There’s not much we can say about Bay Cities that hasn’t already been said before, but in case you just got off the plane from Fort Lauderdale (please quarantine, by the way), here’s what you need to know. Their Godmother is the best Italian sandwich in LA, and possibly the world, and the rest of their sandwiches are also worth your time, too. But don’t skip the grocery section of this deli, either, where you’ll find important Italian pastas, cured meats, and conservas that you should definitely take home.

The Godmother at Bay Cities is one of those dishes that you have to try before you can really call yourself an Angeleno. Piled high with salami, mortadella, prosciutto, coppa, ham, provolone cheese, mild or spicy peppers and served on freshly baked, housemade bread, it’s a sandwich that draws lines almost every hour of the day. There is a shortcut, though, and you can take it by ordering from Bay Cities’ website and picking up your colossal sandwich instead.

Part deli, part market, Bay Cities has been home to incredible Italian subs since 1925. This renowned counter-service spot is always crowded (best to order ahead), but monster subs run the gamut from the mighty meatball to the signature Godmother, made with prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, Genoa salami, and provolone. At the market you can buy rare imported pastas, cheeses, wine, and sliced meats for a sunset beach picnic.

Considered the best sandwich shop in town, this Italian deli has been open since 1925 and is home to the famous Godmother, a signature sandwich made with prosciutto, ham, capi cola, mortadella, Genoa salami, and Provolone cheese. The restaurant doubles as an Italian market where you can get everything from meats and cheeses to wine and beer. PHOTO: Alex Millauer/Shutterstock

Santa MonicaIf you’re craving an East Coast-style deli or just want a big ol’ sandwich, Bay Cities is the place to call. (Well, search for.) The deli sandwiches don’t skimp on the toppings and the array of side salads is unparalleled. Whether you want corn, cucumber, or caponata salad, they’ve got it by the pound.

Santa Monica is especially well-endowed with ethnic restaurants: dozens of Italian places, including Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery, which is known for its grand Italian sub sandwiches and featherweight, ultra-fragile sfogliatelle. For Caribbean fare, our Santa Monica savant likes Cha Cha Chicken, a beach shack that specializes in jerk chicken and its namesake dish, which is like jerk chicken but roasted rather than grilled, and is therefore saucier and juicier. For Greek-accented kebabs and gyros as well as hummus, babaganoush, falafel, spanakopita and house-made pita bread, the place to go is Stop ‘N Cafe, a welcome respite from the chain restaurants that surround it.

The lunch line usually snakes throughout the crowded aisles of Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery, a neighborhood hallmark since 1925. Just grab a ticket and wait for one of the red-aproned employees to call your number (although on the day I went, the line was so long, an employee led some of us customers to the back to order cold custom sandwiches directly from the kitchen). Open Wednesday through Sunday, the deli has separate dedicated hot and cold service counters and is most famous for a sandwich known as the Godmother, a stack of salami, mortadella, capicola, ham, prosciutto and provolone between slices of the restaurant’s fresh house-made bread.

Opened in Santa Monica in 1925, Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery specializes in homemade, authentic Italian specialties like freshly baked pasta dishes, bread and rolls. Bay Cities features dozens of cold sandwiches and daily hot specials, but its claim to fame is the Godmother: Genoa salami, prosciutto, mortadella, coppacola, ham and provolone cheese on Italian bread. Offered in small or large sizes, the sandwich can be topped with “the works” - mayo, mustard (yellow, honey or Dijon), onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, Italian dressing, and a mild or hot pepper salad.

Bay Cities Italian Deli is a local favorite, widely regarded as one of Los Angeles’ best sandwich spots. Open since 1925, Bay Cities is famous for “The Godmother” sandwich, generously loaded with prosciutto, ham, capi cola, mortadella, genoa salami and provolone cheese. Layla Bagels is another of the city’s most popular daytime spots, serving up delicious sourdough bagels stacked with the freshest ingredients ranging from smoked salmon and tuna salad to avocado and heirloom tomatoes.

Bay Cities Deli has been an iconic Santa Monica spot since 1925, serving fresh deli sandwiches with authentic ingredients; it even has a market to purchase groceries. The deli is open from Wednesday to Sunday and is typically buzzing with people grabbing a number and waiting—impatiently, at times—for it to come up. From their signature sandwich, The Godmother (Prosciutto, Ham, Capi Cola, Mortadella, Genoa Salami, Provolone) at just $9, Bay Cities won’t break the bank.

Bay Cities Italian Deli and Bakery is a classic Santa Monica spot that was established in 1925. The deli is most famous for "The Godmother," a monster of a sandwich that's bursting with just about every stripe of sliced meat you can imagine. According to its website, you can expect — get ready — prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, Genoa salami, and provolone cheese with "the works," i.e. lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, and three different sauces.

As far as classic Santa Monica establishments go, it does not get much more iconic than Bay Cities deli which has been open since 1925. This shop is always bustling with huge lines for sandwiches stacked high with deli meat and incredible fresh vegetables and trust me, it is well worth the wait. The deli is also a bakery and they bake fresh bread for the sandwiches every hour which takes the experience to the next level.

Another Santa Monica restaurant locals will ride or die by (it’s more like an institution, really) is Bay Cities Italian Deli. Bay Cities is exactly the full-fledged Italian deli and market you might expect to find in New York or Boston– this place is the real deal. Grab a number when you walk in the door and be prepared for a bit of a wait to get a killer sandwich before heading a few blocks to the beach for the day.

