TAP Thai Cuisine

Eating Destination

Our favorite Thai spot in Santa Barbara! We love getting their Khao Soi Gai noodle, which is a very popular street food in Thailand. It is a delicious coconut curry base soup with noodles, we love it!!! Their Tap Signature Pad Thai is also amazing - one of the best we've tried so far. Simply delicious! Follow @eatingdestination on Instagram for more restaurants reviews!

Ahsoka Tano

I love panang curry chicken. I get it when I can at all Thai restaurants. It was great at Tap Thai. Paired it with light sake. So good

TAP Thai is just fantastic. Every dish I've had there (and I've had more than a few!) has been so delicious. Standouts for me include the eggplant salad (if you think you don't like eggplant, guess again) and the pumpkin curry. But honestly I've never had a bad dish, or even a so-so dish. Don't let the casual atmosphere fool you - that s place is a big notch above.

I lived in Thailand for 4 months so I think I know what I'm talking about when I say Tap Thai is hands down the best in the Santa Barbara area. I've had just about every dish on the menu countless times and my mouth continues to water every time I think of them. The food is so good that they don't have to be nice, but the service is always impeccable.

Marcus C

Great lunch specials Friendly service Great outdoor patio and nice booths inside Thai Iced with boba is a favorite

Allyson Gill

I lived in Thailand for 4 months so I think I know what I'm talking about when I say Tap Thai is hands down the best in the Santa Barbara area. I've had just about every dish on the menu countless times and my mouth continues to water every time I think of them. The food is so good that they don't have to be nice, but the service is always impeccable.

Lori Ruland

TAP Thai is just fantastic. Every dish I've had there (and I've had more than a few!) has been so delicious. Standouts for me include the eggplant salad (if you think you don't like eggplant, guess again) and the pumpkin curry. But honestly I've never had a bad dish, or even a so-so dish. Don't let the casual atmosphere fool you - that s place is a big notch above.

**Tap Thai Restaurant Review** **Ordered Items:** Thai Iced Tea, Veg Corn Cake, Pineapple Rice, and Tap Signature Pad Thai. **Review:** Our recent visit to Tap Thai was a delightful experience with a few minor hiccups. Here's a breakdown of our meal: **Thai Iced Tea:** The tea was stronger than we anticipated, which may appeal to some, but it was slightly overpowering for our taste. Fortunately, our server was attentive and promptly provided us with sweetener, which helped balance the flavor. **Pineapple Rice:** This dish was a highlight of our meal. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the sweetness of the pineapple complemented the savory elements beautifully. It was well-seasoned and offered a satisfying mix of textures and flavors. **Tap Signature Pad Thai:** Another standout dish, the Tap Signature Pad Thai was flavorful and expertly prepared. The noodles were tender, and the sauce was a harmonious blend of sweet, tangy, and savory notes. This dish is definitely a must-try for anyone visiting Tap Thai. **Veg Corn Cake:** While the corn cake had a pleasant taste, it was a bit too oily for our liking. Additionally, the portion size was small, with only two pieces per serving, making it suitable for just one person. It would be great if the portion size was larger or if the dish was less greasy. **Service:** The service was commendable. Our server was attentive and accommodating, especially when it came to adjusting the sweetness of our Thai iced tea. **Overall:** Tap Thai offers a range of delicious dishes that are well worth trying, with the pineapple rice and Tap Signature Pad Thai being the stars of our meal. With a few tweaks to the veg corn cake, it could elevate the dining experience even further. The friendly and responsive service added to the positive experience, making us look forward to our next visit.

Well decorated spot with warm Thai foods and friendly, helpful waiters. The appetizers didn't seem as seasoned, so you'll need to enjoy it with the sauce. The roti had a warm and moist texture. The Pineapple Fried Rice was mostly good, though I noticed a few random salty portions. The service however was fantastic. They checked-in regularly, made a few jokes, and offerred recommendations when they noticed we were hesistant. I did enjoy their Panang Curry, but will need to come back to test their other menu items. Their service was on point.

Solid Thai option in Goleta. Decent spice, well prepared, good portion. Contemporary QSR decor. Seemed like they had some decent local microbrews on tap, which I would have liked if we had dinner. What would make it 5 stars? Maybe a little more attentive/speedy service. Still solid, will definitely return.

