A Turkey Pesto sandwich from Bread Head glistens in the sun Oct. 4. Bread Head currently has three locations across Los Angeles. Photos by Liam Stringer
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Tucked away in a small storefront on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica lives the tiny but mighty Bread Head.
Bread Head is an award-winning sandwich shop that found its home in Santa Monica in 2024 — but will soon be expanding closer to Pepperdine’s campus, according to Cision PR Newswire.
The shop features a select menu solely containing sandwiches — although the selection is small, the sandwiches speak for themselves. Bread Head offers one of the most delicious sandwiches across the city.
The Turkey Pesto, with a lemonade on the side, is a staple meal for any beach day or Santa Monica shopping trip.
The Sandwich
Bread Head’s Turkey Pesto sandwich paired with a Maple Root Beer from Sprecher sits on the restaurant’s outdoor patio. Bread Head sells a variety of drinks including an iced vanilla coffee, an Arnold Palmer and canned drinks, according to their menu.
The centerpiece of Bread Head’s menu is, fittingly, the bread.
Each sandwich begins with two slices of light, airy focaccia that stray from the traditionally thick and dense texture associated with typical sandwich bread. Focaccia can easily overpower a sandwich, with its weight and richness often making it better suited as a side than the foundation of a meal.
Bread Head, however, strikes a careful balance.
Created by Michelin chefs Alex Williams and Jordan Snyder, the focaccia has a crisp exterior and pillowy center, marked by delicate air pockets and a sprinkle of flaky salt. A subtle crunch gives way to a soft, airy bite, creating a contrast in texture that sets the sandwich apart.
In the turkey pesto, the standout ingredient is the sharp cheddar tucked between fresh slices of turkey and heaps of arugula.
Provolone would have been the stereotypical choice for the sandwich — its mild, buttery flavor would naturally complement the bold, garlicky taste of pesto. But Bread Head takes a different route.
With the sharp cheddar, the cheese becomes a standout. Instead of blending into the other ingredients, its tangy flavor creates a sandwich in which you can truly taste each individual layer.
Bread Head sources its cheddar from Hook’s Cheese Company in Wisconsin, specifically using a cheddar aged for one year, according to their website. The aging gives the cheese its prominent, tangy and almost overpowering bite — but in this sandwich, that boldness works.
The combination of avocado, arugula and pesto creates a satisfying mix of flavors and textures. The smoothness of the perfectly ripe avocado and creamy pesto is met by the dry, delicate crunch of the arugula.
My only note: The arugula can become overpowering when there’s too much of it.
The sandwich is already a mouthful, keeping you satiated for hours, and an excessive amount of arugula can cause both an awkward bite and the sandwich to fall apart, leaving half of the greens scattered across the table. With a slightly smaller handful of arugula pressed between the bread, the sandwich would have a near-perfect ratio of crisp vegetables to soft, creamy ingredients.
The Lemonade
The secret star of the show is Bread Head’s Housemade Lemonade.
A perfect lemonade requires a delicate balance between the sourness of fresh lemon and the sweetness of sugar. Homemade lemonades often lean too heavily in one direction, leaving you with a drink that is either painfully sour or overwhelmingly sweet.
Bread Head finds the perfect middle ground.
The lemonade’s balance of sweet and sour complements the garlicky pesto and sharp cheddar while leaving your mouth feeling refreshed between bites.
And then there’s the ice.
The lemonade comes packed with chewable nugget ice — a small detail, but a game changer when it comes to serving a cold, refreshing lemonade.
A Turkey Pesto sandwich rests next to two full cups of Homemade Lemonade. Priced at only $5, according to their menu, the lemonade is a surprisingly good deal and a must-have alongside the sandwich.
The Atmosphere
The dining environment is one of the restaurant’s biggest drawbacks. Not only is the space tiny, but the arrangement of tables and chairs feels uncomfortable.
Inside, the restaurant features one low-top table that can seat about six guests each. There is also a high-top table and a bar with stools. The main dilemma with the bar is the countertop itself — it sits at an awkward height, making it uncomfortable to rest your arms or elbows while eating.
Teal paint accents the table legs inside Bread Head’s Santa Monica location Oct. 4. A collection of photographs, artwork and newspaper clippings decorates the walls, adding to the sandwich shop’s colorful atmosphere.
Outside, the front of the restaurant opens to a small patio with one central table surrounded by countertop-style seating. While the communal setup makes use of the limited space, it does not offer much privacy. Sitting at the large table almost feels like everyone around you is part of the same conversation.
And while the indoor countertop feels too high, the outdoor one has the opposite problem — it sits too low.
Still, the outdoor patio offers a pleasant way to enjoy the Santa Monica surroundings with a sandwich in hand. Even as traffic stays busy along Montana Avenue, the shaded patio provides an option for guests who want to enjoy their meal in the fresh air.
Bread Head welcomes customers into its Santa Monica location, where its teal logo stands out against the white storefront. The storefront’s outside patio is located alongside Montana Avenue.
What’s Next
In December, Bread Head plans to open its fourth location in Woodland Hills, bringing the sandwich shop closer to the Pepperdine community, according to Food & Beverage Magazine.
Until then, the Montana Avenue location remains worth the drive.
Bread Head may be tiny, its menu may be limited and its seating may leave something to be improved, but once you bite into that airy focaccia, sharp cheddar and pesto — and wash it down with an ice-cold lemonade — it becomes easy to understand why the sandwich speaks for itself.
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Contact Alexa McGlathery via email: alexa.mcglathery@pepperdine.edu
