Nate ‘n Al Delicatessan LAX

They must be making lots of money and don’t need mine. Got there today 45 minutes before closing ask for a table for 4 and was told «we will be closing soon». Really? At least the Burger King next door welcomed my $.

Crowded, not much options to dine, shop or SIT! Overly priced food! Over $ 6 for a bottle of 1L Fuji water! Poorly organized terminal. Disappointed.

(Dined 10÷11÷14 SA @ 10:00pm): More sports bar and pub food than a deli, but the only decent place to get a meal in this part of the airport!
My friend had I had checked into our flight and passed through security on our way towards the gate (didn’t remember gate number) for our Air China flight, so now was the time we kicked this vacation off with some libations, and the only place that looked decent along our path was Nate N’ Al Delicatessen LAX. By default, the other businesses (e.g. Burger King, Starbucks) in our area didn’t serve any alcohol, so the choice was easy. Without further delays, here was my experience with this airport version a Beverly Hills restaurant:
Cuervo Margarita ($.9.99) — Shown on the left of my posted image, it was a good size but kind of tempered on the tequila and heavy on the mix. I liked my drinks relatively strong… or at least be able to feel the alcohol, and this barely registered a blip on my radar. At least the price was decent considering it was in an airport, but add more tequila, please.
20 oz. Draft Golden Road Brown Ale ($ 9.99) — Nothing tasted better than a tall cold one on draft, and this dark and handsome nutty brew was all that and a bag of chips! After my first weak drink, I needed something they couldn’t eff-​up. And hey, I’m not flying the plane!
[ONION RINGS/​STRAWS/​STRINGS ALERT — 4 OF 5 STARS]
Onion Rings ($ 6.45) — A decent portion size with surprisingly large pieces, each golden brown thick onion ring had a nice crunchiness, the batter stayed intact and protected the juicy veggie it «hid» inside. Sure, they weren’t sweet Maui onion rings, but these babies were treating me just fine!
Service — Kindly greeted by an older hostess as we first peeked inside, she sat us at a table next to the bar with views of several TVs. A waiter quickly came by to take our drink orders. Our drinks arrived shortly thereafter at which time I noticed the onion rings on the menu. Within ten minutes, the onion rings arrived and we were ready to order the second round of drinks which also came out before we knew it. The waiter was somewhat attentive, but we put out a vibe that we were just chilling with our drinks. He eventually approached us to clear the food basket and offered glasses of water when our drinks were nearly done. He delivered the reciept with the waters, and they were cool that we split the check between two credit cards. All was good here.
Parking (varies) — A non-​issue since this was inside the airport past security in the gates area.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — Like your standard American sports bar eatery like Red Robin, TGI Fridays and the like, this was a square-​shaped restaurant with a decently-​stocked bar as its focal point. The dining area was somewhat crammed and filled with wooden tables and chairs while various promotional items hung on the walls. There was plenty of electric lighting both inside and outside the restaurant. There were several TVs all around the bar but no background music.
Attire — Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops.
Overall, Nate N’ Al Delicatessen LAX was a pleasant surprise, specially the pricing. I felt the prices were close enough (i.e. you weren’t raped that bad) to what you’d expect from a comparable restaurant not located in an airport. Sure, I would’ve liked to see the prices a couple bucks cheaper, but I’m totally aware of the situation. They just needed to make the mixed drinks stronger. The menu was varied enough, so there was something for everyone. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 29.00 before tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX! 4.0 STARS

We arrived at LAX early and decided to grab something to eat. I’ve alway eaten at the pizza place so when I saw Nate ‘n Al’s Delicatessan, I thought we should check it out.
The Unilocal reviews were not very positive… they mentioned a long wait and poor service… but the thought of pastrami was to overwhelming… so we thought we’d take a chance. I checked out the menu…$ 17.35 for a pastrami sandwich. Wow! I thought, it better be good… so decided since we had time, we’d chance it.
We sat down and the first thing the server asked was «How much time do you have»…hummmm…didn’t sound good… although we had a couple of hours before the flight, I certainly didn’t want to spend it sitting there… so I kind of just mumbled, «how long will it take».she said not too long… so we ordered…
I had the pastrami with fries, well done. husband had BLT with potato salad and a hot dog to go. I planned to eat half of my pastrami and take half for the flight.
Food came within 15 minutes… fries weren’t extra crispy so we asked them to fry them longer… no problem, They were really nice about it all… hubby said BLT was good.
We finished out meal and they were really nice about getting me a container for my half of a sandwich… all in all, I thought it was a great experience… just a bit pricey. but I guess that’s on par for airport food… so folks, I’d say, give them a chance

