was empty. I can see why. Nothing was bad, but the 86’d items after we paid, and the medicore ramen make this a place that was good to try as a comparision, but not one worth going back to.

Yankee Noodle is fabulous! I love the open concept, communal tables, innovative cocktails, great customer service and the Asian Fusion food! As expected in the beginning stages on any restaurant, Yankee Noodle seems to still be fine tuning what to offer on their menu as it has changed several times since opening, so I am going to write about all my faves (although some items may no longer be on the menu) but who knows, maybe they’ll bring them back!
When I think of Yankee Noodle, my brain immediately recalls they’re Pork Tonkotsu Ramen. I had it on my second visit to YN, a couple of weeks after opening, and it was literally the best Pork Tonkotsu Ramen that I have ever had. I lived in San Diego, Hawaii, Los Angeles and now, Santa Barbara, and no broth hit me like this broth. It was incredibly rich, gelatinous and savory — so good! As I ate it, I could feel my abdomen bloat up from all its’ perfectly, salty deliciousness. I ordered the ramen as is, with only one addition, The Perfect Egg. The Perfect Egg was literally the star of the show, from the exterior the appearance of the egg was that of a boiled egg, only the egg white, was a rich brown hue. When you broke into the egg, the yolk was this wonderfully, thick, oozing, gelatinous texture and the flavor was out of this world. Tons of umami! The flavor profile was so complex and delicious, I couldn’t quite pinpoint what process and ingredients brought it to this amazing consistency — so I had to ask. And boy did it sound laborious but from the consumer stand point, completely worth it because I don’t think any other restaurant serving ramen in SB comes close it. Yes, YN has a bunch of ramen add-​ons that any greedy foodie belly will be tempted to overindulge in and rack up the ramen to $ 20 a bowl or beyond, however, the ramen served as is comes with two slices of pork, tons of spongy udon noodles, fish cake, etc so with the addition of The Perfect Egg — it is perfect on it’s own — and still reasonably priced for Santa Barbara.
The downside for me, on the pork ramen is that The Perfect Egg has never been the same in the two times that I have ordered it since. The second time the egg was a soft boiled egg, white egg whites, creamy yolk inside but nothing like the flavors of the first perfect egg, and the third time the egg yolk and egg white were both really running to the point that it did not resemble an egg and just sort of immediately incorporated into the broth, which was a bit of a bummer. If you see The Perfect Egg on the menu and it is prepared in the method it was in the those first couple of weeks of being open, then I highly recommend adding it to your ramen every time! If it isn’t The Perfect Egg, then you might want to consider skipping it. [On a different note, let’s play a drinking game, how about about re-​reading this review from the beginning to the end and taking a drink every time you read «The Perfect Egg.» You’re welcome, have fun!]
More must orders!
Umami Corn — Yes! Rich, flavorful, unlike any corn you have ever tried and so tasty you’ll want to hoard the entire order to yourself. (But remember, sharing is caring.)
Navajo Tacos — Best with the chicken (especially the chicken prepared the way it was during the first couple of weeks of opening). Think thick, warm fried dough enveloping tender pieces of diced chicken seasoned to perfection, topped with a little cheese, fresh veggies, cilantro and a wonderful crème sauce. Almost like a gourmet chalupa but a million times better!
Just The Tip — BBQ Riblets topped with diced green onion — Amazing! I would order this dish ever time I dined here, if only it was still on the menu. So good! Fall-​of-​the-​bone tender meat in an incredible sauce. This was surely a winner! For those of you who love the Pork Osso Buco Riblets at Eureka like I do, this dish would rival it pound for pound in any match up!
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls — Yum! All the good things about juicy, thinly sliced beef wrapped up into an egg roll and topped with melted cheese sauce, jalepenos and green onion. If you love the Ruben Egg Rolls at The Pickle Room, you have to try the Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls at Yankee Noodle!
For drinks, I like to wash down The Perfect Egg (I didn’t forget you ;) with the Asian Spirit Tea, Lemon in the Grass or Lychee Mimosa. But kid you not, all the drinks are good. The folks behind Yankee Noodle are the same folks who brought American Ale, serving up some of SB’s best cocktails, so they know how to make innovative and delicious drinks. I think the little mason jars can be misleading about how much cocktail you’re getting for buck. Sure, YN could purchase larger glasses and fill them up to the top with ice, then pour your mixed drink over that diluting the flavor or they could alter their recipes putting more of the mixer in to give the appearance of a larger drink like most bars do, but they don’t, however the alcohol content is on par with industry standards. Perfect Egg! Cheers!

