{"id":505907,"date":"2026-06-22T19:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/505907\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T19:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:05:17","slug":"modern-jewish-food-in-montreal-new-generation-makes-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/505907\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Jewish food in Montreal: New generation makes mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benji Greenberg spent his childhood eating in Montreal\u2019s Jewish delis. From Snowdon Deli to the Brown Derby to Bens Deli, these historic institutions were a formative part of his upbringing. Now he\u2019s introducing the deli culture he grew up on to a new generation.<\/p>\n

Greenberg opened Yans Deli on Ferrier St. in August 2025. The chef worked in fine-dining restaurants including Joe Beef before opening his own spot. He always knew he wanted to run his own eatery, though he didn\u2019t initially imagine it would be a modern version of the delis he knew so well. But as he reflected on what kind of food was meaningful to him, the answer became clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aWhen you\u2019re opening a restaurant, I think it\u2019s important not to follow the trends but to follow your heart and ask, \u2018What\u2019s soul cooking for you?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cFor everyone, that\u2019s different, and for me it was this. I knew I wouldn\u2019t get tired of making these things I grew up eating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The deli\u2019s success is reflective of a larger phenomenon: After decades of a stagnant Jewish food scene, with some businesses selling to non-Jewish owners (like Schwartz\u2019s or Moishes Steakhouse) and others shuttering altogether (including The Main, Bens Deli, and J&R Kosher Meat and Deli), a new generation of restaurateurs is celebrating and sharing the rich history of Jewish food in Montreal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AWaiter Arietti B serves customers Ghazal Fakhr, from left, Roya Payami, Ali Farah and Ashkan Kalali at Arthurs Nosh Bar in St-Henri on Saturday, June 6, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Along with Yans Deli, Jewish restaurants Arthurs Nosh Bar and Chez Greenberg honour tradition while using modern culinary techniques and vibrant social media presences to draw in enthusiastic crowds from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aThese restaurants bring Jewish joy to people,\u201d said Montreal Jewish food historian Kat Romanow. \u201cAt a time when it can be very difficult in the world and for the Jewish community, it\u2019s wonderful that we have these places where we can go and be together and enjoy Jewish food and celebrate our culture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ThreeYans Deli serves up Jewish staples with a twist. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The history of Jewish food in Montreal<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that two of Montreal\u2019s three most iconic foods \u2014 poutine, smoked meat and bagels \u2014 are Jewish. These beloved staples first arrived in Montreal alongside Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe in the late 19th century.<\/p>\n

Romanian Jewish immigrants introduced smoked meat to the city, initially only serving it to their own communities until other Montrealers discovered the fatty treat in the 1960s and 1970s, according to Romanow. Montreal bagels were introduced by Polish immigrants, who created the modern bagel by combining the Polish obwarzanek and the German pretzel, around that same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long before there were bagel shops and delis throughout the city, particularly along the Main and in the adjacent Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cJewish food culture has had a huge influence on the food culture of Montreal,\u201d Romanow said. \u201cNot only in those two foods, but also many of Montreal\u2019s iconic restaurants are Jewish restaurants, like Beautys, Wilensky\u2019s and Moishes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many decades, it was strictly these kinds of old-school spots serving up Jewish fare in Montreal. But that began to change in recent years, and there are now more options for those looking to indulge in Jewish delicacies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Guy\u201c\u200aIt was important to me to give people an elevated, different approach to food they\u2019ve known and eaten forever,\u201d says Yans Deli owner Benji Greenberg, seen on Friday, June 5, 2026. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

At Yans Deli, Greenberg is serving up staples with an elevated twist. Instead of classic Montreal smoked meat, it\u2019s New York-style pastrami. You\u2019ll also find homemade stuffed chicken, black and white cookies that are more like cake, karnatzel, massive \u200aglazed rugelach cookies, housemade celery soda and, of course, chicken soup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aIt was important to me to give people an elevated, different approach to food they\u2019ve known and eaten forever,\u201d Greenberg said.<\/p>\n

