(new york jewish week) – The Upper West Side location of popular Israeli sandwich shop Sherry Haring closed last week after opening less than two years ago.
Sherry Herring announces closuren Instagram post on May 31. The post reads, “I have important news to share.” “Unfortunately, we are closing the doors of our favorite restaurant, Sherry Herring, at 245 West 72nd St. We appreciate your support and the memories we have created together.”
“The only thing I can say is that it’s very sad that we’re closing,” Israel-based founder Sherry Ansky said during Jewish Week in New York when asked why the restaurant was closing. “Maybe it would have been different if I had been there, but I couldn’t be there because I had to stay in Israel.”
Ansky started sherry herring in 2011 at a farmers market in Tel Aviv. A place that quickly became a destination. The representative herring sandwich,A freshly baked baguette drizzled with sour cream and French butter, seasoned with chillies, seed and tomato juice, onions, green onions and finished with salted herring. ”
Ansky came up with the idea to open an outpost in New York City during the pandemic and sent his son-in-law and business partner in. Eyal Amir wanted to open several sherry herring shops, and he sought out the first location. They chose the Upper West Side because “it’s the Jewish quarter and it’s easiest for us to penetrate the market,” Amir told Jewish Week in New York.
Sherry Herring opened in October 2021 on West 72nd Street as a “sherry- and herring-free” store, New York Jewish Week reported at the time. Ansky was stuck in Israel awaiting travel document approval, and herring, the star of the menu, was still aging in Dutch brine. (It ended up arriving in mid-December.) New York’s menu also included salmon, mackerel and tuna sandwiches.
When Mr. Ansky first saw the line at his store, he said, ““I fainted and ran away,” she said. “I told people to go away! I can’t do that.”
This eatery was loved by both locals and foodies traveling the world. Phil Rosenthal, star of “Somebody Feeds Phil” and creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” said of the Tel Aviv store’s herring sandwich:A perfect example of a deceptively simple yet highly sophisticated work of art.”
Changes have been made to the menu and New York restaurant in the months leading up to its closure. In February they announced: A “luxury” evening menu called “Sherry Herring After Dark”, It features a variety of tapas-style dishes and Israeli wines and beers. The restaurant also posted on Instagram that it is hiring employees on March 5. Later that month, Sherry Herring lost his kosher certification, pointing out on his website Yeah That’s Kosher:UWS stores will likely be closed by September. “
Instead, the closure took place months ago. “The owners decided it was best for everyone to close,” said Alex Ben Timor, the restaurant’s general manager in New York, who called during New York Jewish Week. “Maybe we’ll reopen at another location.”
Sherry Herring’s Instagram post on May 31 hinted at that possibility, stating: Stay up to date on our upcoming plans. The image reads, “See you later, New York.”
“They got me hooked on herring and did their best to recreate the old Jewish niche.” Edward Ilyasov, Uncle Edik’s Pickle Shopkeeper told New York Jewish Week. “We love their creativity and have brought our pickles from the beginning. They will be missed!”
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