Junior’s Deli, Iconic West L.A. Eatery, Replaced by Not-So-Iconic Lenny’s Deli

Junior's Deli closed down at the end of 2012 after 53 years of business

Junior's Deli, a landmark Los Angeles eatery that went out of business in December, has been replaced by another, but lesser-known deli.

Eater noticed a new banner strung across the abandoned building's signature green roofing trim says Lenny's Deli is moving in and "opening soon."

Also read: Junior's Deli, West L.A. Institution, to Close at Year's End

Junior's had been in business for 53 years since opening in West L.A. in 1959. The delicatessen occupied the 11,000-square-feet Westwood Boulevard location since 1967 before co-owners David and John Saul were unable to reach a new lease agreement with the building's landlord, Four Corners Investments.

Lenny Rosenberg, the owner and operator of Lenny's, had his own struggles when he set up shop in Pacific Palisades in early 2011, but closed in 2012.

Lenny's has acquired a building with a rich history of serving some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Whether or not Lenny's will inherit Junior's former customers is another matter.

Mel Brooks was a regular and is even said to have written parts of "History of the World Part I" there. And due to the close proximity to Fox's studio lot, it was a favorite for executives and industry insiders to make deals with talent over a nice lunch.

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