Canter's Deli — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I’ve been coming to Canter’s since I was four years old—before I even knew what “pastrami” meant, before I could see over the table without standing on the seat. My mother and her then-boyfriend, Erol Haft, would bring me here like it was a second living room, a place where the air was always thick with the smell of rye bread, hot coffee, and a thousand conversations.

The other day I came back for lunch with a friend and ended up staying almost four hours. Not because I had to—because I wanted to. That’s what Canter’s does to you. Time folds in on itself here. The booths, the neon, the clink of plates—it’s all a kind of soft time machine that lets you drift between the present and decades of memory.

The pastrami Reuben? Still glorious—juicy, briny, unapologetically messy, the kind of sandwich that doesn’t just feed you but reminds you that eating should be an event. Prices are still reasonable, which in Los Angeles might be the rarest miracle of all.

Canter’s isn’t just about the food. It’s about the ghosts in the room—Guns N’ Roses in the corner after a gig, the regulars holding court over black coffee at 2 a.m., the laughter of people who’ve been coming here so long they could navigate the menu blindfolded.

Forty years on, I’m still here, losing myself for hours without even noticing. And I hope this place never goes away. Some things deserve to...

Haven’t been here for over 15 years. Came to chill out before I went to the hospital. I used to live right up the block and this is my neighbor. The hostesses in the staff are so unbelievably rude. They barely acknowledge you. There are completely ignoring you and having discussions and gossiping about whatever and on their phones. I know it’s a land Acceptable. I just came to chill up before I went into the hospital and this was rude rude rude. I mean above and beyond rude. Another level that intentionally tried to make me feel like a piss out. Please canters, where are your people. Not everybody is a tourist and some of us are in your neighborhood and would like to come here all the time and not be treated so poorly. I am sitting here and I’m absolutely beside myself. I’ll say it again, rude, rude rude. The older, gray haired hostess? Awful. Step down a peg that was crazy. Don’t turn your back customers, Don’t walk away quickly when you can see them approaching you with an issue. Yup yup yup. Knock it off and do your job. I don’t normally leave reviews like this, but...

My husband had to go into LA for something. He went to Canters Thursday afternoon to have an early dinner. He said there was a line to the front door of people waiting on a table, and they wouldn’t let anyone sit at the counter. So he ordered a pastrami sandwich to go. Sandwich & a little cup of potato salad…$22. He said the meat was awful and tough. In the past we always loved going Canters & their bakery counter. He got a bear claw pastry for him & he brought me home a black & white cookie & a raspberry French macaroon & an apricot French macaroon…my favorite cookies from there. I’ve always raved that Canters has the best black & white cookies. I ate the black & white..it was just ok..but a little dry. The other two cookies.. took one bite of each & threw them in the trash cause they tasted awful & I could tell they were old. My husband said, “Well, after all that we now know that we never need to bother going back to Canters. When we lived in LA we went there allllllll the time. Such a...