Father's Office is a gastropub restaurant in Montana Avenue, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must 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.
Address: 1018 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403
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.
Jyan Isaac Bread bakes deeply fermented sourdough on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, bagel sandwiches and brunch beside the Ghisallo pizza kitchen.
Order: A sourdough loaf and the tuna melt at lunch
Tip: Loaves sell down by early afternoon; weekend brunch adds duck confit hash and cereal milk french toast.
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.
Cobi's cooks Southeast Asian food in a florid Main Street bungalow in Santa Monica, a Bib Gourmand room of curries, dumplings and wood-grilled plates.
Order: Pork dumplings, nasi goreng and a wok-tossed curry
Tip: The Michelin Bib Gourmand crowd books ahead on Resy; the weekend brunch sitting is the calmer way to get a table.
Shirube runs a charcoal-grill izakaya on Wilshire in downtown Santa Monica, corn ribs in shoyu butter and blowtorched mackerel with most plates under 25.
Order: Shoyu butter corn ribs and the mentaiko udon
Tip: Sit at the bar for the courtside view of the charcoal grill; the mentaiko udon disappears early on weekends.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
Order: The Godmother with the works, hot peppers included
Tip: Order the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Din Tai Fung folds its xiao long bao on the third floor of Santa Monica Place, garlicky string beans and spicy wontons with an ocean-view patio queue.
Order: Pork xiao long bao, spicy wontons and garlicky string beans
Tip: Join the waitlist before you shop; the third-floor patio tables catch the ocean air and clear fastest at lunch.
