Langer's Deli
One of the best New York style Jewish delis is located in California, attracting locals and traveling foodies all over the world. Since opening in 1947, Langer's has served over 10 million pounds of pastrami. It grew from a simple twelve seat delicatessen to a famous 137 seat institution. And their food has won numerous accolades including the 2001 and 2020 James Beard Foundation Awards.
It is absolutely worth the journey to the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles for one thing, the Original #19. Their speciality is hand cut pastrami served with creamy Russian Dressing, Swiss cheese on a homemade Jewish style rye bread. American journalist, writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron described it perfectly in her New Yorker article: "it’s soft but crispy, tender but chewy, peppery but sour, smoky but tangy. It’s a symphony orchestra, different instruments brought together to play one perfect chord. It … is, in short, a work of art." And this iconic sandwich can be shipped nationwide via goldbelly!
Pictured: #19
Notable Mentions
Eater: “The sandwich was of good size, stacked over an inch thick with pink meat gleaming and steaming. What immediately commanded my attention was the lighter-than-usual, aggressively seeded rye bread with a snappy crust; each slice was quite large so the quantity of pastrami in the sandwich seemed especially generous.”
Bon Appétit: “A time capsule back to the 1950s, the ambiance at this iconic deli (est. 1947) is all brown leather booths, decades of press clippings, and a soundtrack of nothing but quiet awe. The item to behold is the #19: untoasted rye, Russian dressing, creamy coleslaw, and a couple slices of Swiss—all in service of the hand-sliced, juicy, spicy, smoky, beefy pastrami.”
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