Big Dean's Ocean Front Cafe is an american budget eat in Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: It became Big Dean's in the 1970s; grab a patio rail seat, order the burger and watch the boardwalk crowds.
Address: 1615 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401
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.
Try: Corn dog and lemonade
Tip: The rebuilt stand pounds its lemonade by hand the way it did in 1946; corn dog and lemonade is the whole menu you need.
Pita House grills certified halal Mediterranean plates on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, shawarma, falafel and kebabs late into the evening.
Try: Shawarma plates
Tip: Everything 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.
Try: Halal mixed grill
Tip: Portions 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.
Try: Breakfast burritos
Tip: The building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
Try: The Godmother
Tip: Order 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.
Try: Corn dog and lemonade
Tip: The 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.
Try: Taco plates
Tip: The lunch rush peaks at noon sharp; order the chicken taco plate and grab salsa from the bar before sitting.
