Canter's Deli - Review - Fairfax - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Is the Jewish deli food at Canter’s as good as what you’d find at Langer’s and Brent’s? Not even close. In fact, the dry turkey and just-passable matzo ball soup don't even warrant comparison. You go to Canter's not to eat proper pastrami, but because this iconic Jewish deli is still open 24 hours on weekends—because it feels like a part of LA that's rapidly becoming an endangered species. The long-time landing spot for partiers, insomniacs, and people who prefer eating breakfast at 4am is more synonymous with LA nightlife than most Sunset Strip nightclubs. And despite the many decades of debauchery weathering its walls, the place remains exactly the same: one excellent mess and one of the last surviving slices of the city's grungy counter-culture. photo credit: Benji Dell Canter's prime spot between Hollywood and West Hollywood means that, at 1:30am, drunk club kids dive face-first into corned beef sandwiches next to grumbling 85-year-old landlords gulping down black coffee and lox. And, oh, what's that over there? Is that the band that just played at The Roxy passed out in a booth by the bathroom? Yes. Yes it is. As if Canter's needed any more ammo to make us love it, the deli is also attached to a bar called Kibitz Room, where the bartenders don’t own smartphones and there's usually a strange musical performance unfolding on the stage. For all of these reasons and so many more, Canter’s is a one-of-a-kind LA legend. Even if the pastrami isn't. photo credit: Benji Dell RESERVE A TABLE WITH RESERVE A TABLE Food Rundown Corned Beef Reuben In the name of science, we did some research and this is the sandwich your body wants at 2am with a stomach half-full of whiskey sodas. Trust the results and order it. photo credit: Benji Dell Little New Yorker This is a solid bagel and lox. Certainly not our midnight order, but if we find ourselves at Canter’s on a hazy Sunday morning, you better believe this plate of smoked fish is in front of us. photo credit: Benji Dell Matt’s Special Our apologies to Matt, but this is a bad sandwich. The sliced turkey is bone dry and the combination of wet cole slaw and Russian dressing renders the toasted bread into mush. photo credit: Benji Dell Matzo Ball Soup Best matzo ball soup in town? No. Will we order a bowl any time our voice is about give out after yelling over some live band at the bar we just came from? Yes. photo credit: Benji Dell Canter’s Fairfax After three hours of dancing and five espresso martinis, deciding to go to Canter’s is easy. Choosing between corned beef or pastrami, on the other hand, is tougher. So just get the classic Fairfax, which comes stacked with both. photo credit: Benji Dell Black And White Cookie Canter’s front bakery is stocked with everything from babka to rugelach to sour cream coffee cakes. But the black and white cookies are the standout. They’re nearly an inch thick, with a soft, cakey interior. Get here early on the weekends if you want one. They can sell out fast. photo credit: Brant Cox" - Brant Cox