Sweetfin is a poke restaurant in Downtown, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Spicy tuna bowl on bamboo rice
Tip: Every bowl base swaps free, so try the kale noodle base; the whole menu is gluten-free by default.
Address: 829 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
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.
Order: Miso beef omusubi, plus a spicy salmon to go
Tip: Miso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
Pita House grills certified halal Mediterranean plates on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, shawarma, falafel and kebabs late into the evening.
Order: Mixed shawarma plate with garlic sauce
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.
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.
Satdha Plant Based Thai Kitchen has cooked gourmet vegan Thai food on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica since 2013, no fake meats, just vegetable craft.
Order: Khao soi and the lion's mane mushroom fried chicken
Tip: Chef Gunn Pankum's lion's mane mushroom fried chicken converts sceptics; the khao soi is the quiet best dish.
Alfalfa packs farmstand plates and breakfast burritos into a friends-founded counter on Main Street in Santa Monica, salads and smoothies with real intent.
Order: Ancho Potato breakfast burrito or a farmstand plate
Tip: The Ancho Potato breakfast burrito is the local order; it travels well for the four blocks to the sand.
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.
Order: The famous burger with a bucket of beers
Tip: It became Big Dean's in the 1970s; grab a patio rail seat, order the burger and watch the boardwalk crowds.
