Sadly, there will be no last stand at Junior’s, the time-worn delicatessen in Westwood that shuttered last month thanks to the latest craze in closing L.A. restaurants: mean ol’, unsentimental landlords (see Henry’s, Mac & Cheeza, Savory, Jin Patisserie, Yujean Kang’s, and Campanile to start). Despite the loss of this 53-year-old legend paving the way for something really radical to arrive in its place, Eater announces the space is being snapped up by Lenny’s, the considerably less-famous deli, possibly less good deli that closed in The Palisades last year after earning a not-so-scintillating two out of five stars on Yelp.
Curiously, Lenny’s already has a reputation for serving sloppy seconds in L.A.’s landmark deli destinations, after it took over the former Westside address of Richard Riordan’s Village Pantry, which itself replaced Mort’s, a beloved delicatessen with over 30 years of racked-up praise in the Palisades before its passing in early 2011.
Can’t say our hopes are too high that Lenny’s will make us forget about losing the ancient feel, if not the oft-forgettable food, at Junior’s. Still, here’s praying they’ll at least attempt to do the stripped neon signage some kind of justice.