Having dinner at Yankee Noodle was delightful. The restaurant was welcoming, clean with fantastic customer service. Our dinner consisted of the Navajo Tacos, Beef Phở, Philly Cheese Steak Egg Rolls and Umami Corn. All I can say is everything was very good! The Phở portions were generous and they had such good flavor. I would totally recommend coming here for family dinner.

Okay… So I decided to give this place another shot. The interior is beautifully done with nice sitting arrangements and a friendly hipster/​chill vibe.
My table ordered the philly cheese steak egg rolls… Which was an interesting combo to me. It was very cheesy and crispy but wasn’t my thing. I would’ve loved to see some real, well-​done, original egg rolls though.
I ordered the pork ramen with an egg. The first thing I noticed was the excessive oil in the broth (see pictures). The ramen noodles itself were tasty and chewy but I felt like I was sipping straight up oil soup. Traditionally, pork ramen IS fat — in the sense that the broth contains the pork fat that organically accumulates in making the broth. So basically, I wasn’t too happy with the ramen.
When the waitress asked, I mentioned it was oily and didn’t think much of it. She came back, apologized, and offered me to try another entrée from the menu, free of charge. She was really kind and helpful– a big thank you to her! I also was able to interact with the general managers there and they were all SO helpful, understanding, and accommodating. Essentially, impressive customer service.
Yankee Noodle, I REALLY want to give you a 5 star rating because: you showed improvement and excel in everything BUT… I can see and taste your struggle with the food. Please continue working on that! I believe in you.
Service = 5 stars.
Interior/​space/​environment = 5 stars.
Pricing = 3.5 stars.
Food = 3 stars.
I will be back… in a few months and I hope to see more improvement with the food.

Wow! The introduction event to Yankee Noodle was as spectacular as the food they serve! What a fun concept to dining with their unique approach to community tables and the décor creates such a fancy yet rustic vibe.
The food is fantastic and paired so perfectly with their cocktails. I was blown away by their classy twist to the philly cheese steak roll, the amazing flavors in each of their soups broths, the combinations of flavors that swirl throughout their signature Ramen dish, the incredible and perfectly shredded and marinated Seoul carnitas tacos, not forgetting the deliciousness of the Hawaiian short ribs. The drinks are delicious, but will sneak right up on you. I recommend the lychee mimosa for a fragrant and refreshing drink. I could go on forever about the exciting new restaurant Yankee Noodle, but you simply have to go check it out for yourself.
The staff is so friendly and welcoming you can’t help but feel surrounded by family. Paul went so far above and beyond to welcome us crazy kids into his restaurant and spent time answering questions, explaining the menu and even teaching us about the Japanese culture. Hailey was so sweet, kind and accommodating and just raved about how great it was to work side by side with such an amazing team. You can’t help but fall in love with their wonderful staff. I cannot wait to go back and meet new people at the community tables. I love this place!

5 STARS FOR SERVICE!
3.5 stars for food.
2 stars for price.
I came here with my friends to celebrate my friend’s birthday on April 2, and we were craving ramen. After finding this cute place, we quickly decided to try it out. We got there at around 5:30pm and they were easily able to seat our group of 12 (however in two different tables). It seems that their tables can fit at most 8 people, unless you sit at the gigantic rectangle table that’s divided through the middle.
Most of us got the pork ramen, and the base price is already $ 12, not including any egg! To get a bunch of add-​ons, you had to pay extra. I always like egg in my ramen, and to add this was an extra $ 1.25… The ramen itself was OKAY. It was a hearty bowl but the broth tasted very fatty. I would say that this ramen might be among the best in Santa Barbara, but we all considered the taste to be decent. My standards are pretty high considering I come from an area where you can find better quality ramen that includes everything for $ 10.
Some of the other dishes we got were the Kimchi Nachos and the Fried Honey Shrimp. Both dishes were delicious, except the price we paid for each of the dishes isn’t proportional to the amount we received. Only 5 nachos and 7 shrimp pieces for around the same price as a bowl of ramen.
However, I wanted to write this review to commend Yankee Noodle on its impeccable and extremely attentive service. Our waitress, Hailey, was one of the sweetest and most attentive waitresses I’ve ever had. We were all clueless college students, taking forever to decide what we wanted, and she easily accommodated to our indecision. And although we were split into an awkward two-​table seating arrangement, Hailey always came back to check on us and made sure we got enough water, etc. She was extremely nice about us paying separately, because that’s around 8 different checks she had to handle!
Also, Hailey offered to give us extra noodles for our ramen at no extra price. She could tell we were all sharing our dishes and I greatly appreciate how she took the initiative to offer this to us. Another thing I want to add, is that when I told Hailey about how we were celebrating my friend’s birthday, she immediately offered to make something, even though they didn’t have any desserts just yet.
All-​in-​all, Yankee Noodle is a cute hipster fusion of Asian and American food. We probably won’t come back because of our college-​student budget, but a big shout-​out and thank you to our waitress, Hailey, for being so attentive and helpful!