Manish Jain

**Tap Thai Restaurant Review** **Ordered Items:** Thai Iced Tea, Veg Corn Cake, Pineapple Rice, and Tap Signature Pad Thai. **Review:** Our recent visit to Tap Thai was a delightful experience with a few minor hiccups. Here's a breakdown of our meal: **Thai Iced Tea:** The tea was stronger than we anticipated, which may appeal to some, but it was slightly overpowering for our taste. Fortunately, our server was attentive and promptly provided us with sweetener, which helped balance the flavor. **Pineapple Rice:** This dish was a highlight of our meal. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the sweetness of the pineapple complemented the savory elements beautifully. It was well-seasoned and offered a satisfying mix of textures and flavors. **Tap Signature Pad Thai:** Another standout dish, the Tap Signature Pad Thai was flavorful and expertly prepared. The noodles were tender, and the sauce was a harmonious blend of sweet, tangy, and savory notes. This dish is definitely a must-try for anyone visiting Tap Thai. **Veg Corn Cake:** While the corn cake had a pleasant taste, it was a bit too oily for our liking. Additionally, the portion size was small, with only two pieces per serving, making it suitable for just one person. It would be great if the portion size was larger or if the dish was less greasy. **Service:** The service was commendable. Our server was attentive and accommodating, especially when it came to adjusting the sweetness of our Thai iced tea. **Overall:** Tap Thai offers a range of delicious dishes that are well worth trying, with the pineapple rice and Tap Signature Pad Thai being the stars of our meal. With a few tweaks to the veg corn cake, it could elevate the dining experience even further. The friendly and responsive service added to the positive experience, making us look forward to our next visit.

Vincent Tang

Well decorated spot with warm Thai foods and friendly, helpful waiters. The appetizers didn't seem as seasoned, so you'll need to enjoy it with the sauce. The roti had a warm and moist texture. The Pineapple Fried Rice was mostly good, though I noticed a few random salty portions. The service however was fantastic. They checked-in regularly, made a few jokes, and offerred recommendations when they noticed we were hesistant. I did enjoy their Panang Curry, but will need to come back to test their other menu items. Their service was on point.

David Rachford

Solid Thai option in Goleta. Decent spice, well prepared, good portion. Contemporary QSR decor. Seemed like they had some decent local microbrews on tap, which I would have liked if we had dinner. What would make it 5 stars? Maybe a little more attentive/speedy service. Still solid, will definitely return.

Clean, new, updated, fast food style of ordering Thai food. The butterfly tea is a fascinating hit: power tea arrives hot and blue, and a squeeze of lemon turns is purple. Outdoor eating is a hot, trendy place to relax and take time to eat. The pad thai is very sweet and okay. Portions are on the small side. Big noodles dish was okay too but maybe it need some more sauce or flavor. This is not authentic Thai, but it has appeal in other ways.

I order to go but man, what a disappointment. I sent that photo of the Tom Yum soup to 4 of my Asian friends and non of them guessed that it was Tom Yum. No color and has some flavor but lacks a lot. I think if this soup was sold in Thailand, they’d be put on trial for treason. Better off getting MAMA Tom Yum instant noodles. Same with the Khao Soi Gao, light curry flavor and a lot of salt after taste, not salty like chicken season, fish sauce or soy sauce. Just straight 4 spoons of salt. Honestly, it tasted like they bought curry and soup from other restaurants and water it down to sell. Sucks to say that but that’s what they tasted like. Customer service was good tho.

M.A. EatsArt

Clean, new, updated, fast food style of ordering Thai food. The butterfly tea is a fascinating hit: power tea arrives hot and blue, and a squeeze of lemon turns is purple. Outdoor eating is a hot, trendy place to relax and take time to eat. The pad thai is very sweet and okay. Portions are on the small side. Big noodles dish was okay too but maybe it need some more sauce or flavor. This is not authentic Thai, but it has appeal in other ways.

brian le

I order to go but man, what a disappointment. I sent that photo of the Tom Yum soup to 4 of my Asian friends and non of them guessed that it was Tom Yum. No color and has some flavor but lacks a lot. I think if this soup was sold in Thailand, they’d be put on trial for treason. Better off getting MAMA Tom Yum instant noodles. Same with the Khao Soi Gao, light curry flavor and a lot of salt after taste, not salty like chicken season, fish sauce or soy sauce. Just straight 4 spoons of salt. Honestly, it tasted like they bought curry and soup from other restaurants and water it down to sell. Sucks to say that but that’s what they tasted like. Customer service was good tho.

