Jacqueline Canter, second from left, with the Canter Family.
By Leslee Komaiko
For dineLA.com
Canter’s is one of those Los Angeles restaurants that every Angeleno has eaten at once, if not many times. The vintage delicatessen (in its current location since 1953) is open 24-7 and has fed many a club kid during the wee hours as well as their grandparents come daylight. Native Angeleno Jacqueline Canter, a manager, and one of eight family members who currently work at Canter’s, gives us a brief history of the restaurant, its Kibbitz Room and explains why they do chili fries.
How long have you worked at Canter’s?
About 25 years.
Who started the business?
My grandfather and his brothers had Canter Brothers. They started in Jersey City in 1924 and moved to Boyle Heights in 1931.
Back then Boyle Heights had a big Jewish community.
Exactly. In 1948 they moved it to Fairfax.
Who is they?
Harold Price and Selma Udko, my aunt and uncle.
Why did they move?
They decided to venture out on their own. Canter Brothers was still in Boyle Heights. In 1953 they bought the Esquire Theatre and turned it into Canter’s. It was an art house theatre. In 1959 they bought the place next door: Cohen’s, a rival deli. In 1962 they bought the little candy store that is now the Kibbitz Room where a lot of hip rock and roll acts have performed, including the Wallflowers.
I want to talk more about the Kibbitz Room. But where was the original restaurant on Fairfax?
Farther north, on the same block.
Was there ever a question whether you would go into the business?
At one point I went to college and worked in an art gallery. I didn’t know what I was going to do.
So how did you get sucked in?
Basically my whole family works here. It was a natural thing to do.
Who are we talking about?
Mark Canter my younger brother, Gary Canter my older brother, Alan Canter my father.
What does your dad do?
He’s the owner of the property and part owner of the restaurant. Also Lynn Price, my cousin, Terry Bloomgarden, another cousin, and my cousin Albert Canter.
What about the younger generation?
My kids and my brother’s kids, for now they just eat here. Terry’s kids also. At one point everyone has worked here for one day, but not as a full time job.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but Canter’s might be best known for things other than its food, most notably that it is open 24/7. How do you feel about that?
In the 60s, it’s where a lot of people hung out. Now there are other places open 24 hours. But we were rated number one for pastrami in the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Magazine wrote up our fruit cups. The food still is a draw. We make everything fresh here every day. We bake everything here two times daily, pickle our own pickles. The atmosphere is also a draw.
I love the atmosphere, but it’s definitely of an era.
It’s a little dated.
Has there been any talk about redoing it?
There hasn’t been. If you keep a style around long enough it all comes back. It becomes retro.
How did the Kibbitz Room come to be?
What happened was there was a guy named Rami Jaffe and he was in the band called the Wallflowers with Jacob Dylan. He was in charge of booking acts with no cover charge. All we wanted to do was get people in here.
It’s a full bar right?
Yes. And a very reasonably priced bar, way too reasonably priced in my opinion. He had the Wallflowers playing in here. This was before they were well known. They had this huge following.
When was this?
Probably 17 or 18 years ago. Before that it was just a bar. “Kibbitz” implies you’re coming here to gossip.
And you can get a pastrami sandwich?
Yes. That’s the draw. You can get a pastrami sandwich and a side of fries while you’re watching the music.
What are the most popular menu items?
We’re most popular for our pastrami and corned beef and our chicken soup.
How has the menu changed over the years? Or hasn’t it?
The menu has changed. We have had to add some healthier items, some salads, Mediterranean style dishes like Greek salad and hummus and pita. We added a children’s menu because we have a lot of children who come in.
Do items come off if they’re not very popular?
No. Because they’re popular to somebody. I don’t like chopped liver, but other people do.
What are your favorites?
I try to eat a turkey sandwich because I am trying to stay healthy.
I imagine you must roast several turkeys a day.
Like 15 every day. The difference between a real deli and a fake deli is a real one will roast their own turkey and a fake one will buy pressed turkey. And you can tell the difference.
When do your bakers start?
We have two sets of bakers: the bakers that come in around 4 or 5 in the morning are the cake and danish bakers. The bread bakers come in around 12 noon and bake the rye bread and challah.
Who does the hamentashen [a soft, triangular, filled cookie and Jewish bakery staple]?
Those are the cake bakers. Everything that is not bread is cake.
A friend of mine loves your marzipan. Do you make that too?
No we do not. A few things we do buy: some sugar free items to cater to the diabetic people. Marzipan we buy. Some of the bagels we buy. Water bagels we buy from Brooklyn Bagel because we can’t learn to make our own water bagels. We make our egg, cheese, and pumpernickel bagels. But when it comes to water bagels, Brooklyn does a much better job. Our bialys are from H&H Bagel in New York.
What are some of the less popular items?
We have different kinds of clientele. During the daytime we get an older clientele. Those people order things that younger people of my time would never order. You have to have good food available for both kinds of clientele.
Give me an example.
During the day time, it’s a standard kind of fare: chicken soup with matzo balls and a sandwich. During the night time when kids are coming from clubs and they have the munchies, they’re going to order chili cheese fries and a milkshake.
You do chili cheese fries? Isn’t that kind of deli blasphemy?
Yes. Basically we serve whatever it takes to keep people happy. If that’s what they want, that’s what we’ll serve. We’re willing to compromise. If you’re sick and tired of corn beef and pastrami, let’s have some quesadillas on the menu.
Has that been hard on the chefs?
Not at all. Most are Hispanic. They can certainly do a quesadilla better than any of us. Our fries are delicious. They’re the thick cut steak fries. We make our own chili.
I just learned you have another location in Vegas.
We have two other locations: one in Treasure Island and one in Dodger Stadium.
The problem with the one at Dodger Stadium is it’s on the level where the best seats are, so if you’re on the third level you can’t get there. It’s just a walk up counter.
I know a lot of restaurants are getting killed in this economy, but I would think Canter’s would be less affected than say a really high end spot.
One of the keys to our success, why we’re not getting killed, number one we own the property. If you’re paying thirty thousand in rent you’re not making anything. We have employees who have been here up to 50 years. One waitress has been here over 50 years. Jean Cocchiaro. We call her Jeannie. She’s been with us 57 years. One cashier has been here 50 years. We have employees who have worked here their whole life. Customers come in and have regular people that wait on them. A lot of senior citizens who live in the neighborhood come here every day, even if it’s just a roll and coffee. There are a lot of people who come here every day. Rodney Bingenheimer [KROQ DJ], comes here seven nights a week for dinner and orders the same thing.
What does he order?
A grilled cheese sandwich and barley bean soup. He has his own booth. There’s a little plaque.
Do other booths have names?
There was one other. I think Chuck E. Weiss had his own booth. It’s food like mom used to make, like coming home again. A lot of customers come here straight from the airport, like they’re coming home.
Where do you like to eat when you’re not at Canter’s?
I am a big foodie. To me it’s very important to have a good meal. I like the Farmers Market. There’s a great pizza place, a great cheese shop. I like Philippe’s Downtown, Ivy at the shore for very fancy. I like to go to Koo Koo Roo. I like their chicken.
Thank you so much. I think we are good. I just need to get a photo of you to run with the story. Can I email you the information?
Sorry, but there are no computers at Canter’s, not one computer. All orders are placed by hand and cooked to order. All orders are called in by phone not emailed. It’s all the old fashioned way.
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