Hidden gem Thai food on state street. Tom yum soup was very tasty. We also love the green curry and pad Thai!

I got the mixed vegetables with chicken and it was very good. The service was very polite and attentive. I liked the authentic decor and music. This was my second visit here and I will come back again.

We were looking for somewhere to have lunch on Thanksgiving and stumbled upon this place. It looked more interesting than the generic expensive American or Mexican restaurants on this block on State Street. The pad kee mao was actually very legit, with the smoky flavor of the wok and the containers of Thai chili flakes and birds eye chilis. Everyone that worked there was very friendly and fast, even though they were very busy.

Great experience! The Pad Thai and papaya salad were amazing as always and service is insanely quick.

Very tasty Thai food. Really loved the flavors and freshness of the dishes served. We could customize our order to vegetarian versions. They are served with lots of vegetables and tofu. Service was so friendly and fast. Loved the location and seating area too.

+3

We went along with friends for diner. We preferred the curry fried rice along with the pa nang curry which was listed as their house specialty. Our friend ordered the spicy curry noodles with pork and the garlic and pepper pork stir fry. All the dishes are really tasty and appropriately spiced. The quantity was sufficient for all people. The service was quick and the hostess was very accommodating in making some dishes vegetarian ( without including fish sauce or oyster sauce). Regarding parking, since the restaurant is near downtown Santa Barbara, we had to rely on street parking which was available at 0.25 mile distance. There are also paid public parking lots available where the first 75 minutes are free.

+6

Incredible service and food! We were planning on going to the other Thai place across the street, but they were closed despite their hours saying otherwise. It must've been a blessing in disguise, because this place was practically perfect. From its decor inside, to the kind waiter/waitresses, and especially the food for being authentically Thai, there really isn't anything as comparable (and we've been to many Thai places across the Central Coast!). We are for sure making this a mandatory stop anytime we visit SB downtown, and I truly hope this place gets the business it absolutely deserves!

+1

We weren't looking for this restaurant when we started out and it was a nice surprise that we found it on our way to another one. The weather in SB was wonderful when we sat outside. We requested vegan options and every dish we tasted was bursting with flavors and spicy the way we liked. The spicy fried rice and mixed vegetables with garlic sauce were delicious. The service was also very friendly and welcoming. Definitely stop by if you're looking for Thai in this busy street with so many options.

Today I tried the Lemon Fish at Galanga, and it was absolutely amazing. The flavor was bold and perfectly balanced, served in a hot pot that truly felt like eating authentic Thai food back in Thailand. Another must-try dish was the Grilled Pork with Sticky Rice. The pork was tender and aromatic with spices, paired with soft, warm sticky rice — such a perfect combination. Every bite made me feel less homesick for Thailand. I’d definitely say Galanga is one of the best Thai restaurants in Santa Barbara. Highly recommended! 🇹🇭✨

Ordered pad thai, pad see ew, chicken satay, and thai tea. The pad thai was quite good, with bright and clean flavor. The thai tea was a lot stronger than I'm used to, which was actually quite refreshing - accidentally drank it all before the food arrived. The chicken satay was tender and flavorful. But the standout was the pad see ew, which was the best I've ever had. Perfectly grilled/charred noodles, flavorful broccoli, and the best overall flavor I've had for this dish. Would absolutely recommend, and the service was very nice despite us sitting out on the street a good twenty feet from the front entrance.

My parents are long-time fans of Glanaga Thai, and now I completely understand why — I’m officially a huge fan too! They swear by the crispy duck, and I have to agree — it’s perfectly cooked, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. We placed a large takeout order for a family birthday dinner, and the entire experience was great. The gentleman at the counter was incredibly friendly and even apologized for the slight delay (which we barely noticed). While we waited, we enjoyed our Thai teas by the window and had a lovely time people-watching. The location is fantastic — right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, walking distance to the beach and Amtrak. Great food, kind service, and a cozy spot in a beautiful part of town. Highly recommend!

A hidden gem along state street. They do a great job of making it spicy if you'd like, but can keep it more neutral if you prefer. Rice can also make or break the meal, and it's really good here. The Thai iced tea isn't too sweet either – just right. We also enjoy eating outside on a nice evening (which fortunately happens often in the area). It's tucked away just enough from the street that you can sit outside and watch the crowds without feeling like people are too close. Highly recommend if you like Thai!

