Bay Cities Italian Deli blends bustling ambiance with overstuffed sandwiches and gourmet groceries, all wrapped up in famously fresh, delicious bread.
"Even if you just moved to Santa Monica to pursue your dream of posting highly curated beach photos on social media, Bay Cities is a place you’ve heard about. And rightfully so. This Italian deli and grocer has been around since 1925, and is home to one of the most famous sandwiches on the West Coast: The Godmother. This salami, capicola, ham, mortadella, and prosciutto-topped behemoth is a cold-cut masterpiece and one of the few upsides to being anywhere near The Promenade. Tip: Lines are always bad here, so just call-in your order ahead of time and jump to the front." - brant cox
"Bay Cities is home to one of the best Italian meat sandwiches in all of Los Angeles, the Godmother, and it’s served in an old-school Italian deli/market. Yes, we will judge you if you order something other than the Godmother. That said, all the sandwiches here are excellent. Expect a line at lunchtime." - sylvio martins, jess basser sanders
"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." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, cathy park
"Since 1925, this family-run Italian deli and grocer has been cranking out fantastic Italian sandwiches and sides to the Santa Monica masses. It’s hard to go wrong with anything here, but if you don’t get The Godmother at some point, your opinion of the place is void. Stacked with salami, mortadella, capicola, ham, prosciutto, and provolone topped with mustard and hot peppers, we aren’t overstating when we say this thing is a masterpiece. Lines are long all day every day so just call ahead to bypass the plebeians." - brant cox, garrett snyder
"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 essential. This century-old Italian deli is a touchpoint for the entire Westside, as well as home to a deli counter that sells one of the city's elite sandwiches in existence: the Godmother. Waits can get long on weekends, so order ahead of time online or grab a pre-made sandwich up front to bypass the line. Also, if you don’t order your sandwich with “The Works” (choose hot or mild peppers), you can’t say you’ve eaten here. Rules are rules. Godmother, Little Don Lorenzo, meatball sub" - brant cox, cathy park, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
