Bay Cities is a Santa Monica gem famed for its overstuffed Italian sandwiches—particularly The Godmother—served on fresh, crusty bread and accompanied by a gourmet market stocked with specialty Italian goods.
"This Italian deli offers what is likely the most iconic sandwich in all of Los Angeles: the Godmother. Bay Cities’ signature sub is filled prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, Genoa salami, and provolone cheese, all contained in a crusty Italian-style filone roll. Its other sandwiches meet the needs of those who don’t want the archetypal experience, with various cold cuts and hot protein options. A sleeper hit on the menu is the chicken parm sandwich, the tomato sauce soaking into the excellent house-baked roll. The market side of the shop is as impressively composed as the deli." - Eater Staff, Matthew Kang
"Tell anyone in the LA area that you’re eating in Santa Monica and they’ll be like, “Oh sh*t, can you bring me a Godmother?” And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that they’re not asking you for a new family member—they’re asking you for Bay Cities’ most famous sandwich. The Godmother stacks meats (prosciutto, ham, salami, mortadella, and capocollo), cheeses, and peppers on crunchy bread. If you're looking for another sandwich to tack onto your order, there's a very good chicken parm sub." - arden shore, brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins
"History can be hard to come by in Santa Monica—we still miss the old dinosaur topiary at The Promenade—and that’s exactly why Bay Cities is so essential. This century-old grocery is a cultural touchpoint for the entire Westside, and home to a deli counter that sells one of the greatest sandwiches in existence: The Godmother. Prosciutto, mortadella, salami, and provolone are laid out on the freshest, crunchiest Italian bread this side of the Jersey turnpike. Lines can get extreme, so order ahead of time online or grab a pre-made sandwich up front to bypass the line of mostly locals that show up daily. Also, if you don’t order your sandwich with “the works” (choose hot or mild peppers), you can’t actually say you’ve eaten it. Rules are rules." - brant cox, nikko duren, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
"Tell anyone in the LA area that you’re eating in Santa Monica and they’ll be like, “Please bring me a Godmother.” And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that they’re not asking you for a new family member, they’re asking you for Bay Cities’ most famous sandwich: a stack of meats (prosciutto, ham, salami, mortadella, and capicola), cheeses, and peppers on delightfully crackly bread. This family-run Italian deli makes plenty of good sandwiches besides The Godmother, too—like their chicken parm sub and a standard turkey option—but if we're picking one, it's going to be the meatball." - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins
"Arguably one of the most iconic sandwiches in Los Angeles, the Godmother is comprised of a house-baked roll filled with Boar’s Head deli meats, cheese, mustard, and veggies. Though there are other excellent sandwiches on the menu, especially the hot variety, this classic Italian sandwich is the most talked about and a must-try for every Angeleno. The Godmother is available pre-made in the refrigerated section of Bay Cities or made-to-order from the sandwich counter." - Eater Staff
