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Savor Scout › Campuses › California › Santa Barbara, CA › University of California-Santa Barbara

Restaurants near campus

Restaurants near University of California-Santa Barbara

Every place to eat within a mile of the University of California-Santa Barbara, closest first, including Yoshinoya UCSB, Lao Wang Noodle Bar and Texas Tacos.

Every place to eat within a mile of UCSB UC Santa Barbara

38 places, closest first. Distances are straight-line from the campus, so a walk runs a little longer.

Right by campus · about a 5-minute walk (1)

About a 10-minute walk · a quarter to half a mile (5)

A 10- to 20-minute walk · half a mile to a mile (32)

Listings from Overture Maps open data (September 2026), open places with a street address only. Hours and openings change, so check before you go. Want one picked for what you're craving instead? Ask Savor Scout near UCSB UC Santa Barbara.

Can't decide between them? Say what you're craving and Savor Scout picks one near Santa Barbara, CA.

The food scene around UCSB UC Santa Barbara

38places to eat within 1 mile
76%independent, not chains
4coffee shops and cafés

Open listings put 38 places to eat within 1 mile of UCSB UC Santa Barbara, 2 within a ten-minute walk (half a mile), and 169 within 3 miles. The most common: pizza (5), Mexican (4) and coffee (4). One is a fast-food counter; the rest are sit-down restaurants, cafés, bakeries and takeaway spots.

Where to walk: the streets with the most places to eat within 1 mile are Embarcadero del Mar (9), Pardall Rd (9), Trigo Rd (5) and Embarcadero del Norte (4).

What stands out around UCSB UC Santa Barbara is burgers — a type that is listed here at about 3 times the national rate.

By type of food — tap one for what to order and how to spot a good one:

Pizza 5 Mexican 4 Coffee 4 Burgers 3 Mediterranean 2 Seafood 2

Popular cravings near UCSB UC Santa Barbara, within 1 mile: Asian food (5 places) and Mexican food (4). Each guide covers what to order and how to tell a good kitchen from an average one.

Eating on a student budget near UCSB UC Santa Barbara

Cheap and bad overlap much less than price filters suggest. Of the places listed nearby, 1 is a fast-food counter: the cheapest default, rarely the cheapest good meal. The value is usually in lunch specials, counter service, short menus and dishes built on rice, noodles, bread or beans. Where to eat when you're broke covers what to look for, or search cheap eats near UCSB UC Santa Barbara.

Need somewhere open right now? These listings do not carry live opening hours, and late at night a fair share of what is listed as open is not. The late-night guide covers how to check before you go, or search late-night food near UCSB UC Santa Barbara and call ahead.

The campus

  • Location — Santa Barbara, CA
  • Other names, current or former — UCSB UC Santa Barbara
  • Setting — in a suburb
  • Size — 20,000 students or more
  • Type — Public four-year institution

Campus figures are from IPEDS, the US Department of Education's institutional survey. Size is reported as the survey's own bracket rather than an exact headcount, because that is what the public dataset gives and we would rather quote it than estimate.

Nearby cities

The nearest city of any real size is San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA, about 36 miles away, for the nights the options by campus run out.

Guides worth reading

What to eat during finals week Where to eat when you're broke Where to eat late at night Where to take visiting family and friends Eating out with a dietary restriction

Questions about eating near UCSB UC Santa Barbara

What restaurants are near UCSB UC Santa Barbara?
A few to start with, nearest first: Lao Wang Noodle Bar (chinese, 0.5 mi), Texas Tacos, Super Cucas (mexican, 0.6 mi), Mojo New Asian Fusion Cafe (asian, 0.6 mi) and Spudnuts Donuts (donut shop, 0.6 mi). They are chosen local-first, then listed by distance; a starting point, not a ranking.
How many places to eat are near UCSB UC Santa Barbara?
Open map listings put 38 places to eat within 1 mile, 2 of them within a ten-minute walk, and 169 within 3 miles. About 76% are independent rather than chains; 4 are coffee shops or cafés and one is a fast-food counter.
Where is the food near UCSB UC Santa Barbara?
The busiest streets are Embarcadero del Mar (9 places), Pardall Rd (9 places), Trigo Rd (5 places) and Embarcadero del Norte (4 places).
What kind of food is near UCSB UC Santa Barbara?
The most common types are pizza (5), Mexican (4), coffee (4) and burgers (3). Unusually common compared with the rest of the country: burgers.

Nearby campuses

Comparing schools, or eating with friends across town? These are the closest campuses to UCSB UC Santa Barbara.