Arthurs: Home of the Nosh: A Big Personality Cookbook of Delicious Jewish Favorites

by Raegan Steinberg, Alexandre Cohen, Evelyne Eng

Overview

THE GLOBE & MAIL BESTSELLER!

A must-have breakfast, brunch, and lunch cookbook brimming with recipes for Jewish comfort food—co-authored by the husband-and-wife team behind Montreal’s famous Arthurs Nosh Bar.

Take a trip to Arthurs Nosh Bar, the family-owned luncheonette that has garnered international praise for serving Jewish classics with a twist. Named after the co-owner Raegan’s larger-than-life father, Arthur (who loved a good nosh!), the restaurant is regularly lined up around the block for their in-demand OTT breakfasts, brunches, and lunches. Imagine teeming towers of decadent pancakes bathing in toppings, colossal fried chicken gleaming with hot sauce, and unbeatable challah french toasts. These delectable, easy-to-follow recipes (more than 115 of them!) are all shared here for the first time.

Take your noshing to the next level with…

• BREAKFAST & BRUNCH: Bring the true vibe of Arthurs home with the Syrniki pancakes that spurned Arthurs’ round-the-corner lineups, sweet Karolina Waffles named after the book’s photographer, or the savory classic Matzo Brei.

• SOUPS, SALADS & SANDWICHES: Try Arthurs’ perfectly balanced Matzo Ball Soup and the McArthur sandwich, and you might never be hungry again!
• DELI & NOSH: Upgrade your fridge staples with Miami Chicken Salad or Smoked Salmon & Gravlax. Treat yourself to a delicious Schnitzel Plate, crispy, soft Latkes, or craveable Pierogies made with fresh summer corn and lobster.
• SHABBAT: Celebrate rest time with Lilliane’s Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Saffron, slow-cooked for maximum tenderness, or the traditional Shabbat staple Dafina that stews overnight—served with a side of Diet Coke and an argument in Alex’s family.

• DRINKS & DESSERT: Wash down the nosh with peachy Frosé, and always (always) save room for dessert—like Arthurs’ signature Deli Sprinkle Cookies or one of their incredible pies, donuts or cheesecake.

Like Arthurs itself, this cookbook is somewhere you’ll want to spend time in. It’s full of big restaurant energy, and the passion and commitment to Jewish cooking leaps off every page, all showcased in a joyful design, with gorgeous photography and playful illustrations. Open this book and you’ll be instantly giggling as you read through the authors' hilarious stories—these are authors who did not censor themselves!—and feeling at ease as you cook through their comforting recipes. Arthurs: Home of the Nosh is the perfect cookbook for anyone who loves to cook and everyone who has ever craved a nosh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525612285
Publisher:	Appetite by Random House
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Wife and husband team Raegan Steinberg and Alex Cohen opened Arthurs Nosh Bar, named after Raegan’s father, Arthur, in St. Henri, Montreal, in 2016. Before opening Arthurs, the pair worked at some of Montreal's best restaurants, including Joe Beef and Mandy's. Since the great success of Arthurs, Raegan and Alex have opened two more restaurants in Montreal: Dirty Greens and Patzzi. This is their debut cookbook.

Raegan Steinberg (@arthursmtl) is a 40-year-old self-proclaimed “retired” cook in charge of business development at Arthurs Nosh Bar HQ Inc. Co. and married to her partner in work and life. Her love of food started at a very young age; she believes it was a genetic disorder passed down by her father, Arthur Steinberg himself. She started her career at Mandy’s Gourmet Salads and the now defunct Java U Catering, then polished her chops at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Since then, she’s worked at famed restaurants such as the Blue Water Cafe and Joe Beef. This laid the foundation for her career as a professional butter pasta maker, or as her kids call her, “the best cooker.” The rest is left to see: She hopes to build a global Arthurs empire, with a location in every major city, taking pancake batter and sprinkle cookies international. She dreams of retiring in Vermont and opening a small business there with her husband, summering in Italy, and eating her way around the world with her family.

