We were thrilled to be alerted to Brian Hsu’s wonderful then-and-now blog focused on old Los Angeles, Urban Diachrony, with his feature on our location at 7th and Alvarado in 1927.

Culled from the USC Digital Archives, and in particular, the Dick Whittington photographic collection, this shot of our corner in 1927 shows the Westlake neighborhood in its ascendancy, vibrant with businesses and thriving with the promise that was Los Angeles in the late Jazz Age.

In particular is our original location (704 South Alvarado), which then housed “Everybody’s Deli,” a precursor to what would become the Famous Delly, the immediate predecessor to Langer’s Deli, which was founded in 1947 (twenty years after this image was taken). Our back area was then a separate business location (we expanded into it in 1950); in this photo, it houses a Western Union office for sending and receiving telegrams.

Our warehouse was originally a See’s Candy location (as it turns out, only the third See’s location ever), which lasted into the 1960s, when the Langer family took the location over and converted it to the storage area of the restaurant.

The Alvarado Theater just south of our location (today, the Westlake Mall, a bazaar for local merchants), still wears its original column facade, and is stunning in its grandeur, befitting the rise of the Westlake neighborhood.

The Los Angeles Railway streetcar tracks are visible in the pavement, with the line running east-west on 7th Street, and turning east from southbound Alvarado onto 7th Street for a return to downtown. The scene is filled with 1920s-period vehicles.

We are grateful to Brian Hsu and his Urban Diachrony blog for bringing this fine USC scan to our attention, and for the opportunity to share it with our fans and customers. Thank you, Brian!

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Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant has been named by six leading chefs to the Chefs Feed app’s “Bst Things to Eat in Los Angeles.”

 

1. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Ben Bailly of Public Kitchen & Bar who had this to say: “I love this place. The deli has been around since 1947 and has a bit of that old-school, 1950’s diner feel to it. Their #19 pastrami sandwich is, for me, the best in town. It features thick slices of juicy, tender pastrami, Swiss cheese, and not-too-sweet, freshly-made cole slaw sandwiched between two slices of crusty rye bread.”
2. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Zach Pollack of Sotto who had this to say: “The thick, hand-cut slices of their house-smoked pastrami put other delis to shame. If you want to continue to derive pleasure from pastrami sandwiches elsewhere, do not go to Langer’s. You will forever be spoiled.”
3. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Celestino Drago of Dolce Forno, Drago, Enoteca Drago, il Pastaio, Drago Centro who had this to say: “I love stopping here for a #19 on my way back from Drago Centro. The pastrami is cut perfectly thick and I love the crunchiness of the rye bread, not to mention the extra boost of flavor from the Russian dressing and Langer’s homemade coleslaw. Mmm!”
4. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Mark Gold of Eva who had this to say: “The fact that they hand cut their pastrami is the key. With their warm rye bread, this sandwich is a winner.”
5. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Bryant Ng of The Spice Table who had this to say: “The pastrami on rye at Langer’s has a great balance of lean and fatty meat that’s perfectly salty. The bread is double-baked, giving a soft interior and a crispy crust that adds great texture to the sandwich. Add in the slight funkiness and creaminess from the cheese, the tart and sweetness from the Russian dressing, and the crunch of the cole slaw, and you have a death-row meal. The feel and vibe of Langer’s is exactly how you want a deli to be, with plenty of regulars eating at the counter every time you go in. It’s comforting to see that in any place.”
6. #19 sandwich, selected by chef Eric Greenspan of The Foundry on Melrose, Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese (coming soon) who had this to say: “The world’s best pastrami on the perfect cornmeal-crusted rye bread with cole slaw and melted Swiss cheese. It’s sweet, peppery, fatty and has a hint of tang. There’s no better, not even in NYC.”

 

Click here to learn more about the Chefs Feed app and to download a copy for your iOS device

Thank you, Chefs Feed! — The Langers

The Washington Post recently published a photo gallery exploring the Los Angeles Metro subway system’s public art at stations throughout the Red and Purple Line, including an image at the Westlake – MacArthur Park station with the amazing tile mosaic created by Sonia Romero, depicting Al and Norm Langer huddled over a four-top booth.

Click here to view the complete slideshow

Click here for details on the WaPo’s subway tour, including a mention of Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant

Our new t-shirts are in – here’s the view of the back, with the Langer’s logo over the left breast on the front – aren’t they terrific? Featuring Jaime hand-cutting hot pastrami and our delicious #19 sandwich, show your Langer’s love with a new shirt! Available for $15 each ($17.50 for XXL) at our checkstand – just ask the ladies up front to see one in person!

Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant was recently named to online food news and review behemoth Eater.com’s “38 Essential Los Angeles Restaurants” list for April 2013. As they note:

This highly elite group covers the entire city, spans myriad cuisines, and collectively satisfies all of your restaurant needs, save for those occasions when you absolutely must spend half a paycheck.

Click here to read the complete list, which is fantastic.

We’re honored to be part of this amazing group of restaurants in Los Angeles. Thank you, editors of Eater. – The Langer Family

Famed entertainment and music industry analyst and commentator Bob Lefsetz spent his birthday celebrating the happiest way he knows – with a Langer’s #19 sandwich!

You want a #19.

I have birthday traditions. You know how institutions of higher learning have all those rules you’ve got to follow for no good reason other than everybody before you did the same damn thing? Well, I’m my own stuff-shirted traditionalist, it all hearkens back to…

1977.

Yup, that’s when I went to Langer’s and on to C.C. Brown’s and “Annie Hall” on my birthday.

That’s the tradition, hot pastrami, hot fudge sundae and a movie…or two or three.

Langer’s?

What kind of country do we live in where the best pastrami sandwich is not in New York but Los Angeles?

Yes, all the critics agree. It’s the hand-cut meat. The rye bread.

And the cole slaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing.

Huh? How can you taste all those flavors, that’s a mishmash akin to an everything bagel!

Only it’s not.

I worked my way up to the #19, Langer’s legendary sandwich.

At first I only got the pastrami, then the swiss cheese, then I remembered the sandwiches in the mountains, i.e. the Catskills, with cole slaw, and I went for the whole shebang and that’s what I have every April 22nd, the #19. And it couldn’t have been better yesterday.

And just because I was overdoing it, I had the crinkly fries too. Or should I say KRINKLY fries? And of course a Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry. Come on, you can’t eat at the deli without it.

And the Russian dressing is oozing out of the sandwich, but the crunch of the bread is so satisfying, it’s a modern mouth orgasm and a return to my youth all at once.

Click here to read the entire article – it’s fantastic!

Thank you, Bob, for including us in your birthday celebrations, and please say hello next time you are in so that we may thank you personally for this wonderful piece – The Langer Family

Norm Langer made a guest appearance Saturday on ESPNLA 710’s Weekend Warrior sports medicine and health program hosted by Dr. Robert Klapper.

As it turns out, Robert did Norm’s knee replacements (both of ’em!) about 5 years ago, and Norm has been going strong ever since. He took this opportunity to recount how great his mobility now is, thanks to Robert’s skilled surgical technique and follow-up, live on the air.