Langer’s: If there’s a deli in heaven, I’m sure the #19 is on their menu

I know I have at least one reader out there who will probably see the title of this entry and say “it’s about damn time you ate at Langer’s!”  Yes, for any sammich lover out there, Langer’s has got to be first or near first on the list of must eat sandwiches in Los Angeles.  After a year and a half in LA, I finally went.  And it’s all true, you have to have a sandwich here before you leave LA.  This would make even my sandwich-unliking friend Amy’s belly rumble in eager anticipation, I’m sure.

It took me way too long to come here, I soon discovered after my first bite into the Number 19 Sandwich.  After coming here with my friend PJ, I took one bite and exclaimed a big “WOW” out loud.  Everything that’s been written about this sandwich on Yelp and other blogs is so true that I don’t even know what to add.  I can only say that I had just an amazing experience as everyone else.

Pictured above is the #88: Hot Corned Beef and Sauerkraut on Rye.  Your basic Reuben sandwich in classic deli glory.  It’s a bit too sour for my taste, but I can’t take anything away from the meat.  It is piping hot, tender, salty, and as delicious as any I’ve had yet.

It was a very good sandwich, but I think me and PJ were both in agreement that this next sandwich was clearly better:

The #19 up close.  Say hello.

It’s one heck of a sandwich.  Soft and juicy slices of hot pastrami and sweet coleslaw separated by swiss cheese and sandwiched in rye bread.  Add in a spread of Russian dressing and served with a pickle.

Coleslaw is already one of my favorite things in the world, so having it served up in a sandwich is a new and very welcome surprise to me.  It also serves the purpose of sweetening up the sandwich, because where I felt the Reuben got too salty and sour, this combination meets a very healthy (or, is it unhealthy?) balance between salty and sweet.  It also does nothing to take away from the glory of the delicious pastrami.  Every deli earns its stars from the quality of its pastrami, and Langer’s wins enough from me to make up its own constellation.

The sandwich will set you back about $14, but you will not be asking for your money back.

The big reason why some people seem to avoid Langer’s is the sketchy neighborhood that surrounds it.  I’m sure when the restaurant was founded, they expected it to be a perfect spot in the corner of a large park in the middle of town, but then the surroundings happened to change in a different direction.  Nonetheless, I love that the deli looks like it hasn’t changed since WWII.

It’s such an LA institution that they’ve actually dedicated the intersection of 7th and Alvarado as Langer’s Square.  How awesome is that?

If you’re a fan of pastrami sandwiches, then you have to come to Langer’s Deli and try the #19.

Note: Validated parking lot is one block east at Westlake & 7th (they also offer curb service).  Langer’s closes at 4:30pm, but you wouldn’t really want to be in the area after dark, most likely.  I’ve been offered fake IDs and drugs by various strangers the couple times I’ve been by the park.

Langer’s Deli