The prices are relatively high but are justifiable IMHO. Regardless of their location and the impact of this on price, the quality and breadth of their food is remarkable. You can find lesser versions of their dishes everywhere. You can find similar quality versions of some Gjusta’s dishes at other places but involve a lot of running around - not good in LA. And then there are dishes that only Gjusta has - period.
I went to Wexler’s the other day and got a bagel w/ lox and cream cheese - $13. It was delicious. The salmon was luscious and the bagel was old school wonderful. Not much else to grab there that morning, other than a black&white. To get most items would require waiting when I’d prefer at like versions at Gjusta (e.g. smoked trout).
At Gjusta, I can get a wonderful bialy of like deliciousness plus a gang load of other foods of unquestionable quality as well - much of it straight from the cases. From that point, determining the various choices comes down to personal preference.
The vast majority of what Gjusta offers is made in-house. And considering the quality and variety, I always walk away with amazement, wondering how they pull off all of this every day. A dream team of specialists all under the Gjusta/Gjelina roof? I can accept that this effort doesn’t come cheap, and if a premium is demanded, I can’t argue with this.