Saturday Night at the Deli

Larry and I usually go out to dinner on Saturday nights. Sometimes, we have dinner dates with friends. More often than not, it's just the two of us, exploring the culinary excitement of Los Angeles. We both enjoy the classics though, so this past Saturday, we just felt like having a cup of soup and splitting a delicious pastrami sandwich!

Luckily, we live in the Fairfax Delta and quite close to the Kosher Korridor! Since it wasn't  sundown yet, we ventured over to Canter's Deli, a Kosher-STYLE restaurant that has been serving delicious food in Los Angeles since 1931.

Mural in Canter's parking lot depicting Jewish life in Los Angeles, by Art Mortimer, 1985

The Canter Brothers opened a deli in Boyle Heights in 1931. At the time, Boyle Heights was the center of Jewish life. After World War 2, the Jewish community started to move westward in Los Angeles. In 1948, Canter's opened on Fairfax Avenue. In 1953, they moved to the old Empire Theater, also on Fairfax. The Empire showed Yiddish language movies. Later, in the 1960's the lounge or Kibbitz Room was added to the complex. It is a sprawling place.

It's always a sunny autumn day in the main room at Canter's. This illuminated dropped ceiling was added in the 1970s

It was mildly busy at Canter's at 6pm on Saturday night. We were seated next to the main room. This 1950's style dining room is my favorite. I love the light fixtures, the terrazzo floor and the spacious feeling of the room. Also, if you're there late, you can hear the band in the Kibbitz Room slightly.

The Second Dining Area at Canter's

Larry and I discussed what to order. The menu is vast. We thought we should order something different than our usual, but being creatures of habit, we each had a cup of barley-bean soup and split a pastrami sandwich on rye.

Those crunchy pickles are the best!

We walked back to the parking lot around 7 pm and saw Rhonda and Eric! They were meeting Brooke and Deyo for dinner! We just missed seeing Brooke and Deyo, but at least they got our parking spot! Hey kids! Let us know the next time you want to eat at Canter's on a Saturday night. We'll coordinate.

Ellen and Larry ran into Rhonda and Eric! We just missed Brooke and Deyo