Pleasantly surprised! After reading a bunch of the reviews here I was worried about trying it, but with the lack of options at LAX Terminal 2, we decided to give it a try.
We ordered a beer, soda, LA Bleu Burger with Onion Rings and Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries. Everything actually came out rather quick and was pretty decent. The LA Bleu Burger was actually our favorite having a nice flavor from the combination of Bleu cheese and red wine reduction. The onion rings and fries were cooked quite nicely, though slightly under seasoned. The accord cheeseburger was a bit blander but still not as bad as I expected. Overall, it was a decent dinner option during my stopover in LAX and I am glad they improved both service and food after reading those reviews.

My reviews cluster around a normal curve, and I realize a hole-​in-​the-​wall diner ain’t the same as a fine dining spot. But Nate & Al’s is a real new low in my experiences eating at airports. It’s one of the worst airport meals I’ve ever had, anywhere in the world. Bad, slow service and virtually inedible food. They can’t even keep their pre-​prepared canned and frozen stuff warm.
I thought given their restaurant that anything with corned beef would be a win. Wrong!!! The circular glob of corned beef hash didn’t even taste canned — I’ve had acceptable canned hash. This was a salty, mushy mix — consistency much like dog food, and managing to «taste» both salty and tasteless. Lukewarm.
Hash browns clearly packaged, and cool (and I don’t want cold frozen potatoes). Eggs — look like they’re prepared from those big industrial boxes of eggs, made early in the morning, and left over a steam table. They were warm, but had steamed so long they were stringy even though they came out in a ball.
Understaffed. We waited 10 minutes to get water, and the waitress was brusque. That might work as «atmosphere» at a top notch deli in the city, but at a crap restaurant at LAX with hungry travelers it’s just angering.
I wanted to tell people walking in to run anywhere eske to eat. There are more good airport restaurants now than ever — this isn’t one of them. I can’t even figure out what you might order if you’re desperate. Even the toast was bad — white bread, so lightly «toasted» I couldn’t really tell if it was toasted or just stale. The package of jelly was the best item served.

Great little restaurant. Only place beyond security where they cook breakfast eggs to order! Our food was hot, quick and delicious! We both had eggs to order, and my GF had the bacon, w/​sliced tomato, while my order was sausage, w/​hash browns.
Our waitress Nancy did not introduce herself, nor offer coffee, and returned to the table only when we were finished. Also we had to ask for the check.
One might think that in an airport restaurant a waitress would bring the check extra snappy, but not here! We had to ask?!?
Otherwise, it was a good solid restaurant experience. Well recommended.

One of the best choices in the Terminal for a quick bite before a flight. It’s nothing glamorous but acceptable for airport food. Just don’t come with super high expectations!
I had a Pastrami sandwich with fries. Portion size was decent and price was your typical airport pricing! Taste, crunch were decent. Nothing great nothing bad! Service is somewhat attentive for a busy place as people are flying in and out of here at all hours!
³⁄₅ is probably a generous rating but my experience wasn’t bad!

I went to this location at the LAX airport by terminal 2. Since my flight was early they only offered the breakfast menu. I ordered the veggie omelette. The omelette was prepared with mushrooms, tomatoes and broccoli and came with a side of toast and fruit.
The texture of the omelette had a nice mix. The broccoli gave the dish a bit of a bite while the rest was a softer texture. The only downside is the dish was a bit more watery (probably because of the boiled broccoli) than I liked and because of that the omelette was more loosely put together.
I rated the omelette 3 stars, however when eaten with the salsa I would give it four stars. The side of salsa was killer. I it was the perfect consistency to hug the omelette but not too chunky to overwhelm all the ingredients in your mouth. The flavor of the salsa was tangy but also had a nice kick of spice. It had a deep roasted tomato flavor that complemented the tanginess.

