(photo by Tabor Brewster)

Stroll into Canter’s Deli on Fairfax late at night – really, really late – and you’re bound to encounter an eccentric cast of characters fit for any of L.A.’s many improv theaters. Former punk rockers, wannabe rappers, octogenarian regulars and people from seemingly every niche subculture of Los Angeles congregate in the cathedral-like dining room and dig into Reuben sandwiches with pastrami piled higher than Mount Baldy. Canter’s is L.A.’s temple of the odd, where everyone – I mean everyone – fits right in.

“Canter’s is like Disneyland,” third-generation owner Marc Canter said. “It’s like a tourist attraction. You have relatives coming from out of town, and the first thing you do is bring them to Canter’s.”

What started as a humble Jewish delicatessen in Jersey City in 1924 has evolved into an L.A. icon that draws tourists and locals alike for its late night hours, quirky atmosphere and deli favorites. In 1931, the restaurant moved from the East Coast to Boyle Heights, before relocating to Fairfax in 1948. In 1953, Canter’s took over the Esquire Theatre – which explains the huge dining room and flashy marquee. With each passing era of Hollywood, stories emerge of different icons having a nosh at Canter’s.

I wonder if Marilyn Monroe tried the matzo ball soup. Did Frank Zappa prefer corned beef or pastrami? What about Jim Morrison – pumpernickel or rye?

The stories don’t stop at the deli counter. Canter’s adjacent Kibitz Room evokes the rock ‘n’ roll history of Los Angeles as a funky cocktail lounge and live music venue. Artists like Joni Mitchell, Guns N’ Roses and Rick James held impromptu jam sessions and shared a drink at the bar on Fairfax Avenue.

Canter’s has become such an essential part of the Fairfax community that many Angelenos have literally grown up on its orange leather booths.

“I remember when I was just 17 working here back in 1982, and a young couple would come in all the time and I’d see them. Then all of a sudden they’re pregnant and they have a baby and I see them with the baby. Pretty soon that baby is 4, 5 or 6 years old and pretty soon that baby’s a teenager. Pretty soon that teenager comes in with his friends or her friends. Then they get married and they have babies and I see the same people whose parents I knew before they were born, and now they’re bringing their kids,” Marc said. “Canter’s is a place where grandkids grow up and bring their grandkids.”

But what keeps regulars coming back after all these years? To put it simply, as Marc does, “the food is good.”

(photo by Tabor Brewster)

Don’t expect any frills. Canter’s has taken to a tried and true “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, and the tender deli meats probably don’t taste much different than they did 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 years ago – rightfully so.

“It’s old recipes. It comes from over 100 years ago and it worked,” Marc said. “It worked then and it works now.”

Everything at Canter’s does just that… It works. The booths. The bakery. The Kibbitz room. The matzo ball soup. The pickles. The pastrami. The corned beef. It all works. And it’s not changing anytime soon. Maybe that’s why it feels like home.

Canter’s Deli is located at 419 N. Fairfax Ave. For information, visit cantersdeli.com.