Welcome to Aura Restaurant, your premier destination for fresh seafood in Santa Barbara! From delicate dim sum and handcrafted ramen to flavorful Szechuan dishes, vegetable specialties, and satisfying noodles & rice, our diverse menu offers something for every taste. Don’t miss our popular dishes like Shrimp Tempura Roll, Mu Shu Shrimp, and General Tso’s Shrimp. Enjoy a welcoming atmosphere with convenient takeout and online ordering available in Santa Barbara.
Hours
| Friday | 11 AM–10 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–10 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–9:30 PM |
| Monday | 11 AM–9:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–9:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–9:30 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–9:30 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 511 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 869-6407
Website: https://www.auraasianrestaurant.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Order: Order online
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Last Updates
Reviews
xuefa ma
My friends and I came here just for a simple lunch, but we ended up having an amazing meal that perfectly suited our tastes! The staff were incredibly friendly, and we’ll definitely be back to try more of their delicious dishes.
… moreMaria Jacquez
First time here wanted to try the lunch specials. And we were pleasantly surprised how tasty everything was. The only reason I didn’t finish our food. Was because after using thier restroom and saw the pile high cart of dirty dishes everywhere in the back. I wondered how clean this restaurant can be it was 11am in the morning they just opened. So we honestly didn’t finish it. But the food was good. And make sure you pick fried rice when you place your order for lunch specials. They won’t change your white rice order after its sent to the back. And there’s a $1.99 for drinks and extra for iced teas.
… moreStella Liu
Located on a bustling pedestrian street, it offers excellent service and delicious food.
… moretony chen
The food is delicious and fresh with good portions. The price is reasonable. The restaurant is clean and comfortable, and the service is great. Overall wonderful experience, highly recommended!
… morePanning Mciver
Very satisfying meal. Delicious and fresh food, friendly and careful service, clean and comfortable. Everything was great from start to finish. Will definitely come again.
… moreAfgv Svhg
The food here was absolutely delicious! You could tell there was an excellent chef in the kitchen—this quality far exceeded my expectations for a restaurant like this. The dishes were served really fast, such a pleasant surprise! I will definitely dine here again.
… moreinfor philco
Great food I came here for lunch. The seasoning was spot on, the flavors were delicious, and it had just the right amount of spice.
I’ll definitely be back. The service was excellent too keep up the good work!
… moreI’ll definitely be back. The service was excellent too keep up the good work!
Gabriel Escudero
First, the service was very good. Our server was very nice seemed happy to have us there. Food was really good too. Their chow mein was flavorful and their szechuan dishes have a good amount of spice to it to make it pop. Overall, great new place for people to try! Gonna have to come back to try their dim sum dishes. I hope they get more and more business 🙂
… morexiaoyan wu
Old school style Chinese restaurant with mum & pop service. Great taste.
Huge portions. Value for money!
Loved it!
Definitely coming back…
… moreHuge portions. Value for money!
Loved it!
Definitely coming back…
mountain scott
Apparently this restaurant rebranded to start with a clean slate, since their previous name had collected some rough reviews. Based on my visit, I’m not convinced they’re off to the strongest start, and I suspect some of the early positive reviews are just review-padding to counterbalance the negatives. But it’s not all bad. Here’s how my experience went.
When I arrived, I looked at the menu posted outside and told one of the managers I’d like the soft-shell crab roll. A moment later, I went back to ask about the spicy cumin lamb. About ten minutes later, a server approached me asking, “What did you order?” I told her not to worry—the manager already took it. She said, “Okay, but what’s your order? I don’t know your order.” I repeated that it was fine and that the manager could confirm it.
The spicy cumin lamb eventually arrived, but the soft-shell crab roll didn’t. When I let the same server know that only half my order had been delivered, she again repeated, “I don’t know your order,” as if this were brand-new information. She even threw her hands up dramatically, frustrated at the idea of having to ask her coworker what I ordered—instead of simply checking the table number. The sushi finally came out afterward.
Condiment confusion:
The sushi arrived without wasabi or pickled ginger. By that point, I had already interacted with three different staff members—each well-meaning, but not communicating with each other. That can be efficient if the team is coordinated, but here it just created delays. I had to flag down yet another person just to get basic condiments. When I asked for wasabi and ginger, I was told that you have to specifically request them. That’s unusual anywhere you eat sushi, whether cheap or upscale.
Their explanation was that some people don’t eat them. That’s easily solved: ask guests at the moment they order sushi whether they want wasabi and ginger. A simple yes/no question prevents all the unnecessary back-and-forth.
Food impressions:
The spicy cumin lamb had real heat—two types of chopped chiles gave it a strong kick. The seasoning was flavorful, though the lamb could have been a bit more tender. The soft-shell crab roll wasn’t made with traditional sushi rice, or at least wasn’t prepared traditionally, but surprisingly it still worked well for a hot roll. No real complaints there unless you’re strict about classical sushi techniques.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this is a four-star restaurant with major room for improvement, especially in communication—both with guests and among the staff. They need a tighter system so servers aren’t re-taking orders that were already handled, and so customers don’t have to chase down condiments that are typically standard.
The flavors were solid. The experience was inconsistent. With better coordination and more attention to diner expectations, Aura has the potential to live up to the “fresh start” implied by their rebrand.
[took it down to 3 stars after restaurant used AI to give a general unrelated response instead of reading and responding to the concerns addressed]
… moreWhen I arrived, I looked at the menu posted outside and told one of the managers I’d like the soft-shell crab roll. A moment later, I went back to ask about the spicy cumin lamb. About ten minutes later, a server approached me asking, “What did you order?” I told her not to worry—the manager already took it. She said, “Okay, but what’s your order? I don’t know your order.” I repeated that it was fine and that the manager could confirm it.
The spicy cumin lamb eventually arrived, but the soft-shell crab roll didn’t. When I let the same server know that only half my order had been delivered, she again repeated, “I don’t know your order,” as if this were brand-new information. She even threw her hands up dramatically, frustrated at the idea of having to ask her coworker what I ordered—instead of simply checking the table number. The sushi finally came out afterward.
Condiment confusion:
The sushi arrived without wasabi or pickled ginger. By that point, I had already interacted with three different staff members—each well-meaning, but not communicating with each other. That can be efficient if the team is coordinated, but here it just created delays. I had to flag down yet another person just to get basic condiments. When I asked for wasabi and ginger, I was told that you have to specifically request them. That’s unusual anywhere you eat sushi, whether cheap or upscale.
Their explanation was that some people don’t eat them. That’s easily solved: ask guests at the moment they order sushi whether they want wasabi and ginger. A simple yes/no question prevents all the unnecessary back-and-forth.
Food impressions:
The spicy cumin lamb had real heat—two types of chopped chiles gave it a strong kick. The seasoning was flavorful, though the lamb could have been a bit more tender. The soft-shell crab roll wasn’t made with traditional sushi rice, or at least wasn’t prepared traditionally, but surprisingly it still worked well for a hot roll. No real complaints there unless you’re strict about classical sushi techniques.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this is a four-star restaurant with major room for improvement, especially in communication—both with guests and among the staff. They need a tighter system so servers aren’t re-taking orders that were already handled, and so customers don’t have to chase down condiments that are typically standard.
The flavors were solid. The experience was inconsistent. With better coordination and more attention to diner expectations, Aura has the potential to live up to the “fresh start” implied by their rebrand.
[took it down to 3 stars after restaurant used AI to give a general unrelated response instead of reading and responding to the concerns addressed]