Pita House is a mediterranean budget eat in Ocean Park, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Everything on the menu is certified halal and there is no alcohol; the mixed shawarma plate feeds two.
Address: 1908 Lincoln Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405
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.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
Try: Handmade-tortilla tacos
Tip: Tacos on handmade tortillas with cilantro and onions are the order; parking sits right beside the shop.
