PASTRAMI SHOWDOWN Edition - The Finale!

Jenna Flexner

6 days ago

8 min read

Foodie Files Spotlight

THE BEST PASTRAMI SANDWICH

IN LOS ANGELES

The Search for the Pastrami Crown of Gold - PART TWO & The WINNER!

WE’RE BACK! And after a brief intermission (okay, technically a whole month), the Pastrami Showdown is finally ready for its grand finale!

If you’re just joining us, welcome to the most important scientific research our family has conducted in recent memory. 😂 Last month we kicked off our quest to determine whether our beloved Langer’s really is the undisputed pastrami champion of Los Angeles. We started with Brent’s Deli in Northridge, which completely surprised us with its ridiculously delicious combination of juicy pastrami, grilled rye, melted Swiss and what we unanimously declared the best coleslaw of the bunch. Then came Johnny’s Pastrami in West Adams, where the pastrami was cut approximately the size of a small log but somehow managed to be unbelievably tender and delicious. (And those Johnny Fries!?! 🤤)

If you missed Part One, go back and give it a read before you continue—it’ll bring you up to speed and, more importantly, give you a proper appreciation for just how seriously we have taken this completely unnecessary but extremely delicious investigation.

Now, with two contenders down and two still standing, it’s time for the final stretch. Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City is up next, followed by the place that started this whole obsession in the first place: Langer’s Deli. We’ve eaten, compared, debated, reconsidered, and eaten some more. And now, at long last, we are ready to reveal our family’s official Pastrami Showdown winner!

#3 on our quest, Johnnies Pastrami in Culver City. Check out our video below:

Our third stop took us to Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City, where I was joined by my old high school friend Joen—who, as it turns out, may have missed her calling as a food influencer.

First problem: Johnnie’s will not grill the rye. Under any circumstances. Apparently they don’t even have a grill, which confused us because they serve burgers, but we decided not to launch a full kitchen investigation. One bite reminded me exactly why our family always asks for grilled rye. Johnnie’s piles a good 2–3 inches of thinly sliced pastrami between two innocent pieces of bread that never had a chance. Within minutes, my sandwich was experiencing a structural failure normally associated with condemned buildings.

We did get our apples-to-apples ingredients—Swiss, coleslaw and Thousand Island—and then Johnnie’s threw us a curveball we weren’t expecting: a little bowl of savory broth for dipping, almost like a French dip. And that broth was fantastic. Rich, savory and completely unexpected, it added a whole new dimension to the sandwich.

But this stop did settle one thing for me once and for all: I am a thick-cut pastrami guy. I know the towering mound of thinly sliced pastrami is the iconic Jewish-deli look. Canter’s does it, Katz’s in New York does it, and there’s no denying that it photographs beautifully. But for me, three inches of thinly sliced meat becomes a greasy, glorious—and perhaps slightly unnecessary—monument to protein. 😂. For me, less is more. Trying to squeeze the sandwich small enough to fit into my mouth only accelerated the rye’s complete disintegration. And that’s where grilled rye wins again: that buttery crunch against soft, tender pastrami is one of the great textural combinations in sandwich civilization. Yes, apparently I think about this stuff way too much.

Meanwhile, Joen ordered the French Dip Pastrami sandwich and really embraced her moment in front of the camera. At one point she was dramatically stuffing increasingly enormous bites into an already completely full mouth while moaning with delight. I was laughing so hard I could barely continue my extremely serious pastrami research.

Where Johnnie’s absolutely won us over was the atmosphere. It feels less like a traditional Jewish deli and more like an old-school Southern California diner, with that wonderfully preserved mid-century/Googie-era vibe that once seemed to be everywhere in LA and is disappearing fast. There’s something really special about walking into a place that feels like it has barely changed in decades.

So, for my personal pastrami preferences, Johnnie’s didn’t quite win the sandwich battle. But would we go back? Absolutely. The broth alone deserves another visit—and places like Johnnie’s are becoming increasingly rare. If you’re anywhere near Culver City (or cruising down the 405), pull off and experience it while you still can. Just don’t ask them to grill the rye. Trust me. I tried. 😂

* Johnnie’s Pastrami — Culver City

4017 Sepulveda Blvd.,

Culver City, CA 90230

(310) 397-6654

And that, my friends, brings us to the final stop on our quest, Langer's Deli. Check out our video below.

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

Our fourth and final contestant is Langer’s Deli, the place that seemingly appears at #1 every time somebody makes a list of LA’s best pastrami sandwiches. But I’m not one to blindly take other people’s advice—especially when the verification process involves eating four enormous pastrami sandwiches.

After Brent’s Deli, Johnny’s Pastrami in West Adams, and Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City (no relation—and yes, keeping those two straight has been harder than the actual judging), it was finally time to return to the place that started this whole obsession for our family.

And unfortunately for anyone hoping for a dramatic upset…Langer’s did it again.

First, we had to address the famous #19. It’s the sandwich plastered all over Langer’s advertising, best-of lists and even their merchandise. And yes, it’s delicious. It also violates one of our family’s most sacred commandments: THOU SHALT GRILL THE RYE.

Langer’s won’t grill the #19 because the coleslaw makes a mess on the grill. Fair enough. But years ago, we discovered a loophole. Order the #10, essentially the #19 without the coleslaw. Have them grill it. Order the coleslaw on the side. Then pile it onto the sandwich yourself.

This stupid little hack has somehow become one of our family’s greatest culinary discoveries—and considering how much we eat out, that is both impressive and mildly concerning.

