Boyle Heights Community Partners

Canter’s Delicatessen opened in Boyle Heights on 2323 Brooklyn Avenue (temporarily known as Cesar Chavez Avenue) in 1931. The original Canter brothers—Ben, Joe, and Ruby—relocated from New Jersey after the 1929 stock market crash to serve traditional kosher-style deli fare.

The Canter family relocated to the Fairfax district in 1948 and moved into the Esquire Theatre space in 1953, where the iconic 24/7 restaurant still operates today.

When you step inside Canter's Deli, you’re immediately enveloped by a sense of permanence. Beneath the iconic autumn-leaf ceiling, third-generation owner Marc Canter oversees a 24-hour sanctuary that has served as the city's "neutral ground" for nearly a century.

It’s a place where rock legends, movie stars, and neighborhood regulars share the same orange vinyl booths, held together by a tireless dedication to tradition and the hum of a 1948 oven that never turns off.

But beyond the legendary sandwiches and pickle juice cocktails lies a narrative of resilience—a family that didn’t just survive the shifting tides of Los Angeles, but fixed the very machinery of the city to keep its history alive.

Learn more about Canter’s and the Kibitz Room in the latest stories from our “L.A. Culture in a Cup” series: https://nhm.org/stories/canters-deli

📍 419 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California, 90036