Great noodles, wine list needs a timeout
Public Market / Downtown · Santa Barbara · Thai and Taiwanese-inspired noodle bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into the Santa Barbara Public Market for a bowl of Khao Soi and the wine list is basically an afterthought stapled to the back of the menu. A dozen labels, zero energy, and a Paso Robles Chardonnay that retail wine shops sell for half what they're charging here.
Twelve labels spread across sparkling, white, rosé, and red — sounds okay on paper until you realize the depth just isn't there. The California-heavy roster leans on safe, recognizable names rather than anything that reflects the bold, herb-forward flavors actually happening in the bowl. There's a nod to sake with a Kobe Japan 300ml, which at least makes sense for the Taiwanese-inspired side of the menu, but the overall list reads like someone placed a single order from a mid-tier distributor and called it a day. No regional wines that play off the spice and funk of Thai noodles — no Alsatian Riesling, no Grüner, no Provence rosé — just safe, mainstream California pours.
By-the-glass options are unclear — the menu doesn't break it out cleanly, and in a bustling counter-service format, asking someone to walk you through glass pour options isn't exactly the move. If you're hoping to find a rotating glass selection that keeps pace with the kitchen's creativity, keep hoping.
Kobe Japan Sake 300ml — N/A
It's the one item on the list that actually belongs here. A 300ml sake alongside handmade dumplings or Bangkok noodles is the most honest, food-smart move on the entire menu — and arguably the only pick that doesn't feel out of place.
Kobe Japan Sake 300ml
Most people at a noodle bar default to beer or skip drinks entirely, but this single-serve sake is flying under the radar. It's the right vessel for the right food and nobody's ordering it.
Daou Discovery Chardonnay
At $36 a bottle, you're paying double what this wine costs at retail. Daou Discovery is a perfectly fine, easy-drinking Paso Robles Chard — but it's not a $36 bottle anywhere else in Santa Barbara, and it's not doing the spicy, aromatic food any favors either.
Kobe Japan Sake 300ml + Handmade Dumplings
Sake's clean umami backbone and low acidity let the dumpling filling do the talking without stepping on the delicate wrapper or dipping sauce — it's the one pairing on this menu that actually makes sense.
The Bottom Line
Empty Bowl is a genuinely excellent noodle bar that deserves a better wine program than this — come for the Khao Soi, grab a sake, and don't let the wine list talk you into a $36 Chardonnay. The kitchen is working hard; the wine list is not.
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