\"AArthurs Nosh Bar owners Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg with children Abel and Freya at their restaurant in St-Henri on Saturday, June 6, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Jewish food for the 21st century<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, Arthurs Nosh Bar was one of the first to serve up reimagined Jewish food for a new generation. The restaurant opened its doors on Notre-Dame St. W. in St-Henri in June 2016 and has emerged as one of the city\u2019s most popular brunch restaurants, serving Jewish classics like latkes, grilled beef salami and challah rolls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Raegan Steinberg, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Alex Cohen, said their goal was to create a menu inspired by their respective childhoods and roots, with Steinberg being Ashkenazi and Cohen being Sephardic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aAt the time that we started 10 years ago, there hadn\u2019t been a new Jewish restaurant, other than Jewish bakery Hof Kelsten, in decades,\u201d she said. \u200a\u201dWe thought it would be amazing to bring it into the next century and make this approachable food that, even if you weren\u2019t Jewish, you could recognize and eat and enjoy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AMaxyme Mercier pours syrup on pancakes at Arthurs Nosh Bar in St-Henri on Saturday, June 6, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

They clearly struck a chord. After a decade of success that included opening a second location in Place Ville Marie\u2019s Le Cathcart food hall in 2022, Steinberg and Cohen recently expanded again, with Arthurs Dinette on Monkland Ave. and Arthur\u2019s Snackette in Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arthurs made headlines recently for reasons other than food<\/a>. Earlier this month, it was contacted by the Office qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois de la langue fran\u00e7aise for having non-compliant signage on its window. The restaurant\u2019s name came under scrutiny for falling short of the French elements needed to comply with Quebec\u2019s signage regulations. This ignited a wave of support from fellow restaurant owners, who wrote the Yiddish word \u201cnosh\u201d on their own windows<\/a> as a show of solidarity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s beautiful about the Jewish culture is that we love to share our food,\u201d Steinberg said. \u201cI think it\u2019s important for every culture to be proud of where they came from and share what they have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorChez Greenberg on Parc Ave. feels not only deeply Jewish, but distinctly Canadian and highly nostalgic. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s Chez Greenberg on Parc Ave. in Mile End, which feels not only deeply Jewish, but distinctly Canadian and highly nostalgic. Along with memorabilia from owner Jake Greenberg\u2019s family, the interior is adorned with mementoes like matchbook sets from iconic Montreal restaurants and original Montreal Forum seats, with music by The Tragically Hip often playing through the speakers.<\/p>\n

Described as an \u201cappetizing caf\u00e9 inspired by Bubbe\u2019s kitchen,\u201d Greenberg said the restaurant, which opened in January 2025, is inspired by the food from his childhood as well as New York bodegas and culinary shops like Russ & Daughters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"InteriorThe interior of Chez Greenberg is adorned with mementoes. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

They specialize in bagels with smoked salmon (a secret recipe from Greenberg\u2019s father), knishes and whitefish salad \u2014 the latter of which you won\u2019t find much of in Montreal. Greenberg was intentional about wanting to create a place that honoured the city\u2019s history while also offering something different.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable opportunity to be able to bring back this type of environment, especially in a part of town where it once was so present,\u201d he said. \u201cWe get a lot of customers who live in the area who are Jewish, who are so grateful to have a place to hang their hat, but we also cater to all walks of life and all types of different customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GuyChez Greenberg owner Jake Greenberg enjoys some of his restaurant\u2019s food on Friday, June 5, 2026. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

While exciting, the openings and subsequent successes of these restaurants aren\u2019t quite a coincidence, Romanow said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the mid-2000s, many young Jews in North America began reclaiming, reimagining and modernizing the Jewish food traditions they grew up with, often using fine-dining techniques. This became known as the New Jewish Food Movement, and it ultimately resulted in many new Jewish bakeries and restaurants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These three businesses can be seen as products of that movement, Romanow said \u2014 and our city is all the better for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJewish food culture has always been evolving because we\u2019ve lived all over the world, constantly coming into contact with new ingredients and new places, and this is just another iteration of that,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a breath of fresh air for the Jewish food scene to have this younger generation opening up these new restaurants; they all pay respect to the tradition of Jewish food in Montreal, but also bring something new.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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