Food News
Co-founder Joshua Foer believes the Jewish tavern is the first kosher restaurant to be featured in the list.
A recently opened Jewish restaurant has received a prestigious honor, earning national recognition.
Lehrhaus, a Somerville tavern serving Jewish cuisine whose name means “house of learning” in German, was recognized by Esquire in their list of the best new restaurants in America for 2023. The list, which published November 28, features 50 restaurants, and co-founder Joshua Foer said that he believes Lehrhaus is the first kosher spot to ever be included in the magazine’s 41 year history of compiling the roundup. Esquire called Lehrhaus, which opened this past spring, “both delicious and a revelation.”
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“I’ve been to thousands of restaurants in the past couple of years, but I hadn’t truly felt at home until I walked into Lehrhaus,” the article reads. It continues, “More than likely it was the food — chef Alex Artinian and chef Noah Clickstein’s celebration of Jewish diasporic cuisine.”
Foer said that his restaurant fills an important function in the Greater Boston community, offering a space where people can “feel unselfconsciously Jewish,” and where others interested in Judaism can learn.
“One of the things that we’re proud of is, this is not just a place for Jewish people,” he told Boston.com. “This is for everybody. Especially in a moment when there’s so much anti-Semitism in the world, we’re proud to have a place that shines and shows the world the best of Jewish culture.”
Esquire‘s article highlights some of Lehrhaus’ menu items, including deviled eggs, “aged in coffee and topped with pickled mustard seeds,” as well as the Haus herring tartine. Visitors to the restaurant can also enjoy drinks, such as the Spritz Petel, which features Vincenzi Arancia Aperitivo, raspberry, and sparkling wine, as well as a Yemeni espresso martini.
According to an article by WGBH, Lehrhaus aims to bring together two elements of Jewish culture, the tavern and the beit midrash, or study hall. In taverns, people would “gather and discuss the goings on in their communities,” while in the beit midrash, they would debate, explore texts, and exchange ideas. Lehrhaus, the article stated, joins these traditions together.
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