Whether you’re looking to refuel after a long beach day or want to prep for a picnic, Bay Cities Italian Deli is your one-stop sandwich shop. Using only the freshest bread and finest meats, it’s no wonder why locals have been coming here since 1925. Yes, they have the best sandwiches in town—but this deli is also a gourmet market, where you can pick up imported cheese and wine for your next party!

If you're from LA and you don't know about Bay Cities, then you must live in OC – just kidding!. Seriously, though, this Italian sandwich shop, deli, bakery, and market is a Westside institution that would even convert the most devout East Coast deli worshippers. The shop has been around since 1925 (which is the LA version of ye olde) so you know they know a thing or two about a proper sandwich.

If you only have time for one meal in Santa Monica, go ahead and make your way down to Bay Cities Italian Deli and order a Godmother- genoa salami, prosciutto, mortadella, coppacola, ham and provolone cheese layered on Italian bread. If that is not your choice of sandwiches, guaranteed there is something Bay Cities can make for you. Vouched by 200+ TripAdvisor contributors, this is a must visit.

Bay Cities Deli is hands down one of the most beloved and popular sandwich spots in all of Los Angeles, let alone Santa Monica. Located right off of Lincoln Boulevard, Bay Cities Italian Deli and Bakery is the perfect spot to grab some delicious sandwiches and pre-packaged treats before heading over to the beach for a picnic at sunset. You can even pick up some Italian wine or beer while there.

Places like Bay Cities in Santa Monica and Russ and Daughters in NYC are treasures to us. We love Bay Cities because it has the critical elements of a great deli: the hearty sub-style sandwiches, the freedom to build your own, and a variety of great sides all packed into a convenient humble space. We love Erewhon because there’s a huge element of trust with anything you buy there.

Since the 1920s, Bay Cities has been serving up hearty Italian sandwiches on their delicious fresh-baked bread. Whenever I come in, I order either the Godmother, which piles on pretty much every kind of salumi with mild peppers and provolone cheese, or the hot pastrami sub. It's also a fantastic imported foods store, one of my favorite places to shop in town!

There’s no fancy white tablecloths at Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery, but the food is at the level of the finest Santa Monica restaurants. Part deli, part gourmet grocery store, the Bay Cities menu includes fresh pasta, salads and fully prepared dinners to take home. The go-to order, however, is a sandwich packed full of deli meats, cheeses and antipasto.

(1925) Bay Cities Italian Deli 1517 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Classic old school Italian market that first opened on the corner of Broadway & Lincoln in Santa Monica in 1925, two doors down from where it is located today. Story says that founder Antonio DiTomasi was a Chicago policeman who relocated west because the local mob was on his back.

Bay Cities have been serving up delicious Italian food for decades from their lively Santa Monica location. Differing from a traditional restaurant, this place is a combination of a deli, bakery and market with self-serve seating aligning the outside. The first thing to do here is grab a ticket at the deli counter, wait your turn and place your order.

I’ve been going to Bay Cities since I was in elementary school, getting the sandwiches. Once a month, my mom would take us there before school and get us the Godmother [an Italian sandwich made with prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, and peppers]. The place is still around, and that’s such a classic sandwich.

Open since 1925, Bay Cities remains one of the the busiest places to grab a sandwich in greater L.A. reason, and that’s for good reason. On the menu is a mix of Italian and classic American sandwiches, including the famous Godmother, made with prosciutto, ham, capi cola, mortadella, genoa salami and provolone cheese on an Italian roll.

The best Italian sandwich in Los Angeles hails from Bay Cities. Classic Italian sub, and it is just incredible from the Italian meats, the provolone, “the works” straight through to the bread, everything is perfection. Bay Cities is also a fun Italian market to shop around, we’ve gotten their meatballs and loved them as well.

Featured in countless LA sandwich guides, Bay Cities is considered an institution in Santa Monica. I might get a lot of flak for this, but their signature Godfather sandwich did not make the cut for me. The bread was really, reeeeeaally chewy and I wasn’t blown away by the sandwich as a whole.

This Santa Monica-based market, deli, and bakery has been serving up Italian specialties since 1925. You can stop by for fresh pasta dishes or deli salads to go, or order their signature sandwich, the Godmother. Bay Cities had their rainbow cookies stored in ready-to-go containers in a fridge.

I’ve been to Bay Cities, Tacos Por Favor, Sunny Blue, all the pizza places, Calif Chicken Cafe, Cha Cha Chicken…is there anything new I should try?. I’m looking for something relatively inexpensive but tasty!!. I’ll add in Venice and West LA too

Bay Cities Italian deli in Santa Monica is my FAVORITE spot to grab a sandwich!!. This place is usually so busy that it’s quicker to order online to just walk in and pick up!. They have so many options you can choose from as well as hot food!.

The Godmother sandwich by Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery is the ultimate Los Angeles food. Their other sandwiches are incredible too, but the Godmother is a perennial crowd favorite.

The Italian subs at this deli are the perfect to-go snack for the beach. No trip to Santa Monica is complete without an irresistable Bay Cities sub.

1517 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401Phone: 310-395-8279 Visit Website. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by @baycitiesitaliandeli