Buddha Bowls

The service here is really friendly and they were patient to answer questions I had about the menu. Portions are pretty big and food comes out fast.

Rolled through Santa Barbara for the weekend and tried this place after seeing the amazing looking menu.
I got the Mac daddy, which is Mac and cheese in a bread bowl (and to think I used to not eat carbs). I added chicken, pesto and caramelized onions, I LOVED it.
I would be 10+ lbs heavier if I lived within an hour of this place

The Mac Daddy is my new best friend. Looking forward to trying more very soon!

A little gem in Isla Vista. Portion sizes are large, the ingredients fresh. My company orders from here a couple times a month and I’m never disappointed. Daniel (I believe he’s the owner) is also super nice and accommodating.
I’m a fan of the strawberry spinach salad, but the bowls and sandwiches are also good.

I went to Buddha Bowls once and left extremely unimpressed and decided I would never go back. I bought a coupon on
for a 25 dollar coupon here but they wouldn’t accept it when I tried to give it to them. Not that it had expired, but that I had to buy 75 dollars worth of merchandise to get the 25 off. That wasn’t what the coupon said when I bought it, but they wouldn’t accept it. I had to talk to multiple different workers until I gave up. I mean who would buy 75+ dollars worth of Buddha bowls? Definitely not me. After that, I figured I still would at least try a bowl rather than go somewhere different (big mistake). I tried the BBQ bowl and was extremely unimpressed. There was barely any meat at all and it felt like it was drowning in sauce. There was too much bread, even for the amount of sauce on the bowl. I didn’t want to finish it at all and ended up throwing most of it out. It’s also not a sit down restaurant, there’s only like 4 tables and they’re so crowded you can almost touch the people next to you. I guess the only good thing is that it is a student restaurant so prices are pretty low.
Overall: service was rude and useless, ambience is lacking, and food was overrated.

My only problem with Buddha Bowls is the name is rather misleading. I think they just picked it because of the alliteration, and maybe the round «fat» cob bread they use. But the food was great, as was the service. Good value options that will leave you very satisfied.

I visited this place for the first time a couple of weeks ago after living in the area for over a year. It had just never looked appealing, partly because I had in my mind that their bread bowls are the classic kind one things of: a fucking massive, 2000-​calorie sourdough bread bowl scooped out and filled with chili or soup, Yeah, this is NOT what this place sells. They are actually reinventing bread bowls in a very creative way and with portions that make it easy to eat. I like the pesto chicken option with lots of veggies, but I also love the idea that you can have a sandwich made with the bowl tops (think of a muffin top sandwich).

Wow, this place is so good. Ten out of ten would recommend. The way they toast the bread is magical and the different combinations of food you can put inside are delicious. I got the Hawaii bbq bowl and it tasted great! Service is super friendly as well.

Absolutely delicious. Huge, filling proportions. The Mac Daddy (I think that’s what it was called) was spot on, but I wish I had added more free toppings on it.
I would definitely recommend sharing any buddha bowl with one other person, unless you are a youngster with a garbage disposal stomach and also have a super fast metabolism.
Rated four stars, not five, because of the service. The location was not THAT busy, yet the servers were being semi-​unfriendly and a little unhelpful. Knowing I had never been there, they failed to walk me through the process of the add on toppings. And when I asked to add a nutella strawberry dessert, they failed to add it to my order.
Nevertheless, the food was great and the next time I visit I hope to try their nutella and strawberry dessert. Until next time!

8−22−15 2:30pm The people working here are super dupper nice very appreciative of their suggestions. Made our bowls that much better. Definitely coming here again. Oh yeah, Nutella Snaps were a great dessert to our lunch. Nutella, strawberries, whip cream and a dash of cinnamon on toasted wheat lids. Soo yumm!

