T R A V E L
DECEMBER 2019 93
A bagel with lox,
capers, and onion
at The General
Muir in AtlantaCan’t stop in at
Zingerman’s in Ann
Arbor? You’re in
luck—they deliver.THE STALWARTS
LANGER’S DELICATESSEN-
RESTAURANT, LOS ANGELES
This is not only America’s finest
Jewish deli, it is also one of its
most essential restaurants.
Langer’s draws in all sorts for
two simple reasons: the pas-
trami, considered to be some
of the finest in the land; and the
rye bread it’s served on, which
too many New York delis can
only dream of. Both products
are made off-site to the Langer
family’s specifications, finished
on premises, and sliced to order.
Bring It Home: Langer’s ships
nationally through Goldbelly,
including their famous #19
sandwich. (langersdeli.com)LIEBMAN’S DELI, THE BRONX
Far away from Katz’s and the
other Manhattan delis that have
been lavished with attention,
you’ll find this family-owned
classic dating back more than
50 years. The pastrami here is
among New York’s finest, and
the menu is a beautifully clas-
sic read, filled with everything
you’re looking for and likely
some things you’d forgotten
about or don’t see every day, like
kasha varnishkes, stuffed pep-
pers, and beef flanken in the pot.
(liebmansdeli.com)ZINGERMAN’S DELI, ANN
ARBOR, MICHIGAN
Founders Ari Weinzweig and
Paul Saginaw built an empire
that now includes cheesemak-
ing, bread baking, and coffee
roasting—if you can eat it
or drink it, Zingerman’s is
most likely doing it. You could
dedicate an entire day or two
to sampling your way through
their different shops and
unique offerings, and you really
ought to. It’s a tightly curatedselection of good things from
everywhere complemented
by one of the Midwest’s best
deli menus, offering every-
thing you’d expect (pastrami
sandwiches, matzo ball soup,
chopped liver) and lots more
you might not (latke tots and
the top-selling macaroni and
ch e e se). (zingermansdeli.com)
Bring It Home: You can ship
baked goods, bread, and cheese
made in-house all over the
countr y. (zingermans.com)SHAPIRO’S, INDIANAPOLIS
At the heart of Indiana’s largest
city for over a century, Shapiro’s
is one of those rare establish-
ments managing to effortlessly
transcend both genre and
location. From top-notch pas-
trami to delicious brisket to the
roasted, never frozen, hormone-
free chickens, the food at Shap-
iro’s is honest and good quality.
Make sure you try the peppered
beef—salted, washed, cured,
peppered, smoked, and then
dusted with a hint of a paprika-
sugar blend. (shapiros.com)ATTMAN’S, BALTIMORE
There isn’t much left of Charm
City’s famed Corned Beef Row.
But there’s enough to draw
lines of cars down to Attman’s,
which has been here since 1915
and remains family-owned. The
menu is as near-ancient as the
deli itself, containing everything
from coddies to kishkes. Don’t
rush in and out of here—sit
with the whole experience for
a while, and let the absence of
anything terribly modern soothe
you. (attmansdeli.com)THE UPSTARTS
CALL YOUR MOTHER,
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Proudly referring to itself as a
“Jew-ish” deli, Call Your Mother
has converts from all over, even
New York, for its pastrami
served on a breakfast sandwich,
in a cheesesteak, and in tacos
on housemade tortillas. We’re
hard-pressed to think of an
establishment breaking the
rules quite so enthusiastically,
with such entertaining results.
(callyourmotherdeli.com)FRANKEL’S DELICATESSEN,
BROOKLYN
Perhaps the most visible of the
new-school pastrami pushers in
NYC, this Greenpoint spot dis-
pels the notion that a modern
deli might not thrive in a city still
clinging to the old ways. Your
elders might find the breakfast
sandwiches slightly horrifying,
but never mind—the smoky
pastrami, egg, and cheese on
a challah roll is currently one
of New York’s most distinctive
morning meals-on-the-go.
(frankelsdelicatessen.com)THE GENERAL MUIR,
ATLANTA
In a part of the country best
associated with other kinds of
delicious food, this establish-
ment has thrived and become
one of Atlanta’s best restau-
rants. You can get great cured
meats, housemade bagels,
latkes, and chopped liver; don’tneglect the morning offerings,
when generous smoked fish
platters are a common sight
throughout the dining room.
(thegeneralmuir.com)PERLY’S, RICHMOND,
VIRGINIA
A classic downtown lunch room
with a proper deli heritage,
Perly’s has been revived in
a grand manner by a local
restaurateur who fell in love
with the Art Deco–style store-
front. Today, you’ll not find a
finer matzo ball soup for miles
around, and the menu, while
extremely ambitious, contains
many well-executed staples
alongside some unexpected
(and welcome) surprises. Try
the Jewbano, a Cuban-style
sandwich made with brisket,
tongue, house-pickled zuc-
chini, dill-spiked Havarti cheese,
pepper relish, and yellow mus-
tard. (perlysrichmond.com)RYE SOCIETY, DENVER
Jerrod Rosen’s deli has been
a presence in Denver’s RiNo
neighborhood for just over a
year, but this is already one of
those places where you can’t
help but feel like you’re in good
hands. The Rosen family goes
back four generations, some of
them players in Denver’s very
early deli scene. The matzo
balls come from a family recipe,
as does the rugelach.
PHOTOGRAPHY: (FROM TOP) ANDREW THOMAS LEE, TOM PIDGEON/THE NEW YORK TIMES(ryesociety.com)