L.A. has a strained relationship with its Jewish delis. Traditional spots like Canter’s and Greenblatt’s are well-loved, but more for their overall classic deli-ness than their food. That’s where Wexler’s comes in. Micah Wexler—who has a bona fide fine-dining pedigree—opened his eponymous deli in Grand Central Market in 2014 and he’s been slinging the best pastrami in the city ever since. It’s fatty, it’s aggressively smoky, and it’s cut thicker than most, which lets you appreciate the quality brisket’s no-holds-barred beefiness.

Wexler isn’t limiting himself to pastrami on rye—though you can certainly get a great version of it here. The BIG POPPA is a bagel, egg, pastrami, and cheese sandwich, which will make you question every time you’ve settled on a McMuffin. The MACARTHUR PARK is modeled after the famous #19 sandwich at local favorite Langer’s and comes stacked high with coleslaw, Russian dressing, and Swiss. Don’t you dare leave without grabbing a quarter pound of smoked whitefish to munch on the drive home.