Malawach, Brisket, and Beer at Brickhouse, an Israeli-Owned Restaurant in Nyack, NY

The street of South Broadway runs through the center of Nyack and is home to some of the most creative shops and food venues. This area is proof of Nyack’s charm and progressiveness: walking along, you can notice the gay flags on the windows of most shops, and warm welcome signs inviting anyone with interest to come and taste some food or even just look around.

One of Brickhouse’s famous Burgers!

In the middle of all these businesses is an Israeli-owned restaurant and bar called Brickhouse. If I had to define Brickhouse or compare it to something I know and love, I would have to say it is Nyack’s Brooklyn Bowl, minus the bowling. Brickhouse features great food, fun drinks, a great atmosphere, young crowd, movie nights and live music. American beers make up only a small part of their vast international selection, which also includes many local microbreweries.

Brickhouse and its owners are focused on supporting – and partnering with – other local businesses and vendors. Pizza slides out of their brick oven just as easily as the beer flows out of the taps. Burgers, ribs and all kinds of other delicious all-American barbecue, represent the more local and traditional USA foods, but the cultural cuisine of the Israeli owners seeps in with Mawach topped with Spinach, Feta, and Honey. To match the diverse food options, the interior functions as a makeshift gallery, featuring art from local painters. The space was transformed by Dawn Hershko, a native of Long Island, who also designed the nearby restaurant Sixty5 on Main which features chef Moshe Grundman, formerly of restaurant Oceana in NYC (you can check out my article about Sixty5 here: http://ow.ly/XMha3054o4Z). When I visited the venue in late August, I sat across from the bar in a booth that was covered with a canopy, and sipped on a margarita that was to die for. I felt cozy and comfortable, and I was able to find a space in a busy restaurant that somehow allowed me to connect with my friends. Dawn truly found a way to combine the hip vibes of a gallery with the laid back scene of a sports bar – a creative feat that I really admire.

Pizza with arugula and prosciutto

Brickhouse makes me wish I lived closer to Nyack… and it’s proof that you don’t need to live in the center of New York City in order to get a small taste of the Israeli culture we all know and love, mixed with an authentic American love for beer, sports, and comfort food. I’m so grateful for what the owners of this venue have brought to such an amazing town.