No reservations needed, we just walked right up on a Saturday. This layout of the place seemed really cool when we walked in with these big communal tables. Turns out open table seating is a nice concept but ultimately proved a bit uncomfortable. We felt like we couldn’t have a normal conversation with 4 random people sitting with us.
Drinks took an inordinately long time to arrive. I’m talking half an hour. They did comp our first round which is nice. Service was spotty but very friendly the whole night. They did have a pretty good craft beer list though.
As far as food goes, the pork ramen was pretty good. Not suuuuuuper authentic but good for SB. The roasted corn umami dish was great for any vegetarians out there. We also had the short ribs (just ok) and the dumplings (meh). I’d like to give this place another try and see if the service gets better as they get some experience under their belts.

Excellent tonkotsu ramen, tasty broth, and authentic Japanese style noodles. Soft pork belly, veggies, and garnish. Be sure to add their «perfect» soft boiled egg. Don’t go crazy and add too many items to this wonderful creation!
The also offer a Hawaiian style plate lunch with chicken katsu, rice, and macaroni salad!
We opted for their Navajo fried bread taco, which was similar to the Taco Bell chalupa shell, with choice of chicken or shredded beef. I highly recommend this as a side order with your ramen.
The restaurant looks more like a western barbecue establishment, than a Japanese ramen bar.

I was walking around Santa Barbara and was so hungry, there were no tables available at the Lark and I didn’t want to end up at some random chain restaurant, so we decided to wait for some seats here. Mind you, it was a Saturday evening and the restaurant was pretty busy, we were waiting about 30 minutes for a seat, but it all worked out. In fact, the host was really nice and checked in with us a few times while we were waiting to let us know the status.
The ramen was just OK for me. It wasn’t as authentic as I would have liked and the broth didn’t have the layered rich flavor that I’d been fortunate enough to have at some good ramen places in Los Angeles (and we all know ramen is ALL about the broth!). The egg also was just like a poached runny egg… not the usual firm kind.
The Hawaiian mix plate was just OK. The meat was too thinly sliced and didn’t have a good sear on the outside, so while you were eating it, it was pretty soggy.
Overall, the food was just OK. Sure, for ramen available in Santa Barbara, it’s probably considered great, but I’m basing this off of the food I’ve had here in LA. Honestly, it wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t awful either. What I give this place high marks for is the service. Very attentive and our server was so great. If you’re looking for Asian-​inspired cuisine with a hipster/​modern twist, I would recommend it.