Dustin Demoin

Had a great meal. Staff were friendly. My Pad-see-Ew was very tasty and not oily. My husband’s panang curry was very good too.

Eric T

Ordered pad thai, pad see ew, chicken satay, and thai tea. The pad thai was quite good, with bright and clean flavor. The thai tea was a lot stronger than I'm used to, which was actually quite refreshing - accidentally drank it all before the food arrived. The chicken satay was tender and flavorful. But the standout was the pad see ew, which was the best I've ever had. Perfectly grilled/charred noodles, flavorful broccoli, and the best overall flavor I've had for this dish. Would absolutely recommend, and the service was very nice despite us sitting out on the street a good twenty feet from the front entrance.

S B

My parents are long-time fans of Glanaga Thai, and now I completely understand why — I’m officially a huge fan too! They swear by the crispy duck, and I have to agree — it’s perfectly cooked, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. We placed a large takeout order for a family birthday dinner, and the entire experience was great. The gentleman at the counter was incredibly friendly and even apologized for the slight delay (which we barely noticed). While we waited, we enjoyed our Thai teas by the window and had a lovely time people-watching. The location is fantastic — right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, walking distance to the beach and Amtrak. Great food, kind service, and a cozy spot in a beautiful part of town. Highly recommend!

April

This place has great food. The pa-nang curry and crab puffs are the best I've had fro many Thai place so far. The pad thai is definitely the best I've had in a long time - it has a great grilled flavor. The staff are always friendly and fast. And if you're a houseplant lover, all the plants here are beautifully taken care of... whoever is in charge of them definitely has a green thumb!

Mr. Z

This is a solid option, the fried rice was not too salty and the appetizers were plenty crispy, if you have trouble deciding where to eat, take this place into consideration. The fried rice somehow felt just a tad bit too wet, perhaps taking away from the essence of true fried rice, but it was delicious still. Bonus is that this place has no wait.

Jacqueline Marzan

Came here while on an overnight visit to Santa Barbara in search of noodles to eat on a birthday. The owners were so sweet and so attentive, the portion sizes are perfect for the size and the mango sticky rice had a super generous heap of mango! It made me sad that this place wasn't packed! We sat outside and enjoyed a nice breeze people watching and taking in the atmosphere as we ate. Would definitely come back if we're in the area again.

Rupinder Matharu

Wanted to have a quick bite. Noted this place on the strip, we had the lunch specials for $15. It was not too busy on the Friday later afternoon and were promptly seated by some nice staff. Food came out quick from the kitchen, I ordered garlic pepper with mixed veggies, I requested it to be spicy … be warned it was fairly hot! Luckily I did not ask for the spiciest. We were all generally happy with the portions, the lunch specials came with a bowl of rice, fried wonton and egg roll, we generally do not eat large amounts so these were totally fine but if you have a large appetite this one portion may not suffice. My family and I did like the food overall. I would say negatives would be the interior could do with a renovation, definitely felt a little run down. +3.5/5.

Lise-Mari Gillespie

Green Papaya salad and Pork Dumplings. Medium spice was perfect for the salad, was fresh and full of flavour. Enjoyed the Dumplings, enough filling and the sauce gave some kick to it. Portions were enough to share, would add another dish however if sharing with a man. Order was to-go, overall waited 10mins, wasn't busy and friendly service.

Green Papaya salad and Pork Dumplings. Medium spice was perfect for the salad, was fresh and full of flavour. Enjoyed the Dumplings, enough filling and the sauce gave some kick to it. Portions were enough to share, would add another dish however if sharing with a man. Order was to-go, overall waited 10mins, wasn't busy and friendly service.

Came here while on an overnight visit to Santa Barbara in search of noodles to eat on a birthday. The owners were so sweet and so attentive, the portion sizes are perfect for the size and the mango sticky rice had a super generous heap of mango! It made me sad that this place wasn't packed! We sat outside and enjoyed a nice breeze people watching and taking in the atmosphere as we ate. Would definitely come back if we're in the area again.

