bay cities italian deli & bakery

after all the hype, we visited bay cities italian deli at santa monica pier before leaving for the airport to catch our flight back to dubai.

since it was a sunday at lunch time, we expected long waiting lines to order and get a table which is exactly what happened.

my husband ordered the infamous godmother small sandwich while i got the veggie with pepperjack cheese and mustard. we also got a small side of pesto pasta salad.

both sandwiches were in their signature deli bread and deliciously prepared. the only improvement would be if they had toasted the sandwich so the cheese would melt.

the pasta salad too was fresh and a perfect side to our sandwiches. a great last meal before leaving la!!

whenever i crave sandwiches there are only two places that immediately come to mind and bay cities deli definitely is one. not only is there a variety of toppings but the quality of everything from the cheese, the protein and the bread is far from sub par. i do recommend ordering online for pickup as the lineups are usually as long as an hour wait. great selection of deli items as well

bastante normales los famoso paninis, y para comer en el lugar está bastante incómodo ya que son bancas de cemento a la orilla de la calle muy sucias

always get the "italian roll" and an extra loaf of fresh-baked bread (it won't last the trip home). delicious sandwiches, soups, hot-case items like pastas and meats. great place to pick up any item you might ever need for an italian snack or meal.

going sailing?. supply some bay cities sandwiches for the boat! delicious and easy to eat!

italian goodness. this place was great! italian grocery store with an amazingly yummy deli inside. we went right in the middle of lunch time and it was packed. they aren't the quickest at getting orders out the door, but it was worth it. everything our party had was delicious. we are able to have a lovely lunch outside on the tables and we would definitely come back next time we're in the area.
*no restrooms, even for paying customers. and the grocery store across the street charges you to use theirs, so keep that in mind.*

bay cities. this is a great place for lunch!

previous reviews are right about the parking & the lines, but i've always ordered online & walked there.

the sandwiches & soups are the best! everything is freshly made & very reasonably priced.

they're closed on monday's. but try going there on another day & you won't be disappointed!

ordered the godmother and yes, it was fantastic.
the bread was a little hard to bite into but i like bread like that and really enjoyed the sandwich i got from here and the wonderful service i received.

heard about the godmother on an la eats site, so had to try it while i was out there. parking is small for how busy it was, and several hot heads surrounding the parking situation occurred while there. walking is probably best way to go. once inside, you see the deli counter to one side. you can take a number for a custom sandwich which is what we did. after seeing half a dozen people walk up and grab already made godmothers from the counter, we did the same and pawned the number to another patron. the sandwich was well put together. bread was super chewy and a bit hard to bite through as others have said, so be aware. it was thin enough to be in perfect harmony with the fillings. meat and slaw were good, and all in all each component played their role perfectly. no complaints, but top 2 sandwich in la is pretty unbelievable. you can find sands like this across the country, so i'll only ride the hype train for a few stops. thanks.

need to start this off with a prologue. i am in love with agoura hill's italia deli and bakery (yelp.com/biz/italia-deli…). it is without question in my top 3 food spots in la. that being the case, i have no choice but to compare this review with italia.

star 1: how was the service and atmosphere?

to be honest, there's so much going on in bay cities that it's almost overwhelming, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. abundant product, an unbelievable selection of beverages, and the glorious deli right off the side. on top of all that, the staff are friendly, and it's truly amazing how quickly they move customers through. star granted.

star 2: how were the portions relative to the cost?

my only gripe with italia is that you often walk out having dropped double digits on a sandwich (a huge one mind you). thus, it was a bit refreshing to walk out of bay cities having spent only $8.40. were the sandwiches as big as i've seen? no, but it was more than a filling meal for a reasonable price. have a look below.

star granted.

stars 3 and 4: how was the food?

good? yes. amazing? not quite. you can't go wrong with boar's head products, so i essentially judged my sandwich on the bread, the cut, and the peripherals. the bread was good, but while advertised as such, it didn't really seem as though this was fresh baked "hourly". from there, the peppers were a great touch and the blend of mayo and mustard solid, but it just didn't quite jump out at me like the sandwiches at italia. single star granted.

star 5: would you eat here every day if you could?

i don't like it as much as italia, but i could without question eat here every single day. from the atmosphere and the service to the selection, bay cities nails it. star granted.

a famous place and a really busy day on the coast - told a must to try so after a little wait glad i listened as it was a mega experience the food was great 👍🏾 and friendly service

perfect foodie experience, eat , buy , get full, take a bag of great items home, the full service. custom made sandwiches that never disappoint. yes godmother a hit but all their food is - even the hot meatballs- a real deal.

the place to go if you're looking for simply a kickass sandwich. the godmother is a must-try. after hearing about this place on entourage i was pretty excited to try it out. you can even get a freshly made custom sandwich at the counter.

mamma mia, we have a champion sandwich maker. not only do they make awesome sandwiches !, they do it the traditional italian way

these sandwiches were gems to eat down to the very last bite, i will return once i've lost the kilos i put on

simplemente vaya y pida un godmother con todo. va a quedar fascinado. salame, jamones, queso, verduras, italian stuff, todo en un crujiente pan baguete. luego al ser un market saque lo que quiera para tomar y proceda a sentarse en las mesas que tienen en orilla de la calle. a toda hora repleto. volveré de seguro.