Langer's Deli wins L.A. Times Gold Award for nation's best pastrami
The downtown Los Angeles institution, opened by Norm Langer's parents in 1947, earns the 2026 honor for its signature twice-baked rye and hand-sliced meat.
What to know
- Langer's Deli wins the 2026 L.A. Times Gold Award, cementing its reputation as home to the nation's best pastrami sandwich.
- The restaurant's legendary status rests on a twice-baked rye technique perfected by founder Al Langer in 1936 and the precision hand-slicing work of longtime manager Jaime Castaneda (43-44 years tenure).
- The deli, opened in 1947 on 7th and Alvarado by Al and Jean Langer, has been endorsed by prominent food critics including Nora Ephron, Mimi Sheraton, and Jonathan Gold.
- Norm Langer maintains strict quality control over ingredients and technique, particularly the rye bread sourced from Fred's Bakery, which must be used within an hour of rebaking or it hardens.
“The flavor's there. It eats right. It bites right. But see what I mean? It's a little bit stretchy. It's a little bit rough.”
Jaime Castaneda, Manager and counterman · LA Times ↗ · Sep 26
Norm Langer Owner of Langer's Deli
Jaime Castaneda Manager and counterman at Langer's DeliAl Langer Co-founder of Langer's Deli (deceased)Jean Langer Co-founder of Langer's Deli (deceased)
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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“It doesn't happen without me. But it also doesn't happen without him.”
— Norm Langer -
2 outlets first by LA Times, 1d ago · also LA Times California · read ↗
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The nation’s best pastrami is in L.A. And it just won the Gold Award https://www. diningandcooking.com/restauran ts/32796/ # AlLanger # bakery # deli # EastLA # FamousPastrami # HotPastrami # JaimeCastaneda # langer # LosAngelesTimes # meat # OwnerNormLanger # PalmSprings # PastramiSandwich # Restaurant # Restaurants # RyeBread # year
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Mimi Sheraton cites Langer's rye as the best example — Late New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton writes that the best example of a fragrant classic rye bread is at Langer's Delicatessen, further solidifying the restaurant's reputation for excellence in its signature product.
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Nora Ephron declares Langer's pastrami the finest in the world — Writer Nora Ephron publishes in The New Yorker that the hot pastrami sandwich at Langer's Delicatessen in downtown Los Angeles is the finest in the world, giving the restaurant national prominence among food critics.
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Langer's Deli opens on 7th and Alvarado — Al and Jean Langer open Langer's Deli on the corner of 7th Street and Alvarado Street in downtown Los Angeles, in a building that once housed the Famous Delly. The restaurant builds its reputation on the twice-baked rye and hand-sliced pastrami techniques developed over the previous decade.
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Al Langer develops twice-baked rye bread technique — While briefly running a deli in Palm Springs, Al Langer creates the rebaking process that would become signature to his future restaurant. Unable to find bakeries he approved of, he sources day-old bread from Detroit Bakery in Boyle Heights and perfects a method of rebaking and hot-slicing to create a crispy outside crust and soft, tender, moist inside.