Andrew's Cheese Shop is a cheese shop restaurant in Montana Avenue, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: A Montana Avenue cheese cave, open since 2008, with monthly pairing nights that never make the tourist lists.
Tip: The monthly cheese-and-drink pairing events sell out; sign up in the shop and grab a grab-and-go sandwich meanwhile.
Address: 728 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403
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
Why locals love it: A pioneering vegan Thai kitchen on a traffic stretch of Lincoln; chef Gunn Pankum has cooked here since 2013.
Tip: Chef Gunn Pankum's lion's mane mushroom fried chicken converts sceptics; the khao soi is the quiet best dish.
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
Why locals love it: A bread-first bakery on residential Ocean Park Boulevard; the sourdough sells out before visitors find it.
Tip: Loaves sell down by early afternoon; weekend brunch adds duck confit hash and cereal milk french toast.
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
Why locals love it: A six-seat omusubi counter most beach crowds walk straight past; regulars queue quietly for miso beef rice balls.
Tip: Miso 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.
Order: Asada tacos on handmade corn tortillas
Why locals love it: A Michoacan family counter hiding a block off the Promenade; tortillas pressed by hand while tourists eat elsewhere.
Tip: Tacos on handmade tortillas with cilantro and onions are the order; parking sits right beside the shop.
The Gaslite has held its Wilshire Boulevard corner in Santa Monica since 1962, a come-as-you-are karaoke dive open 06:00 to 02:00 with free popcorn.
Order: Cheap well drinks and a turn on the karaoke list
Why locals love it: A 1962 karaoke dive on a corporate stretch of Wilshire; locals guard it, opening at 06:00 for the graveyard-shift crowd.
Tip: It bills itself as Southern California's longest-running karaoke; sign up early because the nightly list fills by 21:00.
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.
Order: A rare pour from the 500-bottle whisky wall
Why locals love it: From the street it reads as a sports dive; inside is one of LA's deepest whisky walls, 500 bottles strong.
Tip: Ask the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
