40 editor picks in Santa Monica.
40 cheap eats places in Santa Monica, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Santa Monica: the places editors actually return to. All Santa Monica food.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
OrderThe Godmother with the works, hot peppers included
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
OrderThe Godmother sub, takeout counter
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
OrderThe Godmother
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Petitgrain Boulangerie laminates French croissants beside Mexican conchas on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, a two-tradition pastry case with cult queues.
TipThere is a two-cinnamon-roll maximum per party, in person or pre-order; put your name on the list 24 hours ahead.
Layla Bagels hand-rolls sourdough bagels daily on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, open-face builds with seasonal fruit, honey and smoked salmon.
TipThe Pre-Jam with seasonal fruit, cream cheese and honey is the signature; the everything loosies sell out first.
Goodboybob Coffee Roasters runs its Santa Monica cafe and retail room on Broadway, an ex-art-project brand pulling shots of its own award-listed roasts.
TipBags of the House Blend and Marine Layer dark roast sell at the counter; the espresso bar closes at 17:00 sharp.
Layla Bagels hand-rolls sourdough bagels daily on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, open-face builds with seasonal fruit, honey and smoked salmon.
TipThe Pre-Jam with seasonal fruit, cream cheese and honey is the signature; the everything loosies sell out first.
Goodboybob Coffee Roasters runs its Santa Monica cafe and retail room on Broadway, an ex-art-project brand pulling shots of its own award-listed roasts.
TipBags of the House Blend and Marine Layer dark roast sell at the counter; the espresso bar closes at 17:00 sharp.
Layla Bagels hand-rolls sourdough bagels daily on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, open-face builds with seasonal fruit, honey and smoked salmon.
OrderPre-Jam open-face bagel with a drip coffee
TipThe Pre-Jam with seasonal fruit, cream cheese and honey is the signature; the everything loosies sell out first.
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.
OrderDouble cheeseburger, mustard-grilled, with fries
TipThe mustard-grilled double with onions is the order; it is counter service, so grab a booth before you order.
Heavy Handed smashes short-rib-blend patties on Main Street in Santa Monica, beef tallow fries and Straus soft serve from a pandemic pop-up made good.
OrderDouble smashburger with beef tallow fries
TipDouble smash with American cheese, fries in tallow, soft serve after; the line moves faster than it looks.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
OrderAsada tacos on handmade corn tortillas
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.
OrderTaquitos with guacamole and a Tajin-rim margarita
TipIt won Santa Monica's 2024 Most Loved Mexican Food award; Sunday closes at 14:00, so go for breakfast burritos.
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.
OrderMiso beef omusubi, plus a spicy salmon to go
TipMiso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
Bread Head bakes a crackly focaccia-ciabatta hybrid daily for its Montana Avenue sandwich counter in Santa Monica, muffulettas and hot weekday specials.
OrderThe Combo Grinder on the house focaccia
TipFounders Jordan Snyder and Alex Williams grew it from a Main Street pop-up; the Combo Grinder is the benchmark order.
Bread Head bakes a crackly focaccia-ciabatta hybrid daily for its Montana Avenue sandwich counter in Santa Monica, muffulettas and hot weekday specials.
TipFounders Jordan Snyder and Alex Williams grew it from a Main Street pop-up; the Combo Grinder is the benchmark order.
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.
TipThe building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
Caffe Luxxe opened its first European-style espresso bar on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica in 2006 and still pulls the Westside's silkiest shots.
TipThis is the original of the small family of caffes, marked Where It All Began; the Brentwood Country Mart branch opens daily at 07:00.
Caffe Luxxe opened its first European-style espresso bar on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica in 2006 and still pulls the Westside's silkiest shots.
TipThis is the original of the small family of caffes, marked Where It All Began; the Brentwood Country Mart branch opens daily at 07:00.
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.
TipThe building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
TipAsk the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
TipAsk the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
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.
OrderOriginal corn dog
TipThe rebuilt stand pounds its lemonade by hand the way it did in 1946; corn dog and lemonade is the whole menu you need.
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.
OrderMade-to-order omusubi
TipMiso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
OrderAsada tacos on handmade tortillas
TipTacos on handmade tortillas with cilantro and onions are the order; parking sits right beside the shop.
Heavy Handed smashes short-rib-blend patties on Main Street in Santa Monica, beef tallow fries and Straus soft serve from a pandemic pop-up made good.
OrderShort-rib smashburger
TipDouble smash with American cheese, fries in tallow, soft serve after; the line moves faster than it looks.
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.
OrderWagyu cheeseburger, counter service
TipThe mustard-grilled double with onions is the order; it is counter service, so grab a booth before you order.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
OrderA rare pour from the 500-bottle whisky wall
TipAsk the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
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.
OrderMiso beef omusubi, plus a spicy salmon to go
TipMiso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
OrderAsada tacos on handmade corn tortillas
TipTacos on handmade tortillas with cilantro and onions are the order; parking sits right beside the shop.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
OrderA rare pour from the 500-bottle whisky wall
TipAsk the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
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.
OrderCorn 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.
La Purepecha hand-presses corn tortillas on Broadway in Santa Monica, a Michoacan-style counter of asada tacos and machaca burritos without the fuss.
OrderHandmade-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.
OrderTaquitos and combo plates
TipIt won Santa Monica's 2024 Most Loved Mexican Food award; Sunday closes at 14:00, so go for breakfast burritos.
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.
OrderOmusubi
TipMiso mushroom is vegetarian and gluten-free; get one spicy salmon for the walk down to the beach.
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.
OrderWagyu cheeseburgers
TipThe mustard-grilled double with onions is the order; it is counter service, so grab a booth before you order.
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.
OrderBreakfast burritos
TipThe building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
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.
OrderThe Morning Bowl breakfast burrito and a cold brew
TipThe building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
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.
OrderJerk chicken plate with fried plantains
TipIt runs one of the most lenient BYOB policies in town; bring a bottle and eat coconut fried chicken outside.
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