Your Choice Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Ironic that this place is called your choice because when I want to try a sample of ice cream before paying $13 for a whole thing of it, the guy at the front has an attitude and is rude to me. Is it really my choice? Doesn't seem like it.

The curry here is amazing. Most of the staff has been nice, but there is one young skinny guy with glasses who has been rude to me EVERY time without fail.

For those who don't know: This spot doubles as a thai restaurant and ice cream shop. Both parts of it are delicious.

The first time I came in I had wanted to try the thai tea oreo ice cream but they were out, I was told to come back the next week. I got butter pecan instead and it was delicious.

The next time I came in, I went up and to the counter and this guy was there... No greeting, just looks at me. I asked if I could try Kathy's Dream and the thai tea oreo ice cream. There was nobody else in the front and the resaturant had almost no customers that day - and he looks at me with hesitation and sort of scoffs and goes "Uh... I'm in the middle of scooping ice cream into pints, I'm doing Kathy's Dream right now so I guess I could let you try that one but I'm not getting the thai tea out for you to try. Sorry" Mind you... the thai tea ice cream was in the freezer right below where he was standing, he was just lazy. I explained I had wanted to try that ice cream since the previous week and he goes "Yea... sorry" then goes back to scooping pints.

Fast forward - ANOTHER week passes and we come in to pick up some curry for take out. There is a huge line of people and not once does he say to anyone "Hey, if you're eating in you can go sit where you'd like" instead he wait for each person to get to the front and tells them that after they have been standing for ages. 3/4 of the parties in front of me were just standing in line because they thought they needed to be seated to get a table, but there was no communication from the staff. I finally get up to the counter, my food's ready, and in my head I'm like "YES.... I can finally try this ice cream I have been wanting to try for weeks now!" then I ask if I can try it and... Ah, guess who is there? The same guy from last time, who looks at me and goes "Uh, sorry - I can't get you a sample there are people behind you waiting." I'm sorry but what? Why are you working at an ice cream shop that charges $13 for a pint if you are going to get mad at people for wanting to try the ice cream before buying it. I also would totally understand turning down giving a sample when there is a line if I didn't already know that this guy was just lazy and hadn't already had a nasty attitude to me the first time I spoke to him. I also couldn't help but laugh at him saying there is a line when I knew that most of those people just needed to simply be told "you can go pick a seat!" It's crazy to me because I have worked in food service so many years and I don't know how somebody can get a job that calls for being a kind and hospitable person when there are so many other fields you can go into if that's something that is hard for you. I'm kind to people wherever I go and I genuinely just can't wrap my mind around how this guy got that job.

Oh and the cherry on top, when my friend had gone up to the counter to ask a random menu question a different day, he was rude to him too and acted like my friend was bothering him. Again, when there was almost nobody in the restaurant.

I just... I'm so sad because I love this restaurant but this guy has really kind of soured my feelings towards this place. It's a shame because we just moved here and have loved all the food we have tried so far but I don't really know if it's worth making myself sad just to eat something I like. Even if it wasn't the ice cream, it would have been something else. The host at the counter is simply rude and clearly doesn't like his job - or people. If you want good service and a good experience... I (sadly) don't...

I have been coming to this restaurant for at least 10 years. The quality of the food and atmosphere has only gotten better with the years. This is rare with restaurants in Santa Barbara but if there is one secret to keeping your doors open and lasting longer than a few years as a restaurant owner in this town it would be not cutting corners with the food. Santa Barbara locals are a tough crowd. We know when you do this and we will stop coming as soon as the food gets cheap and the quality takes a dive.

On the other hand, if you keep making things better word gets out and people will come. This is the case with "Your Choice" Thai. When I used to go here years ago with friends it was decent Thai food. Nothing to complain about. Now? The ingredients are so fresh, the dishes are all so well made.

When I compare it to other newer Thai restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta I already know which ones will be closed in the next few years if they can't figure out how to make a decent Curry sauce!

They have a great (efficient) take out service in the front of the house with plenty of room for people to wait for their orders without disturbing the folks staying for dinner. And trust me, you will see a crowd of people waiting for their take out on certain nights of the week! They have three walls worth of booths with the back wall booths flexible for large parties. The center of the dining room has tables that can be arranged to fit various sized parties and the entire front of the house also has tables looking out across Upper State Street and Loretto Plaza.

That's another thing to make a note of, this not the location (Your Place) on Milpas Street, this is on Upper State Street. (Your Choice) There is plenty of parking but it does get full during dinner time. Not to worry though, there is parking on the side streets in the San Roque neighborhood.

I almost don't want everyone to know about my favorite Thai restaurant because this will make them even busier. But as long as they keep the quality of their food and dining experience top notch it should be ok! They really have earned it.

One last thing, the service. They are basically a well oiled machine at this point. They have added a lot of new staff from what I have seen. Some of the newer servers are very green but all of them are very friendly and polite. The more seasoned servers will serve you your first cup of tea and ladle your first cup of soup for you. Newer servers are more likely to just put it down on the table and leave you to it. However no matter who is serving you they are all interested in helping you with whatever it is you need. If you are waiting for your take out order they will check on it for you and find out how much longer it will be, whatever specific need you have will always be attended to by whomever catches your eye first. I have never experienced any rudeness or inefficiency with anyone there. Just levels of experience. Which is completely forgivable.

This is basically the restaurant I will go to when I want to br guaranteed to have a positive experience. So far I have never been disappointed.

Pictured: Phad Thai with Tofu, Thom Kha soup with Veggies, Green Tea, Pa Nang Curry with Tofu and rice. My Mom and I had a wonderful vegetarian spread. We don't always go vegetarian but felt like it the other night. It was perfect. The leftovers were...

💖💖💖 BEST RESTAURANT IN SB!!!! I’ve been coming here for years (sometimes more than once a week) and there are SO many qualities that earn this place its well-deserved title:

1️⃣. INSANE FOOD - Like I said, I’m a frequent flyer. I’ve tried a lot of their dishes and among my favorites are the yellow coconut curry, wonton soup, drunken noodles, and tom kha. Their Wednesday specials are always so unique and hard to resist. One thing I especially appreciate is the care with which takeout is packaged. I’ve gotten many takeaway soups and NEVER ONCE had a leak or a spill.

2️⃣. INCREDIBLE PEOPLE - Piti, Pui, Ahmed, and the rest of the crew are some of the best folks ever. They’re kind, caring, and honestly just such cool people. They truly are the heart and soul of this place, and we look forward to seeing them as much as the food we so love.

3️⃣. ICE CREAM PARTY (need I say more?) - Creaminal is HANDS DOWN the best ice cream in SB. I said it. It’s true. The incredibly unique flavors are available all week long, but I especially love No Sad Sundaes every Saturday night. It’s a vital part of my weekend routine.

Your Choice is such a special place. It holds so many of my favorites meals and memories, and will continue to do so for...