The pastrami is sliced exactly how I like it—roughly 1/8-inch thick. Thick enough to sink your teeth into, but not so thick that eating lunch becomes a jaw-strengthening exercise.

And then there’s that rye. Firm, buttery and beautifully crunchy from the grill, it actually survives the juicy pastrami, dressing, and giant pile of coleslaw without collapsing in your hands. After my structural-engineering disaster at Johnnie’s in Culver City, I have learned not to take sandwich integrity for granted.

Then comes the magic: the crunchy, sweet coleslaw with the warm, tender, savory pastrami. The Swiss almost disappears into the background, yet somehow I find its presence emotionally reassuring. 😂 And then there’s the Thousand Island—or “Russian dressing,” as Langer’s calls it. Potayto, potahto. Whatever you call it, do not leave it out.

We consider it so essential that we’ve actually brought Langer’s dressing with us to other pastrami restaurants just in case they don’t have anything comparable. Yes. We are apparently now the kind of family that travels with emergency sandwich condiments.

Put everything together and something almost ridiculous happens. The buttery crunch of grilled rye. The warm, juicy pastrami. The cool, sweet crunch of coleslaw. The creamy Swiss. The rich dressing. Each ingredient is good by itself, but together they become something completely different. It reminds me of that scene in Ratatouille when Remy combines two basic flavors and suddenly there are fireworks and music exploding inside his head. That’s basically me eating this sandwich, except instead of being an adorable animated rat, I’m a grown man sitting in a deli making inappropriate noises over pastrami. It may be the closest I’ve ever come to worrying that I could actually become addicted to a restaurant dish.

And that is why, after 2½ years (we went when our lives crossed paths with one of the four restaurants), countless bites and an entirely unreasonable amount of pastrami, Langer’s wins our LA Pastrami Sandwich Showdown. 🏆

I realize there is something slightly ridiculous about spending all this time and consuming this many calories only to arrive at the same conclusion that half of Los Angeles had already reached. But now I know.

We gave Brent’s, Johnny’s, Johnnie’s and Langer’s as fair a fight as possible: grilled rye whenever they'd let us, Swiss, coleslaw and Thousand Island/Russian dressing. Same basic ingredients. Same highly trained judging panel consisting mostly of me and whichever family member or friend I could convince to eat pastrami on camera. The scientific method would be proud. Or horrified. Either way, the results are in:

🏆 LANGER’S DELI — OUR LA PASTRAMI SANDWICH SHOWDOWN CHAMPION.

So the next time I bring somebody to Langer’s and tell them it’s the best pastrami sandwich in Los Angeles, I can finally say: “Trust me. I tried to beat it.”

* Langer’s Delicatessen

704 S. Alvarado St.

Los Angeles, CA 90057

(213) 483-8050

* Hours: Monday–Saturday: 8 AM–4 PM

Sunday: Closed

Erik and Jenna’s

Entertainment Picks

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

A delicious meditation on the pursuit of perfection

- by Jenna

I didn't expect a documentary about an 85-year-old Japanese sushi chef to have much to do with our ongoing quest to find the best pastrami sandwich in Los Angeles.

And yet, somewhere in the middle of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I realized that Jiro Ono might actually have something to teach us about pastrami.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi, directed by David Gelb, follows Jiro Ono, the legendary chef behind a tiny, 10-seat sushi restaurant in Tokyo. The restaurant had earned the highest Michelin distinction, but the movie isn't really about Michelin stars or even sushi. It's about craft—and the pursuit of doing one thing extraordinarily well.

Jiro has spent essentially his entire adult life making sushi, and even after reaching the highest levels of his profession, he's still looking for ways to improve. The film takes us behind the scenes and shows the meticulous attention paid to everything: the rice, the fish, the temperature, the timing, the slicing and even the preparation of individual ingredients.

And that's when I started thinking about sandwiches.

Pastrami sandwiches, specifically. Because what is a pastrami sandwich? Pastrami. Bread. Mustard. Maybe Cole slaw and Swiss. Maybe a pickle on the side? There aren't a dozen ingredients to hide behind. Which means that when it's really good, you notice everything.

Is the pastrami smoky enough? Tender enough? Fatty enough? Is it sliced correctly? Is the bread sturdy but not distracting? Is the mustard sharp enough? Is the ratio of meat to bread just right? Suddenly our little pastrami challenge starts feeling a lot more serious. Maybe the question isn't simply “Which sandwich is the best?” Maybe it's “What makes someone care enough to make a dish exceptionally well?”

That's what I loved about Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It makes you appreciate the people who spend years perfecting something that, to everyone else, might look deceptively simple. Jiro isn't using dozens of ingredients or elaborate techniques. He's taking a few exceptional ingredients and trying to make them as perfect as possible.

The movie also explores Jiro's two sons, who followed him into the restaurant business, and the complicated question of what it means to inherit a tradition from someone who has spent a lifetime setting an almost impossible standard.

Ultimately, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is about much more than food. It's about discipline, family, tradition, craftsmanship and the desire to keep getting better.

Great food doesn't necessarily have to be complicated. It just has to be intentional. Someone has to care about ALL the parts that go into it. Someone has to care about the details.

Someone has to taste it and think, You know what? We could make this just a little bit better.

My verdict: If you love food, Chef's Table, restaurant stories, travel, or watching someone become ridiculously good at something, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is absolutely worth watching.

And afterward, you may find yourself looking at a simple piece of sushi or a very ordinary sandwich in a completely different way. Preferably while eating it.

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Until the next adventure,

- Erik & Jenna

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