Highly-Regarded SF Jewish Deli Is Opening a Huge New Restaurant in West LA [Update]

San Francisco’s highly-regarded Wise Son’s Jewish Delicatessen is headed to Los Angeles, and right into West LA’s Lenny’s Deli. Lenny’s closed on July 28, and Wise Sons will begin a quick remodel, which means the heralded Bay Area deli could open sometime in the next few months.

In 2016, the New York Times declared Wise Sons owners Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman as San Francisco’s bagel savior. It’s common to find lengthy lines at one of their five Bay Area locations. Wise Sons placement into the massive Lenny’s Deli seems like an ideal spot to start in Los Angeles, which has plenty of space for food production, catering, and serving customers.

Cathy Chaplin

As one of LA’s longstanding old-school delis, Marvin Saul opened the iconic Junior’s Deli on the corner of Westwood and Pico in 1959. Saul moved the restaurant to its current location in 1967, a large building on Westwood Boulevard, where they operated the deli, bakery, and catering business for decades. After Saul passed away in 2011, disagreements between the landlord and Saul’s sons forced Junior’s Deli to close in 2012.

In 2013, Lenny Rosenberg bought Junior’s Deli and converted the restaurant into Lenny’s. Jonathan Gold grew up going to Junior’s every Sunday, and even spoke highly of the lox platter at Lenny’s. Rosenberg tells Eater that he sold the deli in 2017, and says he experienced problems with the company that managed the space. “I had a management company in there for few years that did not do a proper job so I decided to flip it/sell to Wise Sons,” says Rosenberg.

This flip feels pretty recent, as locals noticed Lenny’s “we are closed” sign this weekend. A glimpse inside the glass doors revealed shelves still stocked with some baked items. Wise Sons move to LA is a big deal for Los Angeles, and a solid passing of the deli torch. Developing story...

Update: Wise Sons provided the following statement to Eater LA, “We do not currently have a completed agreement with the Landlord on leasing the space, nor is Lenny ‘flipping’ anything to us. Negotiations are ongoing at this time.”

Matthew Kang

Matthew Kang

Wise Sons. 2379 Westwood Blvd, West Los Angeles, CA

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