Norm Langer has seen decades of change in the neighborhood surrounding his deli with his family’s namesake, but one thing that’s remained the same is his customer’s loyalty.
Now he’s looking to thank the people who made Langer’s Deli the institution it is today.
On the corner of 7th Street and Alvarado, the Los Angeles staple prepares to celebrate 79 years of serving the Westlake community. The deli has survived over the decades – from illegal drug trafficking and use in nearby MacArthur Park to the early days of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, 81-year-old Langer plans to celebrate the deli’s milestone by thanking customers with a day-long giveaway, 79 years after his father first opened the deli. He jokes that the biggest challenge the deli faces is him getting up in the morning.
“It’s my allegiance to the city, it’s my allegiance to my customers. The city of Los Angeles has been good to me,” Langer told The LA Local.
While the deli opened just a few years before he was born, Norm Langer has no plans of retiring. He’s following a routine of having a place to go when he wakes up and having people who rely on him.
The deli has welcomed countless customers from all over the world since it opened on June 17, 1947. The classic deli style-setup and aged booths have made decades of customers feel at home.
The original #19 was created by Langer’s father in the 1950’s after returning to Los Angeles from World War 2.
His father Al began working in delis in New York at the age of 11, bussing tables and even acting the part of “tough guy” for local mobsters to earn extra tip as they visited the shop, Norm Langer said.
As an adult, Al Langer perfected how to hand slice pastrami at delis in New York, New Jersey and Miami. It is that technique that preserves the meat’s tenderness and flavor.
In 1936, Al relocated to Southern California, opening his first deli in Palm Springs. The deli only lasted less than a year but Al didn’t give up there.
He then purchased an existing business, known as The Famous Deli, in the Westlake neighborhood. The name changed, but the fame only grew as customers fell in love with its pastrami sandwich. At the time the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish, but today the area is a majority Latino.
Famous for its #19 pastrami sandwich, the special is loaded with tangy coleslaw, swiss cheese, russian dressing, and thick cuts of smoked meat and jammed into rye bread.
“I want customers to feel that it’s no different today than it was 50, 60, or 70 years ago,” Langer said. “It’s just as good, if not better.”
A birthday gift – for customers
The deli will give away $100 gift certificates every half hour on Wednesday in a day-long, randomly selected raffle. Customers just need to show up to receive their ticket to enter.
The drawings will begin at 8:30am and conclude with a grand prize drawing of a $1000 gift certificate at 3:30pm. In order to be eligible customers must write their name and phone number on the back of their submitted ticket. If a winner is not present they will be reached by phone.
A full list of the winners will be posted on the deli’s website.
Langer’s Deli is a two-time James Beard Classic’s Award winner and has been recognized twice by the Michelin Guide. The James Beard award is granted to restaurants for quality food that reflects the history and characters of their communities.
“Langer’s is also a living microcosm of the Los Angeles story, from dramatic post-war growth through all the triumphs and tribulations, changes and challenges that have followed,” David Shaw of the James Beard Foundation wrote.
Shaw described Langer’s pastrami sandwich as a work of art, and as the best hot pastrami sandwich in the world.
During the COVID pandemic, when many restaurants were forced to shut down, Norm Langer had to lay off all his servers and shifted the dining room to pick-up only. But just like his father, he persevered and made sure the deli survived.
Once Langer’s was able to reopen, he rehired every server back except for one due to illness.
“I’m trying to live by what my parents taught me, and the one thing my dad said is give the customer the same product today that we gave them the day we opened and they’ll continue coming back for it.”
Langer’s Deli, 704 S Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: (213) 483-8050