bay cities italian deli & bakery

please note. this restaurant does not serve breakfast! after walking for about a mile after looking up breakfast places this seemed agoodoption but alas no i'm now looking for another option. please if possible remove from breakfast search.

classic, sm spot. it's where all the locals go for agoodsandwich. bread is perfect - crisp & fresh. can't go wrong just be sure you have time or buy the pre made ones if you don't mind. line can be long for a custom sandwich but worth it..

amazing deli!. this deli has a real buzz to it. primarily came here to try their famed godmother sandwich, whilst it was agoodhefty sandwich, there's nothing that particularly wowed me about it. the bread definitely was unlike most breads i've had, with slightly crunchy but mostly chewy texture, it definitely gives your jaw a workout. what amazed me more, is the choice on display from cold salads to pasta dishes, italian salumi and hot foods. thats just the food to takeaway, not to mention the grocery section that had plenty of interesting italian finds.

nice deli, decent sandwich.. the store and deli is quite nice...lots of selection of italian and french products and prepared items. as for the sandwiches, if people think the godmother is the best sandwich then poor poor undiscerning folk. travel and discover more. the bread is super crusty which is personal preference (i like it). the deli meats were nice but who would slather a nasty harsh prepared mustard on such a thing. it just has no balance. there's no way it compares to great pastrami in new york, smoked meat in montreal, a po'boy in lousiana, etc, etc, etc. i can name 10 places at any time off the top of my head that have better sandwiches.

what, because there's a line it's automatically great and you convince yourself of that? you can line up at mcdonalds too and its chemically engineered garbage. so bay cities deli, sandiwches aregoodbut just good.

clearly it seems there's lot of room for competition.

take a number. it's easy to dismiss the hype, to scoff at the ridiculous line of cars waiting to get into the tiny parking lot, and to roll your eyes at the crowd of people clutching their precious paper number around the deli counter of this grim little market. but as you bite into the godmother that you snagged as they dropped the basket down on the counter, abandoning your plans of ordering something custom, it's also easy to understand why rational people might put themselves through such a torturous ordeal. that is one damn fine sandwich. so don't be a fool, grab two forgoodmeasure.

crowded, but best italian sandwiches in l.a.. los angeles doesn't really compare to new york when it comes to deli food, but bay cities deli in santa monica has great meats, great cheese, and excellent sandwiches. their parma ham is expensive but definitely worth the price. the godmother sandwich uses reallygoodmeats, chewy and crunchy bread, and enough olive oil to make me not want to know how many calories an entire sandwich has. but it sure is good. it's best to go before lunchtime hours or call in an order, because it always gets crowded at lunch.

so this is the magic of italian delis!. i wandered into bay cities a few years back because my italian cooking encyclopedia told me to find agooditalian deli. had no idea what i was getting into!

their sandwiches are divine...and i'm always saying, "i'm not a sandwich person". maybe there's crack in the mayo, i don't know, i just know i swooned at first bite and then proceeded to eat more sandwich than i thought humanly possible.

then there's the "store" part - fab italian cooking ingredients, killer cheeses, salamis, etc. i go all rip-van-winkle in their wine section (time disappears).

all day long, they keep baking loaves of the most heavenly bread in all creation. if you're there longer than ten minutes, you'll see someone walk out to restock the bread shelf with fresh, warm - i'm about to drool on the keyboard. i'm gluten intolerant, i shouldn't eat bread, yet i can polish off an entire loaf of theirs with the simple accoutrement of somegoodquality butter, or olive oil, or - god help me here, i know it's sooo wrong, but it's sooooo right - a little slice of their duck pate. (oh yeah, and i'm the girl who hates liver. go figure!)

and the hot deli section has some lovelies too...a creamed spinach that's actually a souffle hybrid...

just go there, hungry, with a full wallet and some time on your hands. then you tell me...

bay cities =goodgrub. oh sweet, sweet bay cities deli, will you be my valentine? i know the teacher told me to bring enough scooby-doo, or spider man, or my personal favorite... legends of the hidden temple... valentines cards for everyone in class... but my love is only for you. because seriously, when have any of the other kids given me the greatest gift of all... fresh baked bread, italian cold cuts, and a magical blend of toppings simply known as the works? side note... if you ever go to a place, and you have the options of getting the works and you don't get it... well, i'm pretty sure you deserve a roundhouse kick to the face... and i wouldn't put it past any of the bay cities sandwich gurus from dishing one out. you've got to be tough when you come into bay cities... willpower is the name of the game. because no matter what time of the day you head down to get your grub on, you'll grab your number... let's say its "72".. and then you start to do some "everyone-who-has-ever-had-this-place-loves-this-place" bay cities' math... and that means they're currently on customer "41." and that's where the willpower comes into play. because at first you play the "how-do-i-move-without-trampling-this-old-lady-game?" and then you realize you're forced right up against the display counter with all their meats, cheeses, salads, and homemade italian specialties... and now it's time to play the "how-many-slices-of-garlic-bread-and-chicken-parmesan-cutlets-can-i-take-down-before-it's-my-time-to-order? game." patience mygoodgrub constituents... your time shall come, and it will be most worth your wait. because when your number is called, you'll have to fight off the urge to do your own version of the goonies truffle shuffle. but when you are finally chosen rush to the front to place your order, because the mustached dudes behind the counter mean business (seriously, we think bay cities might have finally discovered the perfect facial hair combination to make a most-grub-worthy sub) ... and they will pass your number... and you will deserve it. our favorite master-behind-the-counter would have to be the one donning the mclovin' name tag, because we always have to resist throwing down a "chicka chicka, yeah, fake id, fake id." the consensus sandwich to get at bay cities is definitely the god mother, a geniously crafted sub with layer-upon-layer of italian cold cuts. but for me, it's the simple turkey sandwich that keeps bringing me back, because there's something beautiful about the clean canvas of a turkey sandwich that let's the bay cities' artisan do his magic, sculpting his masterpiece with thin sliced provolone, perfectly sweet and salty italian dressing, and the topper-of-all-toppers... mixed mild and spicy peppers. when you're done with your sandwich, your belly happy and full, sitting back in the santa monica breeze, pondering how long it will take for your mustache to grow out... it finally hits you (if it hasn't already)... life isgoodbut bay cities' grub is better. see more at goodtogrub.com

terrible customer service.. their quality control is very bad. i had sand in my sandwich and when i reported to manager, he said that i am lying. no customer service, very bad quality


-----25 sep, 2009-----

very bad place for lunch. they used to be verygoodsandwich place, but they have lost their quality and customer service is very bad, difficult to find a parking.

good sandwiches but painful lines. the sandwiches here are great, especially the godmother. all the sandwiches are built on wide crusty baguettes (possibly chabada) and the meats and cheeses are allgoodquality.

the down side has got to be the number and length of the lines you have to go through. the parking lot has about 12 spaces, so there's always a line, which usually stretches into the street by 3-4 cars. there's a line to order, which is usually about 10 people long. and there's a line to pay, which is also about 10 people long.

so, if you can get someone else to get the food for you, i would recommend bay cities. if you can't and you don't have a half-an-hour to wait in lines, you might want to find someplace else.

it was sooooooogoodand pretty chep! i would go back in a second