Wanted to have a quick bite. Noted this place on the strip, we had the lunch specials for $15. It was not too busy on the Friday later afternoon and were promptly seated by some nice staff. Food came out quick from the kitchen, I ordered garlic pepper with mixed veggies, I requested it to be spicy … be warned it was fairly hot! Luckily I did not ask for the spiciest. We were all generally happy with the portions, the lunch specials came with a bowl of rice, fried wonton and egg roll, we generally do not eat large amounts so these were totally fine but if you have a large appetite this one portion may not suffice. My family and I did like the food overall. I would say negatives would be the interior could do with a renovation, definitely felt a little run down. +3.5/5.

+2

This is a solid option, the fried rice was not too salty and the appetizers were plenty crispy, if you have trouble deciding where to eat, take this place into consideration. The fried rice somehow felt just a tad bit too wet, perhaps taking away from the essence of true fried rice, but it was delicious still. Bonus is that this place has no wait.

Food was good, not great. Service was ok. Said the spicy was way too spicy so ordered the medium. That was sweet. They fried wonton on top of hot soup, so they just got soggy. Its ok. Not bad.

Manmeet Salh

Food was good, not great. Service was ok. Said the spicy was way too spicy so ordered the medium. That was sweet. They fried wonton on top of hot soup, so they just got soggy. Its ok. Not bad.

Anna Song

I’ve lived in Thailand for almost 10 years, and I can tell you with certainty that this is simply bad Thai food. The Tom Yum Goong had no depth of flavor, it tasted like something from a premade packet with a few mushrooms thrown in (you can get the same result from a $1 packet in any oriental market). The noodles were extremely sweet, so much so that the sugary taste completely overpowered everything else. We also asked if the restaurant had Pad Kra Pao (basil fried pork), since it wasn’t listed on the menu. The waiter said yes, so we ordered it and even paid an extra dollar for ground pork, assuming it would be authentic. Instead, what arrived was canned bamboo with basil and a bit of pork. Worse, they never told us this was what we’d be served, nor pointed it out on the menu so we could decide. Unsurprisingly, this dish too was overwhelmed by sugar. Overall, the food was very disappointing, overpriced, and far from authentic. RUN FROM IT

Andre Arsenault

My group and I really wanted to like this place, unfortunately we were very disappointed with both the food and the service. The food was very bland and lacked character/soul. We had to send back two dishes because they weren’t very good at all and the owner came out and yelled at us for being inconsiderate. All that aside, the food just doesn’t appeal to the traditional Thai food that I have had in the past. We ordered the garlic pepper beef, cashew chicken, veggie currie, deep fried tofu, fried rice and the papaya salad. The garlic pepper beef was good but needed more sauce. The cashew chicken was not good at all, no flavour, no complexity. The deep fried tofu was bland and the sauce with it was also terrible. The Fried rice was typical and lacked flavour as well. I could go on but I will leave it there. Have a good day.

My group and I really wanted to like this place, unfortunately we were very disappointed with both the food and the service. The food was very bland and lacked character/soul. We had to send back two dishes because they weren’t very good at all and the owner came out and yelled at us for being inconsiderate. All that aside, the food just doesn’t appeal to the traditional Thai food that I have had in the past. We ordered the garlic pepper beef, cashew chicken, veggie currie, deep fried tofu, fried rice and the papaya salad. The garlic pepper beef was good but needed more sauce. The cashew chicken was not good at all, no flavour, no complexity. The deep fried tofu was bland and the sauce with it was also terrible. The Fried rice was typical and lacked flavour as well. I could go on but I will leave it there. Have a good day.

+1

I’ve lived in Thailand for almost 10 years, and I can tell you with certainty that this is simply bad Thai food. The Tom Yum Goong had no depth of flavor, it tasted like something from a premade packet with a few mushrooms thrown in (you can get the same result from a $1 packet in any oriental market). The noodles were extremely sweet, so much so that the sugary taste completely overpowered everything else. We also asked if the restaurant had Pad Kra Pao (basil fried pork), since it wasn’t listed on the menu. The waiter said yes, so we ordered it and even paid an extra dollar for ground pork, assuming it would be authentic. Instead, what arrived was canned bamboo with basil and a bit of pork. Worse, they never told us this was what we’d be served, nor pointed it out on the menu so we could decide. Unsurprisingly, this dish too was overwhelmed by sugar. Overall, the food was very disappointing, overpriced, and far from authentic. RUN FROM IT