Recht's ad [12/21/1934]
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Abrams & Freidman was a restaurant in Squirrel Hill. Samuel Abrams and Eugene Friedman acquired the former Recht’s Restaurant & Steak House at 2016 Murray Ave. in May 1935. Friedman had previously been associated with Caplan’s Restaurant in Uptown, and Abrams had previously worked at restaurants in East Liberty.
Abrams & Freidman regularly renovated their building, most notably by expanding into a neighboring building (either 2014 or 2018 Murray) in 1938 to create a 150-seat dining room. It was billed as the largest dining room in Squirrel Hill and was used for special events. They renovated the building again the following year to install an air conditioning unit, and they updated the facade in 1940.
No known menus survive to detail the cuisine, but Abrams & Friedman advertisements regularly promoted a “kosher-style” menu including broiled steak, broiled liver sandwiches, roast stuffed chicken, and roast stuffed duck. The restaurant offered a special Passover menu, prepared in later years by Sarah Ungar, who went on to create the Little Hungarian Restaurant.
Abrams retired in late 1943. Friedman ran the restaurant independently for one year before selling the business in 1945 to Isadore Lampel and a “Mr. Goldberg.”
