Santa Monica's most local food street: 1960s Mexican dining rooms, a 500-whisky dive and the Saturday park market.
Gilbert's El Indio has run its family Mexican dining room on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica since 1974, taquitos, shrimp plates and jalapeno margaritas.
Order: Taquitos with guacamole and a Tajin-rim margarita
Tip: It won Santa Monica's 2024 Most Loved Mexican Food award; Sunday closes at 14:00, so go for breakfast burritos.
Lares has served Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica since 1968, an old-world Mexican dining room with mariachi nights and vegan-friendly southern dishes.
Order: Mole plates from the southern-dishes side of the menu
Tip: Ask about mariachi nights before you book a quiet dinner; breakfast from 08:00 is the sleeper move.
Z Garden plates certified halal Middle Eastern food on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, Muslim-owned and generous with kebab plates, hummus and saffron rice.
Order: Mixed grill over saffron rice with garlic sauce
Tip: Portions run huge; a single mixed grill plate with extra garlic sauce covers two people at lunch.
Lady & Larder builds California cheese boards and stacked deli sandwiches on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, a sister-run shop with serious wine to go.
Signature pour: Board-friendly California chenin
Wine focus: California small growers, bottles to go
Food: Cheese boards and deli sandwiches
Tip: Sandwiches like the Hot Girl Salami sell out before 14:00; order boards for pickup a day ahead.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
Signature drink: Whisky flight from 500-plus bottles
Food: Bar menu
Tip: Ask the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
Tip: Ask the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
The Pico Farmers Market gathers around 35 California farms at Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica, the neighbourhood Saturday market with Market Match.
Tip: Market Match doubles CalFresh EBT spending on produce; free parking and the playground make it the easy family stop.
Lady & Larder builds California cheese boards and stacked deli sandwiches on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, a sister-run shop with serious wine to go.
Tip: Sandwiches like the Hot Girl Salami sell out before 14:00; order boards for pickup a day ahead.
Gilbert's El Indio has run its family Mexican dining room on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica since 1974, taquitos, shrimp plates and jalapeno margaritas.
Try: Taquitos and combo plates
Tip: It won Santa Monica's 2024 Most Loved Mexican Food award; Sunday closes at 14:00, so go for breakfast burritos.
Z Garden plates certified halal Middle Eastern food on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, Muslim-owned and generous with kebab plates, hummus and saffron rice.
Try: Halal mixed grill
Tip: Portions run huge; a single mixed grill plate with extra garlic sauce covers two people at lunch.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
Try: Whisky, craft taps, pool
Order: A rare pour from the 500-bottle whisky wall
Tip: Ask the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
Tip: Ask the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.