Alexandre Cohen is the co-owner and executive chef of Arthurs. Before becoming a self-taught cook, he was the popcorn boy at the late, great Blockbuster, then a professional gamer. One day, he hopes to open Nothing but Butts, a restaurant that only serves the butt-ends of foods. His most embarrassing kitchen moment was melting 36 liters of deep-fryer oil through a garbage bin and staying four hours late to clean the entire floor. As for hobbies, he has none, but is working on it as per his therapist’s recommendation. Raegan and Alex live in Montreal with their children, Freya and Abel, who are their entire world. They also shared their home with Pumak, their beloved Alusky dog, who was as much a part of Arthurs as anyone else.

Read an Excerpt

It’s 7:30 a.m. at Arthurs. One at a time, the cooks throw open the front door (seeing as the back one is locked with a spoon) and plod past the walk-in fridge, then down to the basement to change into their stained kitchen clothes. Clomp-clomp back up the stairs to light the gas and click-click on the burners. Cutting boards, knives, and mixing tools get snatched up from the dish pit, and it’s time to get started on the prep list. At 8:00, the opening servers start sauntering in, tying on their aprons and tying up their hair as they murmur about last night’s happenings. It’s 8:45 when the coffee pots get to brewing and the glass domes showcasing the sprinkle cookies are clinking back into place.

Before anyone knows it, it’s 9:00, and the first customers are filing through the sage-green door of 4621 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest. The restaurant rapidly swells with the sounds of servers chatting with customers, music flowing from the AUX, latkes bubbling, and cooks calling out bills. The printer continually tch-tch-tches with new orders: Smorgasbord, Sandwich Déjeuner, Eggs & Salami, Avo Toast, Almond Oats, Syrniki. Some mornings it feels as if the whole of St-Henri has come for their daily dose of eggs and toast. Even by 11:00, when they have the whole lunch menu to order from, many diners continue to opt for oeufs brouillés. By the time the last customers are seated, around 3:00, the line cooks are whistling along with Popeye, their arms bulging from a long day of whisking.

Arthur always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It would be convenient to say that we’ve run Arthurs on this principle. What’s closer to the truth, however, is that we’ve remained a breakfast (and lunch) restaurant because, in the beginning, we were overwhelmed by the long hours, small staff, and big menu. One of us wanted to create an entirely new repertoire for the dinner service, and the other absolutely did not. There was our staff’s well-being to consider too, and the amount of pressure they’d have to undergo. All things considered, we probably could’ve found a way, but then COVID came around. So we’ve stuck to eggs, and there’s not too much bad we can say about that. Breakfast is, after all, still the most important meal.

Editorial Reviews

"An homage to Jewish deli comfort food, but done in a way that feels entirely fresh. Here, you'll find all the requisites - organic gravlax, matzo ball soup, schnitzel - in addition to riffs on the classics."—goop

"It's everything you want for breakfast and lunch combined...Brooklyn meets Montreal meets Russ & Daughters"—BON APPETIT

“This beautiful cookbook is just as stylish, open and authentic as Raegan and Alex are. Putting your whole story down in a cookbook is brave and beautiful, and Arthurs is exactly that. The photography is mouthwatering and does absolute justice to the scrumptious nosh that Arthurs serves up on the daily. Seeing recipes here for their Syrniki, shakshuka, and iconic sprinkle cookies is sooo exciting—not only for fans in Montreal but for readers everywhere who will now know how incredible their food is!”—MANDY WOLFE, MANDY'S GOURMET SALADS

"Raegan and Alex have had a story to tell since I met them. They radiate an uncommon, shared love for their roots, their city, and their culture. It’s a risk, always, to name a restaurant after a dearly departed, and an exponential risk if the character was as storied and mythical as was Raegan’s dad Arthur, The Bear. But, like the man himself, Arthurs stands proud with that ‘been there forever’ air among Montreal’s storied classics. It’s always packed and delicious, and forever bold and quirky. In this book, Raegan and Alex dish out delicious, well-crafted nosh drenched in memory and nostalgia. It’s a book I want to cook from, and that I want you to cook from, so you can taste what I mean."—FRÉDÉRIC MORIN, JOE BEEF

From the Publisher