Don’t confuse this outpost with the mothership Nate ‘n Al in Beverly Hills. It’s not close to the quality of the original… but in terminal 2 where there is a dearth of eating options, this place and maybe Wolfgang Puck are probably your best options. The food was OK and mage a bit bland, but the service wasn’t that great (which stood out in our minds). Our server disappeared for long stretches at a time, and we had to get up to find them to ask for refills, or for the check, or for whatever. The food is pricier than the original, but you’re in an airport and you already knew that didn’t you?

in terminal 2 and there’s not much options on things to eat. nate is probably your best bet if you don’t want burger king. heck i would actually recommend burger king.
ordered:
*pastrami burger on white bun-​$ 13.95 the beef was well done. dry. flavorless. highly recommended with ketchup if you’re going to order this. comes with a side and i got the onion rings.
*tuna melt on white-​$ 15.25-i can seriously make a better tuna melt however the tuna melt tastes way better than the pastrami burger.
our server gave us pickles and it was soggy as heck. i’m a recent pickle eater and this killed it for me. wasn’t offered any condiments. had to hunt down ketchup on my own.
service was average. 1 server for the dining area, 1 hostess, and one staff that i saw behind the bar. so in my opinion they are short staffed. food is really pricey so i’m really disappointed. best part of my meal was the onion rings. nothing was memorable therefore i can’t really be detailed in this review. there’s nothing to really say except don’t do it! i’m quite surprised since this brand has been around for quite awhile and they have more than one location.
tips:
*indoor/​semi outdoor parking.
*full bar
*small tables
*located in terminal 2.
*dimmed lighting
*credit and cash accepted.
*next to burger king and starbucks.

My go to place when on an outbound flight in Terminal 2. The bartender is always friendly and that is a challenge, since he/​she has a group of individuals with a great deal of anxiety and all they want to do is get a hold of it.
My suggestion, if there is space sit at the bar — you will get faster service.

If you’re at LAX and you need food, you’ll have better luck at the Burger King next door — at least they have a national brand name to live up to. Nate and Al’s isn’t the kind of place anyone would return to, they must thrive on a never ending supply of new customers who don’t know any better.
What first appeared like good service left me feeling like I had just been taken advantage of by a shady, used car salesman the minute they got my money. Everything about this place is set up to take your money, send you on your way and never see you again. There were no quality checks the entire time, not even a «how was it?» to fill the silence well I signed the $ 22.80 receipt for a hot dog and beer. Why would they ask? They know full well what your answer is. They’re ripping you off and they know it. See you never.
They don’t list the beer prices anywhere. Well, they’re $ 11. Now you know.
The $ 8.75 hot dog is like a kids’ party hot dog in a Wonderbread quality hot dog bun (another Unilocaler took a picture, I suggest you take a look.) I don’t have a problem with a basic hot dog, They’re the staple of any baseball game and backyard BBQ, but what I do have a problem with is feeling like I was mislead. The menu bragged this as the «most popular» item and the guy told me that it’s what they’re known for. Most popular to their profit margin, maybe, I don’t think any customers were consulted. I got mine topped with a small amount of pastrami for $ 2.75. I’m actually impressed how the pastrami managed to be so flavourless and still so greasy.
The potato salad was at best on par with the cheapest pre-​prepared potato salad out there. I bet you’d find more flavourful potato salad at the Wal-​Mart Deli.
I’ll end it there since an in depth review of this food is a waste of time, but hey, at least they had Heinz Ketchup! If for some reason you’re still going here after reading this, slather it over everything to give it some flavour.
A sign at the front boasts «Voted Best Place to Eat at LAX.» I don’t know who voted, but I can take a pretty good guess it wasn’t Unilocalers.
I hope this helps.

Such a rip-​off.
Be warned: if they are out of potato salad or cole slaw and the server offers you a choice of another side, it is not a gesture of hospitality. They will charge you and rip you off even further!

Flavorless. That is how I would pretty much describe this restaurant. I know that it is airport food, but to have a least a little flavor would be nice. I had gotten the potato salad and with the first bit I didn’t taste anything. I thought it could’ve been just that specific spot I had decided to eat. After the next two or three bits, I added A LOT of pepper and that didn’t help at all. My husband had ordered a Patty Melt, and had absolutely NO FLAVOR at all as well.
The staff here wasn’t that great either. Do they not know they work for tips? I would know to be a lot nicer and at least put on a good act of being kind and wanting to help the customers.
Yup, I definitely would not recommend anyone to stop by this place. The food is overpriced already since it’s in an airport. I would say to just go ahead and get some fast food because it’ll definitely have flavor, I can guarantee that.

