44 May 2 • 2019
jn

Antihero invites unique 
culture and exotic fl
 avors 
to downtown Ferndale.

T

hroughout my childhood, my 
grandparents owned an office 
furniture business that operated 
at 231 W
. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale. 
Every other Saturday, my mom took 
me and my brother to visit my dad 
at the office. We’
d spin around in the 
fancy chairs and play hide-and-seek 
under the desks. We even used to ride 
the rusty furniture eleva-
tor from the top floor to 
the basement, something 
that probably wouldn’
t 
be allowed nowadays. I 
loved that store dearly. 
More than a decade 
later, that same building 
is occupied by Antihero, 
a Japanese pub. Walking into the build-
ing where we spent a lot of time, my 
parents and I were in awe. Outside of 
the freshly painted tin ceilings and the 
upstairs office, the place was unrecog-
nizable. 
Sleek and luxurious, Antihero’
s 
interior decor is one to behold. Spiky 
chandeliers hang from the bar’
s low 
ceiling, and wooden floors and fur-
niture create a sense of cohesion that 
really make this pub aesthetically 
pleasing. Among all the aspects of its 
design, the coolest, by far, was the art-
work on the walls, cementing Antihero 
as an establishment for artistic inven-
tion. While the menu was limited, the 
interior design worked hard to make 
up for it. 
Antihero also shines is with its bar 
menu, listing a variety of tasty and 
exotic drinks. Unfortunately, Antihero 
is lacking in its food menu. While 
its one-page list of food selection is 
unique, its limited selection might be a 
challenge for pickier eaters.
If you’
re someone who doesn’
t eat 
non-kosher meat or fish, that immedi-

ately eliminates most of the menu. For 
example, not one of its five “Noods and 
Such” dishes is without pork, shellfish 
or non-kosher beef. In addition, those 
with food allergies will find little on 
the menu they can eat. Almost every 
item has either gluten, nuts or shell-
fish somewhere in it. Even if the dish 
looks good outside of those allergens, 
Antihero doesn’
t supply (or welcome) 
many practical substitutions. 
I found three things on the menu 
to order that were 
kosher-friendly: roasted 
baby carrots, grilled avo-
cado and salmon poke. 
While the avocado and 
salmon needed additional 
seasoning to pull the dish-
es together, the carrots 
were on the opposite end 
of the flavor spectrum, on the verge of 
being almost too spicy. In an attempt 
to make use of what seasoning I had, 
I ended up dipping the avocado and 
salmon in the spicy sriracha that cov-
ered the carrots. 
I can honestly say that Antihero 
is a great place to have a drink and a 
couple of appetizers with loved ones. 
The atmosphere is young and fresh, 
the interior decor is stunning, and the 
alcohol menu is positively delectable. 
Antihero is not, however, a place for 
people with diet limitations to have a 
full-course meal.
While I find it complicated to 
describe how it felt returning to a sig-
nificant building from my childhood, 
it’
s easy to say that my family was 
impressed with how Anithero trans-
formed our rundown office furniture 
store into a gorgeous Japanese pub. 
I hope that Antihero expands its 
menu to include more allergen-
friendly options. I would love the 
chance to make more happy memories 
in the building that brought me so 
much joy as a child. ■

STEFANI CHUDNOW 
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

nosh

Antihero

231 W. Nine Mile Road, 
Ferndale
antiheroferndale.com
(248) 307-7383
Opens at 4 p.m.

Japanese 
Pub

THE GALLERY RESTAURANT

Senior Citizen Appreciation Mondays! 

All Senior Citizens get 10% of their check after 3:00 PM on Mondays! 

(Beverages not included). Just mention Jewish News Coupon.

“For 40 years, Gallery Restaurant has served up masterpieces” 
 

 ~ Danny Raskin


www.galleryrestaurant2.com

OPEN 7 DAYS: 

Now Serving 
Beer & Wine

www.thejewishnews.com

Feature your business
with our new way
to advertise,
on our website.

Three sizes to 
choose from
with affordable
pricing options.

games & 
artsfest

VOLUNTEER!PARTICIPATE! 
BE A HOST! 

F O R M O R E I N F O

