Johnnie’s Pastrami: West Side Purveyor of Pastrami 70 Years and Counting

For the last 70 years, Johnnie’s Pastrami has been serving LA's West Side with delicious pastrami and comfort foods. James, my co-conspirator and photographer, has been coming here for 30 out of the nearly 40 years he’s been alive and this was one of the first places he showed me when we met.

This diner doesn’t offer the massive menu listings that many others do, instead choosing to focus in on a select range of items. Their simple 2-page menu is a wonderful change in pace to some of the 3 - 5 page menus we have experienced. You can find sandwiches, char-grilled burgers and hot dogs, fries, chicken strips and a few soups, salads and desserts. For my pickle lovers, they also make their own pickles in-house! 

Johnnie’s has two lovely outdoor patios on either side of the main building. Inside, you will find a central block where the fry and grill cooks work, hedged in by counter seating on two sides. Around the perimeter of the main dining room are several little booths. Another restaurant on the smaller side, the walkway between the counter and the booths can fit one person with no options for cross traffic. But, once you’re in and comfortable it doesn’t interfere with the meal or service in any way.

Parking is a little tight. There are two driveways to enter from on either side of the building. Both sides offer three spaces and then in the back there are eight more. The lot connects with another very popular restaurant and it can be a little stressful if someone is trying to come out while you are coming in, but it has never gotten to a point (for us at least) where we decided to leave and try again a different day.

Johnnie’s Pastrami is located just south of the corner of Washington Place and Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City, catty corner to Tito’s Tacos, at 4017 Sepulveda Boulevard.

We have been here more times than we can count and have tried a good majority of things on the menu. The items that always make it to our table are some form of pastrami and their french fries. And, of course, I love their house made pickles! Let’s take a look at what we ordered this time.

The fries at Johnnie’s pastrami are the thick crinkle cut fries. They always come crispy, hot and fresh. One of James’ go-to dishes here are the chili cheese fries, though he does not include onion. This time though, he decided to add pastrami in addition to the chili and cheese.

The soft, light, buttery pastrami meshes so beautifully with the chili that you hardly know it’s there. Add in the crunch of the fries and you get a wonderful combination of tender meat, warm chili and the substance and change in texture of the french fries.

Truly a heavenly dish, this is also a BIG dish. While James can attest that it’s not impossible to eat an entire serving yourself, this may be best shared with the table. If not to ensure it gets eaten then to ensure you have enough room to enjoy more food!

The hot dogs at Johnnie’s Pastrami are unlike any others I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy. These are real beef dogs that are char grilled to perfection and can definitely be enjoyed plain and by itself. I typically will get a plain hot dog with a side order of well done french fries and I am a happy camper.

But, add on some cheese and grilled onions? That makes me a happier camper! Johnnie’s typically uses shredded cheese to top their hot dogs - a slight bump towards the negative for me personally - but they melt pretty well with the heat of the hot dog and the grilled onions on top. I will admit that I have not yet tried a pastrami fog or a pastrami chili cheese dog but I can already tell that the combination will be heavenly.

This is the real prize. If you were to try anything from Johnnie’s Pastrami, I would have to recommend a hot pastrami Sandwich. This simple sandwich is a soft and fluffy French roll filled with a heaping pile of pastrami. The soft bread wraps around the meat as you bite down and the butteriness of the pastrami melts into the bread in your mouth, creating a heavenly texture. If you prefer a harder bread they also offer rye and french baguette as well.

Don’t forget to add a slice of cheese! One of the waitresses at one point recommended a slice of swiss cheese to me and I have never changed my order since. The swiss really elevates the smooth, buttery pastrami where say a slice of cheddar cheese might fight to overpower the pastrami. The pastrami here is not as strongly spiced as some I have experienced and is smooth, almost velvety and so tender. I really enjoy adding some of their house made hot mustard to my sandwich and I would urge you to try the same if that resonates with you.

Johnnie's Pastrami has already been touted as having LA's best Pastrami and we will gladly add our voices to that decree!

Johnnie’s Pastrami has served the West Side for just over 70 years, offering a selection of comfort foods, but best known for their melt-in-your-mouth pastrami.