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. agreatlast 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.greatselection of deli items as well

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.greatplace to pick up any item you might ever need for an italian snack or meal.

bay cities. this is agreatplace 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!

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 agreattouch 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 wasgreat👍🏾 and friendly service

perfect foodie experience, eat , buy , get full, take a bag ofgreatitems 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.

a traditional deli withgreatsandwiches. i had the godmother sandwich which is the most popular sandwich that is ordered. the bread was very fresh. the meat that is used is boars head so it's quality.greatsandwich!

had the godmother with the lot, 1st timer,greatsandwich, faultless. highly recommended

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 togreatpastrami 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 automaticallygreatand you convince yourself of that? you can line up at mcdonalds too and its chemically engineered garbage. so bay cities deli, sandiwches are good but just good.

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

good food. very poor parking butgreatfood if you want to wait. the sandwiches are good, but once again there is very little parking. would go there again if it wasn't busy but other then that it's not so amazing i would wait in line to get into the parking lot.

"the godmother" sandwich... is perhaps the perfect sandwich. it's worth driving a long distance to get and it's also worth waiting for in bay cities's very long deli counter line (tip: you can order ahead online to avoid the wait). yes, it's that good. one of the reasons the godmother reigns supreme is the amazing crusty bread, which they bake fresh every 20 minutes. equally excellent is what they put between the bread: four amazing italian meats (genoa salami, mortadella cappacola, ham and prosciutto) plus provolone plus "the works" (mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, homemade italian dressing and pickled hot or mild peppers). while the godmother in my opinion is the best, bay cities has othergreatsandwiches too. i also recommend the caprese (water mozzarella, onion, tomato, basil, oregano and oil & balsamic vinegar) and there's a secret

good sandwiches, bad bread?. went in the other day and ordered the godmother.greatsandwich, but i didn't like the bread. does it really have to be so hard? i couldn't take a bite of it without struggling. chewing was just as difficult. aside from that the place is good, and the inside of the sandwich was delicious.

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 hasgreatmeats,greatcheese, and excellent sandwiches. their parma ham is expensive but definitely worth the price. the godmother sandwich uses really good meats, 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.

great sandwiches!. the bread they use for their sandwiches is so delicious. favorite sandwiches are the godmother and the eggplant parm.greatfor takeout if you're headed for the beach or to a concert or movie night.