PRESS
Michelin guide
New Additions: Central Coast, California Restaurants
“This trendy Indian dining room makes quite a splash. Harnessing the best of land and sea, these dishes are born for sharing.”
Thrillist
Where to Find Glorious Forests, Wineries, and Waterfalls in Santa Barbara
“For impressive selections of natural and low-intervention wines, head to State Street. Bibi Ji, a colorful, modern Indian restaurant, has an excellent selection by the glass and bottle and one of the best Champagne lists around.”
The Absolute Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara, California
“Located Downtown on State Street, Bibi Ji combines local produce with Indian culinary influences to offer a fresh take on traditional dishes.”
Santa Barbara Magazine
State Street Spice
“Tables in the pastel-pink dining room and on the lively patios—with a progressive playlist and the smell of
signature spices (roasted in-house) in the air—are just as likely to host Gen Z TikTokers and Los Angeles weekenders as mainstay Montecito residents and celebrities.”
NEW YORK TIMES
52 Places To Go In 2019 – Santa Barbara (#3)
“Santa Barbara has now become a foodie magnet. Bibi Ji [is] an edgy Indian restaurant — try the uni biryani — with a wine list curated by the noted sommelier Rajat Parr.”
The 52 Places Traveler
“At Bibi Ji I joined a winemaker’s event. The pairing of wine with the restaurant’s modern Indian fare was
at once a celebration of the region’s wine and a middle finger to anyone who has said Indian food and fine wine don’t mix.”
FORBES
Best Champagne Alternatives For New Year’s Eve—And Beyond
“Alejandro Medina, co-owner of Bibi Ji—a modern Indian eatery in Santa Barbara, California—recommends wines born from higher altitudes and colder temperatures.”
Travel + Leisure
Santa Barbara Has Officially Gotten Its Groove Back
“That night I headed downtown to Bibi Ji, which was filled with locals bathed in pink neon light. Over a dinner of crunchy, creamy uni biryani — fried rice served in a sea urchin shell —
I watched owner Alejandro Medina greet friends and new friends with a two-step bro handshake/hug. He had the energy of a marketer and the warmth of a local boy done good.”
ROBB REPORT
16 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2018
The 5 Best Restaurants to Pair With a Santa Barbara Wine Country Getaway
purewow
The 13 Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara
“A colorful contemporary Indian restaurant with a strong natural wine list, Bibi Ji is one of the most exciting Indian restaurants not just in Santa Barbara but in California.”
DEPARTURES
This Classic Beach Destination Is California’s Hottest New Food and Wine Getaway
“The food serves to showcase the region’s more daring winemakers (not the other way around), as well as Santa Barbara’s evolving collective palate.”
Highly anticipated restaurant-opening.
CONDE NAST TRAVELER
3 Culture-Filled American Road Trips to Take This Summer
“A whole day could be spent feasting in Santa Barbara, whether you’re craving the flavors of Italy, India (Bibi Ji), or Baja Mexico. The only wrong choice is not trying it all.”
USA TODAY
Always Fresh: 10 Best New Restaurants in Santa Barbara - #1
“Bibi Ji is home to some of the brightest flavors in Santa Barbara.”
Wine Enthusiast
A Mussels Recipe that Pairs Perfect with Wine
“Traditional mussel preparations abound throughout the region, but this Indian-inspired dish from Bibi Ji, co-owned by renowned sommelier and author Rajat Parr,
makes for a heavily spiced, addictively delicious diversion from the norm.”
FOOD & WINE
“Downtown Santa Barbara’s modern Indian destination”
THE INFATUATION
12 Restaurants Worthy Of A Day Trip Outside LA
“This is some of the most exciting Indian food you’ll find in Southern California.”
The Best Restaurants In Santa Barbara
“We’d drive up from LA just for the uni with biryani rice”
Bibi Ji Review – 9.0
“Bibi Ji is the kind of approachable place where you could spend all night. There are big family portraits along the walls, people getting drunk at the bar, and hot pink accent lights at night that make you feel like you’re inside a limousine. This is a neighborhood restaurant, but with food good enough to justify however long it took you to get here.”
C Magazine
Why Santa Barbara Keeps Getting Better
“On State Street, things are hot and spicy at Bibi Ji, where partners Alejandro Medina and Rajat Parr put a creative spin on Indian cuisine in a cool, urban setting.”
Santa Barbara Independent
Michelin Guide Adds Three Santa Barbara Restaurants to List
Foodie Awards 2019
“Santa Barbara’s concept of Indian food was reborn in February 2018 with the opening of Bibi Ji. The concept is as strong as ever: creative Indian dishes combining familiar subcontinent flavors and techniques with the Central Coast’s freshest produce and meats, served with natural-leaning wines.”
FOOD NETWORK
The Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara
“Bibi Ji is an ever-exciting Indian restaurant”
CALIFORNIA HOME DESIGN
10 Spots to Sip, Savor and Stay in Downtown Santa Barbara
“The hospitality includes delicious, modern Indian fare using the freshest local ingredients. Guests are transported into this bold world with rich, jewel tones, portraits of Indian figures and a global wine bottle display by James Beard-award winning Wine Director and partner Rajat Parr.”
HAUTE LIVING
Haute Getaway: Picks For A Luxe Santa Barbara Retreat
“If you venture into town for a bite or find yourself pausing during a day’s exploration, downtown Santa Barbara’s Bibi Ji is beloved by locals and visitors alike seeking creative Indian fare.”
New Restaurants
WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE
“It has quickly joined the list of Santa Barbara’s most intriguing culinary destinations.”
Podcast
KCRW
New culinary hot spots in Santa Barbara
SUNSET MAGAZINE
Fresh Seafood to Chic Hideaway Hotels: The Ultimate Central California Road Trip
“Modern spins on Indian food and a wine list heavy on local and global natural wines make this restaurant from Alejandro Medina and celeb somm Rajat Parr a must-hit spot.”
Santa Barbara Guidebook: What to See & Do Now
“The patio is an ideal spot to slurp icy-cool oysters.”
EATER LOS ANGELES
The 13 Essential Santa Barbara Restaurants
“The eclectic menu moves from street food snacks to curries and more composed plates from the grill, with lots of local wines to match.”
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Local uni divers share favorite Santa Barbara seafood spots
“Phenomenal”