Eat well in Santa Monica without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Santa Monica for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
TryThe Godmother
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Hot Dog on a Stick still hand-dips corn dogs at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, where Dave Barham began hand-dipping them at his 1946 lemonade stand.
TryCorn dog and lemonade
TipThe rebuilt stand pounds its lemonade by hand the way it did in 1946; corn dog and lemonade is the whole menu you need.
Tacos Por Favor has fed Santa Monica's Olympic Boulevard workshops since the nineties, a no-frills counter of hard-shell tacos and chile relleno burritos.
TryTaco plates
TipThe lunch rush peaks at noon sharp; order the chicken taco plate and grab salsa from the bar before sitting.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
TryHandmade-tortilla tacos
TipTacos on handmade tortillas with cilantro and onions are the order; parking sits right beside the shop.
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.
TryTaquitos and combo plates
TipIt won Santa Monica's 2024 Most Loved Mexican Food award; Sunday closes at 14:00, so go for breakfast burritos.
Benny's Tacos brines its rotisserie chicken for 24 hours in citrus and garlic on Wilshire in Santa Monica, with churros piped full of Bavarian cream.
TryRotisserie chicken plates
TipThe rotisserie chicken plate feeds two; finish with the cream-filled churros even if you think you will not.
Sunny Blue wraps made-to-order omusubi on Main Street in Santa Monica, miso beef and curry rice balls pressed warm behind a six-seat counter.
TryOmusubi
TipMiso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
Sweetfin builds chef-driven poke bowls on Broadway in Santa Monica, an entirely gluten-free kitchen of bamboo rice, kale noodles and citrus ponzu fish.
TryPoke bowls
TipEvery bowl base swaps free, so try the kale noodle base; the whole menu is gluten-free by default.
Cha Cha Chicken has smoked jerk chicken under the palms on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica since 1996, a family-run Caribbean shack steps from the beach.
TryJerk chicken plates
TipIt runs one of the most lenient BYOB policies in town; bring a bottle and eat coconut fried chicken outside.
KazuNori runs its original-format hand roll bar on Broadway in downtown Santa Monica, crisp nori and warm rice sets rolled the second you sit down.
TryHand roll sets
TipNo reservations at the bar; the Friday-Saturday private bar for 7 to 12 was added for the 10th anniversary.
HiHo Cheeseburger griddles 100 percent grass-fed wagyu from First Light Farm on 2nd Street in Santa Monica, a classic double for fast-casual money.
TryWagyu cheeseburgers
TipThe mustard-grilled double with onions is the order; it is counter service, so grab a booth before you order.
Big Dean's Ocean Front Cafe has anchored the boardwalk below the Santa Monica Pier since 1902 as Loring's Lunchroom, burgers and buckets on two patios.
TryBurgers and beer buckets
TipIt became Big Dean's in the 1970s; grab a patio rail seat, order the burger and watch the boardwalk crowds.
Pita House grills certified halal Mediterranean plates on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, shawarma, falafel and kebabs late into the evening.
TryShawarma plates
TipEverything on the menu is certified halal and there is no alcohol; the mixed shawarma plate feeds two.
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.
TryHalal mixed grill
TipPortions run huge; a single mixed grill plate with extra garlic sauce covers two people at lunch.
Dogtown Coffee brews organic micro-roasted coffee in the old Zephyr surf shop on Main Street in Santa Monica, breakfast burritos for the dawn patrol.
TryBreakfast burritos
TipThe building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
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