Jewish delis are one of the highlights of Los Angeles’s dining scene. Institutions like Canter’s, Brent’s, and Langer’s deliver timeless appetizing experiences, serving everything from pastrami and corned beef to breakfast classics like cheese-stuffed blintzes. In addition to these affordable and casual stalwarts, there is an emerging trend of contemporary delis offering modern riffs while staying true to classic flavors. Places like Wexler’s spin traditional Jewish cookery, while Mort & Betty’s vegan fare steps into a whole new realm. From age-old institutions to new-school innovators, here now is a handy guide to Jewish delicatessens in LA.
Read More15 Essential Jewish Delis to Try in Los Angeles
Find the best Jewish delis in the country here in LA
Brent's Deli Northridge
Following Langer’s, Brent’s is widely considered to be one of the best places for pastrami in the greater Los Angeles area. At the very least, the Valley restaurant’s grilled Black Forest pastrami Reuben is a prime place to start for delving into the city’s deli culture. The strip mall location feels plucked right out of the early 1970s, and everything from the matzo ball soup to the deli meats is top-notch.
Uncle Bernie's Delicatessen
Another feather in the cap of the San Fernando Valley’s kosher-style deli scene, Uncle Bernie’s Delicatessen is what classic deli connoisseurs want: good food, no gimmicks (one probable exception being its “sky high” sandwich section). Come for the sprawling breakfast menu, the hot black pastrami sandwich, and plentiful sides like golden cheese blintzes, kishka with gravy, and simmered stuffed cabbage.
Grandma's Deli Babushka
With locations in Valley Village and Hollywood, Grandma’s Deli Babushka offers Russian, Ukranian, and Lithuanian specialties along with turkey sandwiches, potato salad, stuffed cabbage, and even branzino. The high-kitsch market interior makes the experience of visiting even more singular.
Art's Delicatessen & Restaurant
Art’s Deli is a San Fernando Valley staple for the local Jewish community and visitors driving over the hill from Los Angeles alike, having opened way back in 1957. The Northridge earthquake almost took the place out decades later (and owner Art Ginsburg has since died), but the deli endures as a staple for blintzes, corned beef, and other classics.
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Daughter’s Deli
Daughter’s Deli hails from Jewish deli royalty. Its founder, Trisha Langer, is the daughter of Norm Langer and granddaughter of Al and Jean Langer, all of Langer’s Deli fame. While Daughter’s Deli boasts many overlapping menu items like Langer’s, the offerings have Trisha’s distinct touch with breakfast bagel sandwiches and hot pastrami sandwiches — every menu item presents heart and pride.
Canter's
Canter’s Deli is the stuff of Los Angeles legend. Beyond its staple pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, soul-warming soups, and kosher-style deli classics like potato pancakes and knish, the ambience is hard to beat, especially in the middle of the night when the city dies down. That colorful, weird ceiling has been feeding LA night owls for generations, and Canter’s continues to be one of the most fun places to hang out late on a Saturday night.
Nate 'n Al Delicatessen
Over the last few years, this classic Beverly Hills deli weathered a series of setbacks with potential new locations, new owners, and temporary closures. But Los Angeles loves Nate ‘n Al’s, so the longtime favorite is still cranking out corned beef and pastrami fans in the Golden Triangle. Though perhaps the meats are a step behind some of Los Angeles’s better delis, what Nate ‘n Al’s really provides is fantastic daytime vibes that feel plucked right out of Mad Men.
Langer's Delicatessen
Perennially considered the best pastrami sandwich in the country, Langer’s produces some of the finest deli meats anywhere. Open since 1947, the legendary Number 19 sandwich is a crowd-pleasing favorite, with hand-sliced pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and coleslaw served between two plush slices of rye bread. It’s a big sandwich that can easily be shared between two people. Don’t sleep on the corned beef or any of the other classic deli plates either because they’re all excellent.
Charlie's Kosher Delicatessen
This Pico-Robertson kosher deli does all the hits: chopped liver, matzo ball soup, and corned beef among them. Look for the sun-stained retro sign and trust the staff who will proudly steer diners toward the hand-sliced lox.
Factor's Famous Deli
This classic West LA deli has served families in the Los Angeles area since 1948. Its spacious dining room can host larger lunch and dinner groups, but many Angelenos come for the stellar grab-and-go counter, which features mammoth mounds of macaroni and potato salad, fat sour pickles, and piles of cured fish. Slink into one of the booths, order a thick-cut pastrami sandwich and some sides, and treat yourself to one of the most trustworthy deli experiences in Los Angeles.
Mort & Betty’s
Chef Megan Tucker runs Mort & Betty’s, an entirely plant-based deli from Crafted Kitchen in the Arts District. Also, find her every week at the Atwater Farmer’s Market where she prepares dishes like carrot lox and corned beet Reuben tacos. The roving deli typically has great vegan specials during the high holidays and Hanukkah, too, so follow its Instagram for more intel.
Fromin's
Fromin’s in Santa Monica makes the cut for offering one of the city’s most unimpeachable bowls of matzoh ball soup, especially potent when one feels under the weather. The broth is liquid gold, the single matzoh ball is gigantic, and it comes with a gilded coronet of egg noodles and carrots. In general, the restaurant’s soups come with crackers, but for a few cents more you can kick it up to crispy bagel chips or caraway seed–flecked rye bread.
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Wexler's Deli
Some say that the housemade pastrami here rivals the stuff at Langer’s. That’s high praise for this modern interpretation of the Jewish deli, but add in the proprietary bagels, smoked fish, and everything else, and Wexler’s is certainly a contender to the throne. There’s a full size location in Santa Monica open until the early afternoon and a busy kiosk at Grand Central Market in Downtown LA.
New York Deli
Spanning 38 years of history in the South Bay, this unsung hero of the Los Angeles deli world serves terrific pastrami and corned beef sandwiches constructed by expert hands. The menu spans other classic deli fare, like latkes and bagels with lox, but the sandwiches are the best thing to eat, evidenced by the regulars who seem to come in every week. Don’t mind the kitschy mishmash decor — it’s part of the charm.
Katella Bakery, Deli & Restaurant
This longtime Los Alamitos institution has a wide menu of classic diner and coffee shop fare to go along with stellar Jewish deli sandwiches. The pastrami is as respectable as any great Los Angeles deli, and the matzo ball, featuring a softball-sized load of carbs plus thin noodles, could weave a legend on its own.
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