A leafy shopping street where the Office Burger was invented, with espresso bars, cheese shops and focaccia counters.
Father's Office on Montana Avenue is the Santa Monica gastropub where Sang Yoon's no-substitutions Office Burger was born, backed by 36 craft taps.
Order: The Office Burger, exactly as it comes
Tip: No ketchup, no substitutions, 21-plus only; the burger comes one way and the bar means it.
Father's Office on Montana Avenue is the Santa Monica gastropub where Sang Yoon's no-substitutions Office Burger was born, backed by 36 craft taps.
Order: The Office Burger, exactly as it comes
Tip: No ketchup, no substitutions, 21-plus only; the burger comes one way and the bar means it.
Bread Head bakes a crackly focaccia-ciabatta hybrid daily for its Montana Avenue sandwich counter in Santa Monica, muffulettas and hot weekday specials.
Order: The Combo Grinder on the house focaccia
Tip: Founders Jordan Snyder and Alex Williams grew it from a Main Street pop-up; the Combo Grinder is the benchmark order.
Caffe Luxxe opened its first European-style espresso bar on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica in 2006 and still pulls the Westside's silkiest shots.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Tip: This is the original of the small family of caffes, marked Where It All Began; the Brentwood Country Mart branch opens daily at 07:00.
Primo Passo Coffee Co. pulls hazelnut lattes and light-roast pour-overs behind glass on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, roasting under its own name.
Signature drink: Hazelnut latte
Tip: The house-made hazelnut latte is the signature; window stools turn over fast on weekend mornings.
Sogno Toscano stacks an espresso bar, Italian market and wine bar into one Montana Avenue corner in Santa Monica, panini by day and aperitivo by night.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Tip: Bookable wine tastings run in the evenings; otherwise take a Bufalina panino and a glass at the window.
Bread Head bakes a crackly focaccia-ciabatta hybrid daily for its Montana Avenue sandwich counter in Santa Monica, muffulettas and hot weekday specials.
Tip: Founders Jordan Snyder and Alex Williams grew it from a Main Street pop-up; the Combo Grinder is the benchmark order.
Worth the queue: Combo Grinder
Breakfast by Salt's Cure griddles its famous oatmeal griddle cakes on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, a compact daytime spin-off of the original room.
Tip: Gluten-free and vegan versions of the griddle cakes exist; the counter sells the mix to take home.
Worth the queue: Oatmeal griddle cakes
Caffe Luxxe opened its first European-style espresso bar on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica in 2006 and still pulls the Westside's silkiest shots.
Tip: This is the original of the small family of caffes, marked Where It All Began; the Brentwood Country Mart branch opens daily at 07:00.
Sources from: Latin America, Africa
How they serve: Espresso, Whole bean retail
Primo Passo Coffee Co. pulls hazelnut lattes and light-roast pour-overs behind glass on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, roasting under its own name.
Tip: The house-made hazelnut latte is the signature; window stools turn over fast on weekend mornings.
Sources from: Rotating single origins
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Sogno Toscano stacks an espresso bar, Italian market and wine bar into one Montana Avenue corner in Santa Monica, panini by day and aperitivo by night.
Signature pour: Tuscan red with a Bufalina panino
Wine focus: Tuscan producers and Italian classics
Food: Panini, salumi and market plates
Tip: Bookable wine tastings run in the evenings; otherwise take a Bufalina panino and a glass at the window.
Father's Office on Montana Avenue is the Santa Monica gastropub where Sang Yoon's no-substitutions Office Burger was born, backed by 36 craft taps.
Signature drink: One of 36 craft taps
Food: Bar menu
Tip: No ketchup, no substitutions, 21-plus only; the burger comes one way and the bar means it.
Father's Office on Montana Avenue is the Santa Monica gastropub where Sang Yoon's no-substitutions Office Burger was born, backed by 36 craft taps.
Tip: No ketchup, no substitutions, 21-plus only; the burger comes one way and the bar means it.
Andrew's Cheese Shop has cut artisan wheels to order on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica since 2008, with grilled cheese and monthly pairing nights.
Tip: The monthly cheese-and-drink pairing events sell out; sign up in the shop and grab a grab-and-go sandwich meanwhile.
Breakfast by Salt's Cure griddles its famous oatmeal griddle cakes on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, a compact daytime spin-off of the original room.
Order: Oatmeal griddle cakes with salted butter
Tip: Gluten-free and vegan versions of the griddle cakes exist; the counter sells the mix to take home.