Support for LAist comes from
We Explain L.A.
Stay Connected

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

Eye Nosh: Is This the Best Pastrami in America?

EyeNosh_Langers.jpg
Three deckers of delish (Photo by djjewelz via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
We need to hear from you.
Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. The local news you read here every day is crafted for you, but right now, we need your help to keep it going. In these uncertain times, your support is even more important. We can't hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership. Thank you.

If we're talking nosh, there's no item perhaps more quintessential than pastrami on rye. The one pictured above hailed from a plate served up at Langer's, a deli that has been a longtime favorite of locals, but has now been praised for offering up the best of its kind in the whole country. The accolade comes from writer David Sax, whose pursuit of the pastrami--and other deli delights--was profiled recently in the LA Times.

Sax, author of the new book Save the Deli, went on a deli pilgrimage, tasting cured meats around the nation and globe, and came to the perhaps surprising conclusion that the best delis can be found here in Los Angeles (much to the chagrin of many a New Yorker). Sax says SoCal has "more delicatessens of higher quality, on average, than anywhere else in America" and that Langer's pastrami "encapsulates perfection at every turn."

Speaking of turning the sandwich, LAist Featured Photos pool contributor djjewelz made his own pilgrimage to Langer's, and turned the plate to the camera, calling the above shot "A quarter of way too much." In fact, this was the sandwich that kept on giving--in a good way: "I ate a quarter for lunch, a quarter for dinner and I still have half the sandwich in the fridge that I will be eating for another lunch and dinner. Truly, a cost effective and tasty meal." Bonus: Get fries with that! Earlier this year another Eye Nosh photog declared Langer's had the best fries in the city

Most Read