Jarred Reviews: Langer’s Delicatessen

Food and travel blogger Jarred from Montreal recently paid his first visit to Langer’s Delicatessen. Having grown up with smoked meat sandwiches in Montreal, Jarred is familiar with the pastrami family, but nothing could have prepared him for his first Langer’s experience:

I’ll always remember that time I sunk my teeth into my first #19 at Langer’s.

Everyone apparently knows the best pastrami or corned beef sandwich there is. I’ve been engrossed in back and forth’s of personal bias over which deli makes the best sandwich several times with people. When I went to LA, I heard that Langer’s is to L.A. what Schwartz’s is to Montreal…

Then finally it came…Langer’s most popular sandwich…The tender, succulent and perfectly seasoned juicy pieces of thickly cut meat piled high, not as much as Carnegie but there was still a great amount. The cole slaw is an original addition, and crucial in making this legendary sandwich, as well as that dressing, that perfect dressing that really just completes everything. I’m not even sure if I noticed the cheese, as there was so much taste from everything else that was going on. When you have pastrami that’s as juicy as steak, it’s no wonder.

It’s a terrific review for which we are grateful, and one you should check out both for the prose as well as the imagery. Click here to read the complete review, and to browse Jarred’s well-done site.

Thank you, Jarred! – The Langers

LAWeekly.com: Langer’s Vs. Oinkster

Elina Shatkin of the Los Angeles Weekly’s online LAWeekly.com is conducting a “30 Sandwiches in 30 Days” marathon – and Day 12 was none other than Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant versus Oinkster. Here’s Elina’s take on our delicious #19:

Want to look like a dyed-in-the-wool Angeleno? Next time you visit Langer’s, sit down and order the #19 without glancing at the menu. Better yet, don’t order the #19. Order any other sandwich at Langer’s as long as it features pastrami — and don’t look at the menu.

Langer’s pastrami, however, needs no accoutrements….It is sliced thickly, more like a slab of brisket than the thin, curling pastrami at most sandwich shops, whether they’re of the artisanal or drive-through variety. The meat itself is tender and warm, modestly seasoned but intensely meaty, peppery without the overpowering sense of spice. It comes on rye bread so crusty, it makes Andy Rooney look like Pollyanna. Yet the bread, in a true miracle of nature’s duality, is somehow exceptionally soft and chewy.

Her verdict?

There can only be one winner. It’s Langer’s. Still #1.

Thank you, Elina! We’re proud of the award and are grateful for your poetic descriptions of our beloved pastrami!

Click here to read the complete review.

LocalEats.com: Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant

Food blog and leading food app for smartphones and tablets LocalEats.com has published their Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant review and listing:

Declaring a favorite Los Angeles deli may be as dangerous as proclaiming love for the Giants in Dodger Stadium. You can say with certainty, however, that since 1947, Angelenos have flocked to Langer’s somewhat precarious neighborhood —just west of downtown, across from MacArthur Park — for what many claim is the world’s best pastrami sandwich. Even a scattering of New York’s corned beef connoisseurs cede to the superior tender layers of sugar-cured and seasoned meat, while curbside service and a recently added subway stop on the Metro Red Line have helped everyone from downtown heavyweights to Hollywood’s most elite nosh alongside their kosher-style-loving brethren.

We even made it to their “Top 100” list – thank you, LocalEats! Click here to view the listing, and make sure you download their app for your smartphone or tablet.

Serious Eats: 25 Touristy Spots in America That Are Actually Good

Ed Levine’s nationally recognized food blog SeriousEats.com has created a new slideshow documenting “25 Touristy Spots in America That Are Actually Good.” The selections come from all types of restaurant categories – from hot dogs to steak houses – and Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant is honored to be part of Ed’s list:

The pastrami from James Beard Award-winning Langer’s Deli may well be the best pastrami sandwich you ever eat. But that depends, of course, on if you have diehard East Coast Pastrami loyalties. The meat is thick cut, juicy, and has just the right amount of fat. Compared to the legendary Katz’s in NYC, the meat is spicier and a bit more peppery. It’s served on very flavorful rye bread that’s double-baked to ensure crispiness and that special chew.

Click here to view our selection page and make sure you click through all 25 selections – it’ll make you hungry and want to travel, all at once!