I know it’s airport food, so I shouldn’t be surprised when it’s less than awesome, but it *is* «Nate ‘n Al’s», so I expected better than ‘just okay’.
First of all, let me say this, if you don’t have AT LEAST an hour to kill before your flight, don’t even bother with this place. Know that going in and you won’t be overly stressed. Service can be slow. sometimes it’s because of the kitchen, sometimes it’s the servers, sometimes it’s just fate. This is especially true if you are going to order right at the time they are switching from breakfast to lunch (as I was the other day). The problem is that the kitchen has to finish all the breakfast orders before getting to your lunch order, so you end up waiting.
Unfortunately, when my Hollywood sandwich arrived, it was less than awesome. The corned beef was tough and chewy and the potato salad was void of flavor. I shed a tear of disappointment. Because it took so long for the food to get out to me, I had to take half of my sandwich to go. Sadly, the only thing they had to wrap my sandwich up in was a large Styrofoam box.
I paid the check and started off towards my departure gate. gazing at my giant foam container for my little half sandwich, and dumped it. ooops. There goes another tear.

What to say about a typical terminal restaurant/​bar… nothing special about it, but it is a good stop over for a long wait to another destination.
Beer is always a good option at these places and they offer a regular and larger size portions. I grabbed a Stella. They also offer a good variety of options for food such as burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches and salads. When I looked around it seemed that many stick with salads or a few people took the option of one of the hot dogs. I went the other route and took a burger, the LA Blu Burger to be specific. Blu cheese on top of beef cooked medium. Texture of the beef wasn’t great as it was breaking apart and didn’t hold. Had to add lots of hot sauce to give it much flavor.
Service looked to be hit or miss based on who was assigned your table. Luckily my waitress was great. Attentive and fast in what she was doing.
If coming through here, then probably want to stay with what others are doing that day and that most likely will be salads or hot dogs. Also make sure you have the allotted time to chill.

As others have said, dining options at LAX are pretty limited. I was waiting for an 11 hour flight back to London, and it was either Nate n Al, Burger King or Wolfgang Puck Express.
After deciding on Nate n Al, I had the pastrami sandwich and my friend had the chicken avocado sandwich. Neither were particularly good, and the potato salad side tasted like it came from a low quality supermarket deli counter.
The prices weren’t too bad, although the portions were small compared with what we got served elsewhere in LA. Strangely, the menu only listed prices for food and non-​alcoholic drinks, with the prices for beer and wine being a mystery.
I suppose being in an airport with limited choice, most of their customers are just passing through or have few other options.

This has to be one of the best «dining/​bar» experiences I’ve had in LA… and out of all places, at the airport.
What to do when you end up at the airport 3 hours ahead of schedule? Drink! We ended up at Nates since I didn’t feel like paying an arm & a leg at Wolfgang Pucks across the way. We were lucky enough to sit at the bar and talk to Sandra who is hands down the coolest bartender I’ve ever met. 3 Shock Tops later and a «Sandra special» and we were ready for our flight.
BLT was like a homemade blt. Nothing fancy but did the job of filling us up (kinda small though for $ 14) They have a full bar as well. ½ the staff was AWESOME while the other half looked miserable beyond belief. Sandra had by far the best attitude and best service.
Indoor & «outdoor» seating. Service I guess depends on who you encounter. Prices are average for LA. I’m not complaining about this place too much — I was hungry, wanted a beer and it was conveniently located next to my terminal. It’s the airport, I don’t expect a 5 star restaurant.

The Nate N Al’s on Beverly is great for two things, serving great comfort food and filling you up without emptying your wallet. This small restaurant at LAX is no different. Obviously at an airport restaurant you’re not looking for the best meal of your life. I had two eleven hour flights ahead of me (LA to London, London to Johannesburg) so I was just looking for something to give me a nice food coma.
Airplane food is one of the grossest things out there. Especially for us Joe Schmoe’s in the economy section. I wanted to get something else in me before that nasty microwaved mush. At Nate N Al’s I got the cheeseburger with onion rings and a nice cold beer (well, maybe more than one). I had plenty of time to kill so I sat back and watched some football at the bar.
This restaurant sets up the two things needed for a relaxing flight, a full stomach and a slight buzz.