This Legendary Jewish Deli Is Selling Vegan Corned Beef For Just 95 Cents

In the past 95 years, the US has changed beyond recognition. It’s impossible to summarize nearly a century of change in just a few sentences, but here’s some perspective: There was no instant ramen, no microwaves, no fast food giants, and no Pop-Tarts. Hard to imagine, right? But not everything was different.

In 1931, Los Angeles' Canter’s Deli opened its doors in Boyle Heights for the first time, and today it’s still serving its hot pastrami sandwiches to hungry Angelenos (though now it's located on Fairfax Avenue, at the restaurant it opened in the 1940s, alongside its second spot on Santa Monica Boulevard).

Ninety-five years in business is a big deal—especially during the current economic climate (it feels like every week, we report another vegan restaurant closure). So, of course, it deserves to be celebrated. 

In honor of its 95th birthday, on August 3, Canter’s Deli will be serving up its Hot Pastrami Sandwiches for just 95 cents. Why are we telling you this? Well, as we said, things have changed since the 1930s. Now, there’s a vegan version on the menu, too.

Yep, from 6 pm to midnight, Canter’s Deli will be offering a plant-based twist on its classic Hot Pastrami Sandwiches, made with Mrs Goldfarb’s Plant-Based Corned Beef. 

Canter's Deli

Canter's Deli and Mrs. Goldfarb: Blending tradition with vegan innovation

Canter’s Deli is a legendary Los Angeles institution. In the many decades it has been open, it has served everyone from Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley to Barack Obama and Taylor Swift.

In 2019, it decided to modernize by collaborating with the vegan brand Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli to create a plant-based Reuben. More than seven years later, Mrs. Goldfarb's Vegetarian Reuben is still on the menu, alongside Brooklyn Style Vegetarian Corned Beef. Both options can be made vegan by swapping the cheese and coleslaw for an extra helping of avocado.

Like Canter’s Deli, which is still run by the Canter family, Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli is committed to preserving the heritage of Jewish delicatessens in the US, albeit in a different way.

Canter's Deli

Founder Jenny Goldfarb, who landed a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank in 2019, created the plant-based meat brand in a bid to stay connected to her own family tree, just without the animal products.

“My great-grandfather Morris Gross immigrated to NY from Romania in 1907 and worked his way up from dishwasher to owning several NYC delis,” she told VegNews. “Growing up in that rich family deli history, nothing that was currently on the market satisfied my palate.”

She added: “So I made what became Unreal Corn’d Beef in my tiny home kitchen, and it ended up on the menus of all my local iconic delis—menus that hadn’t changed in over 100 years.”

To try it for yourself for less than a dollar, head to Canter’s Deli on August 3. The offer is available for dine-in customers only and is not available at the deli’s second location on Santa Monica Boulevard, which is for takeout orders only.