Thank you, Ed and SeriousEats.com team! – The Langers

Lisa Lau: Weekend in LA Yum Yum

Food blogger Lisa Lau recently spent a weekend in Los Angeles trying out some interesting eateries, and she included Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant on her itinerary:

Finally, I wanted to write about Langer’s Delicatessen. It’s been in existence for many decades, but I accidentally found it while I was “yelping”. I discovered that their pastrami sandwich made it on a list of Jonathan Gold’s 99 Things to Eat Before You Die”. I didn’t know who Jonathan Gold was, but if he created this list, we would try this sandwich. OMG! This pastrami on rye was awesome. So tender, so flavorful, so delicious.

Click here to read the entire review and learn more about her culinary weekend in Los Angeles – thank you, Lisa!

Le Continental: Langer’s Delicatessen

Le Continental, “Drinking and Dining with the Jab” is a food blog with reviews of restaurant visits from around the country. They recently visited Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant and enjoyed themselves thoroughly:

Here it is! Easily my favorite sandwich in the world. Warm pastrami, trimmed and sliced thick to order. Piled on house-baked rye bread that is sliced for each sandwich from still warm loaves using a meat slicer – crispy crust but super-soft center.

Click here to read the complete review and to browse the site – it’s really interesting with a variety of cuisines visited and reviewed.

LA Weekly: Jonathan Gold’s 99 Essential Restaurants 2011 – Langer’s Deli

Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant is proud to have been named once again to Jonathan Gold’s “99 Essential Restaurants” list for 2011 in the Los Angeles Weekly.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Gold is a longtime fan of Langer’s hot pastrami, so perfectly captured here:

By this point, it is a matter of conventional wisdom: Langer’s serves the best pastrami sandwich in America. No matter how many doubting New Yorkers you drag here, no matter how many Chowhound throwdowns between Langer’s and Katz’s there may be, the results are always the same: The thick, peppery, smoky slices of hand-sliced meat; the thickly cut seeded corn rye; and the dab of yellow mustard as important to the whole as a sushi master’s wasabi, make victory inevitable.

Click here to read the complete review in Jonathan’s “99 Essential Restaurants 2011” list.

Thank you so much, Jonathan, for all you have done for Langer’s Deli – The Langer Family

Edwin Cho: Langer’s World Famous Pastrami

Blogger Edwin Cho recently posted a terrific review of his visit to Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant, which was prompted by his cousin’s visit to Katz’s of New York. He sampled a variety of our menu, which makes for a great, all-around review, but of course, the focus was on our world famous hot pastrami:

Langer’s is a Jewish style deli that serves pastrami and corned beef the right way. If you think pastrami is that thin-sliced, salty luncheon meat you get in your sandwiches, you’re mistaken.   Notice how the meat actually looks like meat. The meat actually tastes like meat too. Oh, and it’s not overly salty. In fact, it’s not salty. It really just tastes like meat. I know, this may be revolutionary to some of you.

Click here to read the complete review at Edwin’s blog

Thank you for the great review, Edwin – be sure to say hello next time you visit us! – the Langers

Langer’s on KTLA’s Morning News Oct. 26

Norm Langer and Jaime Castaneda of Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant appeared this morning on KTLA Channel 5’s Morning News to receive our award for being one of Los Angeles’ Top Delis – a contest held earlier this summer by KTLA.

For our appearance, Jaime hand-cut steaming-hot pastrami right on set and built #19 sandwiches for co-anchor Frank Buckley and weather anchor Mark Kriski, while co-anchor Michaela Pereira and longtime Langer’s fan and entertainment reporter Sam Rubin looked on from the anchor desk.

We’ll have video shortly, but in the meantime, here are some still shots from the segment.

All of us at Langer’s would like to thank everyone at KTLA for their hospitality and kindness to us during our visit. We would especially like to thank producer Janet Hill for all her efforts on our behalf – we are grateful, Janet.

– The Langer Family

Zagat.com: Langer’s Deli named in Top 8 Downtown LA Restaurants

Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant is pleased to announce we have been selected in a round-up of the 8 Top Downtown Los Angeles Restaurants by Zagat.com.

You can see the entire list of eight by clicking here, or click here to visit the Langer’s page at Zagat.

All of us at Langer’s would like to thank the Zagat team for their kindness in selecting our restaurant as one of Downtown LA’s best. We are humbled and very appreciative.

– The Langers