| L O C A T I O N & P A R K I N G |
Right off of the popular State St and in the same building as Rebar Coffee. It’s easy to miss Yankee Noodle since their sign is a banner on the wall which is laid inside of the outside patio, so look for Rebar’s sign and you’re in the right place.
There’s a lot right next to Yankee Noodle & Rebar for another establishment but they’re currently under construction and not open so it’s ok to park there. However, there’s a good amount of free street parking on the other side of the bridge if you don’t mind a short 5 minute walk.
| D R I N K S |
YN has a great selection of beers, wines and cocktails. The inside bar is nice but sitting on the patio and sipping is even nicer.
This has one of the better beer offerings I’ve seen at a restaurant. I recommend Chimay Blue. (:
+ Lychee Mimosa ($ 10) — This wasn’t served in a champagne flute and I feel like I got double the amount of a normal mimosa [score!]. It was sweet, fragrant and bubbly. I much prefer this to its oj counterpart.
| E A T S | ⁴⁄₅ Stars
It’s foreign to see an upcharge for levels of spiciness. And it kind of sucked that the ‘basic’ bowls of ramen didn’t come with an egg. another $ 1.50 upcharge.
[Level 0 — free | Level 1 — $ 0.50 | Level 2 $ 1.00 | Ramen Fury $ 1.50]
+ Level 1 Miso Ramen w/​a perfect egg ($ 14.95)
Not spicy at all but salty. The perfect egg though was indeed true to its name.
+ Ramen Fury Miso ($ 14.45)
Disappointed in this level of spiciness. Mild in spiciness at best. This also was too salty.
+ Fried Chorizo Dumpling & Kimchi Nachos ($ 12.75)
This was good! The only complaint/​issue is that they ran out of kimchi and was needed to complete the taste of this dish. Also, this is not a traditional pile of tortilla chips with cheese and other toppings. (see my photo for reference)
+ Spicy Dan Dan 3 Cheese Beef & Pork Mazeman Ramen ($ 15.75)
Interesting take on a popular Chinese noodle dish; it tasted nothing like the dan dan noodles I’ve had before but I liked where they’re trying to go with it. I personally love cheese and think the more the better. But I could see why this could be too cheesy and heavy for others.
| S E R V I C E |
5 stars for the service here! Every server we encountered was friendly but Catherine was the hero of Yankee Noodle. She made sure that we were well attended to, our water glasses were always refilled, the food was timed perfectly and even gave great recommendations for things to do in the area.
There was a small mishap of no kimchi for the nachos and my table wanted to order something else since they felt it was necessary to the dish. Catherine and her manager went above and beyond to let us order another dish we wanted and let us keep the kimchi-​less nachos. I loved how the situation as handled; she was so sweet and accommodating. Big thank you’s to her for making our experience great.
| O V E R A L L |
With this being a new business and all, I assume that they’re still working on recipes and what not. However, a couple of months from now I fully expect YN to be one of State St’s hottest spots; from their great selection of drinks and creative dishes to their amazing service. Hell, I may drive here from LA every other weekend to sit on that patio with my beer and bowl of cheesy dan dan noodles!

If you’re looking for ramen in Santa Barbara, this is the place to go. The ramen is not traditional Japanese ramen like Daikokuya in LA, but you can tell that they put lots of thought and care into it. The tonkotsu ramen is unique because they put bacon in it as well as the traditional fixings. I ordered it and quite enjoyed it, though there were a bit too many bamboo shoots in it for me. The noodles were firm and chewy, though thicker than I’m used to. My partner ordered the miso ramen and we both agreed that although it was good, there was perhaps a bit too much miso paste in it. We both ordered the first heat level for our respective ramens and it was just right. I was bummed because it didn’t seem like they kept togarashi (Japanese pepper with hints of citrus) on the table, though.
The seating is cute because there is a large communal table in the restaurant, in addition to the more private seating. The service is attentive and friendly, and there’s a casual, not-​too-​rowdy vibe (at least, when we went). It definitely didn’t feel like I was in a ramen-​ya, but in Santa Barbara, that probably wouldn’t be appropriate anyway.
Overall, this is a solid place. The ramen is American-​inspired, but is a good start. I’m excited to try their other dishes. Will be back!

For a group of 12 of us or so, they were extremely accommodating. Service was great, and or server was as attentive as possible for such a large group. It’s quite small in there, but cozy, very Funk Zoney (for lack of better words, haha)
I had the East Meets West drink. Absolutely delicious. Bourbon, lychee and plum wine. YUM.
The Kimchi Nachos were so good, I wish I remembered what was on it, chorizo, and other awesome goodness. JUST, YES.
So the ramen was alright. The pork broth was good, yummy if you add an egg. you do have to pay for extra additives. Kinda steep but not too mad at it.

This place is just getting going. The layout and feel is definitely a hipster style feel to a noodle restaurant: steel, reclaimed Chop Suey sign covered in glass in the center of a community table. The location is in the heart of funk district and I’m sure will take off.
We sampled a couple of items. First a base Ramen bowl with some pork, bacon, bamboo, fried egg and little extra heat. Having never been here before and they are just getting things rolling I opted for the base level heat. It does seam a bit scrugish to up charge for adding so heat to the dish, but it’s not make or break money.
The second item we tried base don the few reviews already here, the wonton and kimchi chorizo nachos. Well the flavored are solid, but we ended up leaving half of it. It was drowning in the sauces, while tasty, just buried the rest of the plate. Maybe put it on the side.
The cider my wife got a good size schooner of cider, but I’d say my Old Fashion was on the small side of things or least felt that way.
What blew my mind is the restrooms! Holy crap they were disgusting!!! You are dropping $ 50 on meal easy and they are a step below a public bathroom at the beach. They were not clean, they smelled and just looked horrendous. The place was not that busy so it wasn’t just a run of people messing it up. It was such a contrast to the high brow atmosphere they are trying to pull off in the dinning room.