Langer's Pastrami Delivery: From L.A. to You

The pastrami sandwich at Langer's Delicatessen is legendary. So delicious that it made our “100 Favorite Dishes” list. So distinctive that Nora Ephron deemed it “the finest hot pastrami sandwich in the world.” So beloved that Angelenos regularly queue up for a taste — and out-of-towners bemoan their loss.

But there is a solution for those hapless souls: FedEx.

Langer's has teamed with the mail service to deliver vacuum-sealed packages of pastrami to nearly anywhere in the United States. You can order rye bread, too. As for condiments? You're on your own for extras such as Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and coleslaw — the components for Langer's famed No. 19 sandwich.

the Langer's FedEx box; Credit: Langer's

But hey, it's the pastrami that's important. Langer's steams its pastrami for hours, rendering it extra-tender, too soft for any machine cutting. Instead, this 65-year-old deli, which serves hundreds every day, opts for a different technique: hand-slicing the meat into slivers.

There's a price, of course: $22 per pound, with a 2-pound minimum order. Rye bread costs $5.50 per loaf. (The basic hot pastrami sandwich costs $13.50 in house, so it's not a bad deal.) Place your order on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and the pastrami will arrive the following day, along with heating instructions.

Still looking for holiday gift ideas? Your mom (or grandfather) just might prefer this to a new set of spatulas.

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