Con este calor infernal la neta es que eso de la comida no se antoja mucho. Gone are the days of stuffing our faces with baked goodies and deep fried deliciousness… its way too hot to even think about enjoying such delicacies. Still, we gotta eat, y la neta después de comer lo mismo every day, we need some variety. Fortunately, if you live in the L.A. area, you’ll never suffer from boredom- it’s seriously the land of variety. If you wanna switch things up a bit without being too extreme or without compromising your budget by much, head over to “Langer’s Deli” for some of the best pastrami EVER. If you haven’t tried “Langer’s”, you owe it to yourself to experience it- even if you’re not a huge pastrami fan, after eating at this joint, you will be.
What a ride
“Langer’s” is located by the oh so popular and infamous MacArthur Park. Even though the area is known as being sketchy and what not, it’s not unsafe or anything like that… you can seriously go there by yourself and not get mugged on your way in or out the door… so don’t even trip and dismiss all the rumors. Sure, MacArthur Park is no Beverly Hills, pero tampoco está tan gacho.
This restaurant/ deli meets most of the typical hole-in-the-wall requirements: it’s tucked away in an unexpected spot, it’s medium-sized, the prices are not too high nor too low, the food is scrumptious, and the service is good.
Some facts you need to know before heading over to “Langer’s”: parking is a b*tch, so prepare yourself to park across and take a little walk (which will come in handy on your way back after stuffing your face with so much food), they sell beer (which is unusual for these type of joints), they’re only open Monday-Saturday from 8am til 4pm, and even though the prices are not too high, it can get a little steep (at least $20 buck per peep).
La comida
Just like when visiting any other restaurant, to really enjoy your visit at “Langer’s”, you must leave all the ifs and buts behind, and just focus on what should matter: the food.
It’s so easy to underestimate a place and immediately judge it by its looks, size, and their menu. A simple vista este restaurante no tiene nada de extraordinario… but just wait until you have your first bite.
Even though “Langer’s” offers a wide variety of entrees, they’re best known for their pastrami sandwiches. So if you have a hard time picking an item from the menu, con la #19 no hay pierde: it’s their famous pastrami sandwich.
This pastrami sandwich includes freshly hand carved pastrami on rye bread, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian style dressing. Para empezar, el pan está delicioso, it’s the perfect sandwich bread: crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, the best part about it it’s the fact that it won’t get soggy even after all that coleslaw and dressing. The meat is just deelish: the pastrami is nicely marbeled with greast seasoned crust on the neat hand cut, which also happens to be flavorful and tender… definitely some of the best pastrami on this side of the U.S. of A.
“Langer’s” has a variety of sides which unfortunately don’t live up to their pastrami sandwiches and end up falling short. Their fries are generic, the potato salad is good but nothing to rave about… lo que los rescata son los pickles which happen to be tasty and oh so crunchy.
If for some odd reason you definitely don’t feel like having a pastrami sandwich, another popular item from their menu is their meatloaf. La neta que no tiene nada del otro mundo, just your typical meatloaf dish with mashed potatoes and gravy, great portions though.
“Langer’s Deli” is not a cheap eat, but it’s worth every penny. La neta que no te arrepentirás.
Langer’s Deli704 S Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90057
213.483.8050
