Beloved Glendale Institution Billy's Deli Is Closing Today After 67 Years in Business

Billy's Deli sadly announced that their last day in business after nearly 67 years in Downtown Glendale would be today. Tucked away the main drag along Orange, it's been a solid place to grab a plate of corned beef or a grilled pastrami reuben over the years, but with all the development happening around the area in form of swanky new apartments, it didn't seem likely that the classic deli would stick around.

Sure, the food was never at the level of say, Nate 'n Al's, Langer's, or even Canter's, but the customers were usually satisfied with the place when they left. The old-time interior featured plenty of vintage photos of Glendale from decades past. Jonathan Gold even offered a sweet tribute to the old school spot back in 2009: "This part of Glendale, once famous for the nearby West Coast headquarters of the American Nazi party, is an unlikely location for good deli, but it's kind of great that it's here."

Some commenters on this Facebook thread have claimed that new ownership didn't keep all the original employees, which led to a scaling back in the food quality. But with other longtime delis like Solley's closing in Sherman Oaks, perhaps it's just that the newer generation of diners just aren't flocking to Jewish delis like they used to. Thankfully, there are still a number of stalwarts around town that churn out good to great fare, like Greenblatt's, Factor's, and even new school spot Wexler's inside Grand Central Market. Billy's Deli first opened in Glendale back in 1948.