Neat place located in the collage area in UCSB. I guess the main idea is that they serve their dishes in a bread bowl and if you haven’t been there before, the menu is really easy to follow. Think subway style of ordering without the nasty customer service. You can create your own dish or order an entrée straight from the menu. The food itself was carb overload but tasty! It’s very rich and a lot of flavors. It can be heavy but not in a disgusting way. My friend created her own dish with some recommendations from the server. He suggested putting humus is her bowl with whatever it was she was having and it wasn’t bad actually. Definitely would love to try their desserts.
The shop itself looks like it’s been open not too long and it was clean. Walking distance from a lot of places. It says it’s open late, I imagine for those studious students who stay up late ;)

Been here and back a few times. It’s a nice change in texture and flavors from any other restaurant.
I also always recommend the Hangover Bowl. I’ve never been as happy with any other order.

I highly recommend the Mac Daddy + Chicken (extra $ 1.20, but so worth it!!!) It’s creamy and delicious, but the one down-​side is that there’s too much bread afterwards; you might want to pair this with a side of marinara for after you finish the Mac.
I also had the Hawaiian bowl without the bell peppers and olives. Next time, I would get it without the red onions, because I think it over powers the whole bowl.
Try the Nutella Snap if you want something sweet!!! The strawberries were very fresh and sweet, and it was super yummy and filling. :)
Check this place out!

I’ve eaten here several times now and it’s not worth it in my opinion. Do you like small portions and lots of bread? If so, this might be fine for you but if I order a clam chowder bread bowl, I’d like more than a cup of soup. Also, the chicken is dry here.

This place is pretty solid.
This is one of the only places in IV that I frequent often. Their clam chowder is super rich and creamy. They toast the bread bowl with butter and it’s just absolutely tasty. However, I find myself way too full after and I usually feel a little nauseous. Their portions are generous. I also get the Mediterranean bowl with chicken (which is extra) and the basil drizzle on top is my favorite part! Their mac and cheese is okay. However, I love their breadsticks. If I’m hungry but I don’t want to spend too much money, I get two orders of breadsticks with marinara sauce (2 orders for $ 5). It is SUPER filling and I usually can’t finish them all.
The workers are pleasant and very nice. There is limited seating and the place can fill up really quickly really fast. If you’re a student, you can usually find coupons for this place (BOGO or $ 4.20 deal). The portions are awesome and this place will leave you fulfilled for the price!

I am updating this review because I have noticed the owners and employees take people’s advice to heart. They have started wearing gloves when preparing food. I do not mind people’s bare hands touching mine, but it is very important to wash your hands after handling money.
A few times here and there they will forget to give me my «nug», but they rarely charge me for it anyways so it’s not a problem. Great food, and their sourdough bowls are delicious!

Love their mac daddy bowl! This bowl oozes with cheese and is topped with bacon bits of goodness! A must try!
Ps. $ 5 for their bowls for this month in october!

Two Words: Stale Bread
I have been here three times, every time I get stale bread. I remember one time, I got the clam chowder and I ate all the chowder. The bowl was inedible and still pretty hard like a rock. I probably could have used it as a paperweight.
The quality is mediocre, and the ingredients aren’t fresh. I know that there is a Campus Special deal, but I recommend heading somewhere elsewhere to eat. They have lovely décor, but they are not clean. They do not wipe or clear their tables. It makes me wonder if they even clean their kitchen.
As for service, I feel like they do not want my business, I get bad vibes there. Okay, I will just eat somewhere else then.

I was looking to try something new for breakfast so I came here and ordered the Breakfast snapwich, which is made from 2 bread bowl tops.
What I liked:
* you can add whatever sauce (I chose pesto)
* good selection of veggies
* fried egg… can never go wrong with that
* choose btw bacon or sausage
* good price
It’s HUGE. My advice is to split the sandwich with someone. I didn’t order a bread bowl but those are even bigger… keep that in mind. It’s a lot of bread, but worth checkin out :)

The only thing I’ve had from here is the new england clam chowder, but let me tell you how excited I am to be able to get a decent fix just a couple of blocks away.
I’m pretty excited.
On a cold day or maybe just when you have those cravings, you can order something that comes with some very creamy chowder and a very dank (bread) bowl. I don’t know what else to tell you except get this if you don’t wanna travel to the ends of the earth and back for some better clam chowder elsewhere. Also highly recommend everything on the menu in a sourdough bowl! It makes everything better.
***delivery option is a mad plus and super clutch for finals week and lazy days***