I ordered Summer Rolls and Tom Yum Soup with Soft Tofu and Pad Thai with tofu no egg. The Summer rolls were okay. Nothing special and they were very sticky. I was disappointed with the Tom Yum soup. It was just broth with a lot of sliced common cremini like mushrooms. I was expecting something more elevated from a restaurant. This soup would have been better with tiny beech mushrooms. The Pad Thai was very difficult to eat. The noodles were all stuck together. Flavor was also nothing special. My family and I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere when the restaurant was on upper State Street. This location does not feel like a nice sit down date night or family dinner experience . It feels like quick work day lunch place.

Gina

I ordered Summer Rolls and Tom Yum Soup with Soft Tofu and Pad Thai with tofu no egg. The Summer rolls were okay. Nothing special and they were very sticky. I was disappointed with the Tom Yum soup. It was just broth with a lot of sliced common cremini like mushrooms. I was expecting something more elevated from a restaurant. This soup would have been better with tiny beech mushrooms. The Pad Thai was very difficult to eat. The noodles were all stuck together. Flavor was also nothing special. My family and I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere when the restaurant was on upper State Street. This location does not feel like a nice sit down date night or family dinner experience . It feels like quick work day lunch place.

Drunken noodles tasted good until almost finishing the plate, I found a hair in my noodles. Told the waitress, they were nice about it and didnt charge me. I probably will come back after some heavy drinking in the future

I had high hopes walking into this place but we were disappointed. The tom yum soup is clear in color and tasteless. The crispy sesame tofu were not crispy at all. We actually had to give these back to the kitchen. We couldn't eat it. The papaya salad is OK, but the dressing is too blend for my liking. We had to ask for extra dressing and even then it wasn't amazing. The only decent thing we had was the green curry. Unfortunately I will not be coming back and would not recommend this restaurant to others. I gave it 2 stars because 1 star is for the green curry and the other star is for the awesome servers that work there. They are very nice and polite.

Meghavi patel

I had high hopes walking into this place but we were disappointed. The tom yum soup is clear in color and tasteless. The crispy sesame tofu were not crispy at all. We actually had to give these back to the kitchen. We couldn't eat it. The papaya salad is OK, but the dressing is too blend for my liking. We had to ask for extra dressing and even then it wasn't amazing. The only decent thing we had was the green curry. Unfortunately I will not be coming back and would not recommend this restaurant to others. I gave it 2 stars because 1 star is for the green curry and the other star is for the awesome servers that work there. They are very nice and polite.

Anh Don

Drunken noodles tasted good until almost finishing the plate, I found a hair in my noodles. Told the waitress, they were nice about it and didnt charge me. I probably will come back after some heavy drinking in the future

The workers are friendly, the atmosphere is amazing, BUT the food does not match the price (does not taste good). If you’re looking for authentic Thai food, I recommend your choice and your place.

Not good.....the calamari was soggy and the ribs were all fat. The cucumber salad was more liquid than anything. Maybe this was because I ordered close to closing, but I feel like I wasted 70$. There is no email associated with their website, and I didn't want to call and debate, so im leaving this review.

I wish they would either lower their prices for their small portions, or raise them so I don't go hungry a few hours later by offering normal-sized portions; because the portions are SMALL and OVERPRICED! $60 for 3 small items and I was not satisfied. I hope this restaurant gets it together! Tables are usually empty, I wonder why.

Zhengshi Yin

The workers are friendly, the atmosphere is amazing, BUT the food does not match the price (does not taste good). If you’re looking for authentic Thai food, I recommend your choice and your place.

kat ricci

Not good.....the calamari was soggy and the ribs were all fat. The cucumber salad was more liquid than anything. Maybe this was because I ordered close to closing, but I feel like I wasted 70$. There is no email associated with their website, and I didn't want to call and debate, so im leaving this review.

I ordered takeout last night and was so shocked to see the minuscule size of my order. For $19.50 I got a Penang curry and for the same price of $19.50 I got a PadThai. The containers were smaller than the size of a leftover dinner container…..Such a rip off!

Nicole Halabisky

I ordered takeout last night and was so shocked to see the minuscule size of my order. For $19.50 I got a Penang curry and for the same price of $19.50 I got a PadThai. The containers were smaller than the size of a leftover dinner container…..Such a rip off!