Canter's Delicatessen and Restaurant is a family run business that started in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1924. The Canter brothers moved their business to Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles, in 1931, and in 1948 Harold Price and Selma Udko opened Canter's Deli at 439 North Fairfax, a few doors up the block from the current location. In 1953 Salma Udko, Ben and Jenny Canter, and Harold Price moved Canter's to the current location at 419 North Fairfax.

Canter's is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and on all holidays except Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Significant Dates in Canter's History

1924 - Beginning of Canter's as a family run business in Jersey City, New Jersey
1931 - Canter brothers move themselves and their business to Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles
1948 - Canter's moved to the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles
1953 - The Esquire Theater is transformed into the current location of Canter's
1959 - Canter's grows and expands into another room
1961 - The Kibbitz Room opens adding a full cocktail lounge to Canter's Delicatessen.
2003 - Canter's expands across state lines with a Canter's Deli opening in Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Our philosophy is to serve quality merchandise at reasonable prices. Pleasing the customers is our primary goal. Our house specialties include a sandwich piles up 1/2 lb high with Corned Beef and Pastrami called a Canter's Fairfax. Another favorite is referred to as a Brooklyn and Soto and is made with Corned Beef or Pastrami on rye. Our chicken matzoth ball soup, the Jewish penicillin, is another house favorite and has cured many homesick customers from both hunger and the common cold.

Canter's is one of the few delicatessens in the United States that pickles our own pickles fresh in-house every morning. Our bakery goods are baked fresh twice daily on our premises. We prepare our own potato salad, cole slaw, egg salad, turkey salad, and bake our own knishes.

Some Canter's Statistics

Over 4,900 lbs of Pastrami are sold per month.
There is 1,500 gallons of Chicken Soup made per week.
We bake 4,000 Knishes per week.
Our seating capacity is 465 people.
Square footage for Canter's Delicatessen is 14,000 sq ft, making us one of the largest delicatessens in the country.
Canter's has also become a favorite whistle stop on hot political contests. We've had Mayor Bradley, Governor Deukmejian, Rudy Gulianian, Bill Simon going from booth to booth introducing themselves to our customers. Because CBS studios is just up the block, many celebrities frequent Canter's every day. Our catering department caters to many television show and movies during production and to their wrap parties as well. The Neil Simon movie "I ought to be in Pictures" with Walter Mathau was filmed here. Canter's is also part of the larger Los Angeles community and we have received numerous awards from the City of Hope, appreciation letters for outstanding and dedicated service, and letters from Jerry Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association thanking Canter's for donating food.

The Canter's Mural
2 details from the Fairfax Community Mural completed in 1985. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, the mural is a collage in black and white, based on old photographs documenting Jewish history in Los Angeles from 1841 to 1985.

The 7 panel mural is located on the south wall of the Canter's building on the corner of Oakwood and Fairfax. Designer and artistic supervisor was Art Mortimer who collaborated with artists Stephen Raul Anaya and Peri Fleischman and over 50 neighborhood volunteers.

Over the years, many celebrities have passed through our doors. In the 50's Marilyn Monoe and Arthur Miller ate here, as did Jack Benny and Elizabeth Taylor. Other celebrity noshers include Sydney Poitier, Mel Brooks, Wilt Chamberlain, Charlene Tilton, Brooke Shields, Jackqueline Bisset, Catherine Oxenberg, John Travolta, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Hacket, Olivia Newton John, Muhammad Ali, Monty Hall, Bill Cosby, David Brenner, Rodney Dangerfield, Dick Van Dyke, Shelly Winters, Elizabeth Montogomery, The Cars, Henry Winkler, Greg Morris, and the producer of Miami Vice, Michael Mann, who has written from inspiration for up to 3 hours at a time when he was writing for Vegas. Many celebrities who prefer to go "incognito" sneak in around 3:00am for a late night nosh!

Canter's Delicatessen and Restaurant continues to be a Los Angeles landmark and late night spot, and, with the addition of the Las Vegas opening of Canter's Deli in 2003, we are committed to bringing the best Pastrami to late night noshers on the famed Las Vegas Strip.