St. Petersburg restaurant Lingr to close

After nearly three years in St. Pete, Chef Jeffrey Jew’s Nordic and Asian-inspired restaurant Lingr will serve its final meals Saturday.

On the Lingr website and social media, Jew said he’s closing his restaurant to focus on his mother’s health challenges.

“During illness and family emergencies, I have always counseled my employees that their health and family are more important than Lingr,” Jew said in a prepared statement. “Now, I am in the position that I must take my own advice and spend time with my Mother as we navigate her Lewy body dementia.”

The 150-seat restaurant opened at 400 Sixth St. S. in 2021 after Chef Jew, an alumnus of Bravo’s Top Chef and winner of Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, pushed back the initial opening (scheduled for the summer of 2020) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It will be a restaurant that welcomes everybody,” Jew said in a previous interview with the Catalyst. He also noted that he planned to focus on mental health as a restaurant owner and leader, citing the hard work and late nights that are notorious in the industry. “Community involvement is very important in the chef and restaurant community; just being there for one another and also being able to teach the future of the industry at the same time.”

Jeffrey Jew, a Bravo “Top Chef” alumnus and winner of Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” said he’s seen St. Petersburg’s local food scene change dramatically in the years he’s lived here. Photo provided.

Lingr was Jew’s first solo project after years of experience in Washington, D.C., where he was head chef at the Italian embassy and chef de cuisine at several notable restaurants. When Jew and his partner, James Steiner, moved to St. Petersburg, Jew signed on with 2B Hospitality, serving as Executive Chef at Bella Brava and Stillwaters Tavern on Beach Drive. After five years, he decided it was a good time to go out on his own. 

Lingr’s menu is a homage to Jew’s heritage – his mother is Norwegian and his father is Chinese. According to the restaurant’s website, Linger is a Nordic word meaning “belonging to” and “coming or descending from,” serving as the inspiration for the contemporary Norwegian/Asian fusion menu.

A news release on the Lingr website notes, “While Lingr’s physical presence may cease, Chef Jew looks forward to maintaining strong ties with the community that has steadfastly supported his culinary endeavors.”

“Our success is a testament to our amazing employees and fabulous customers,” Jew said in the statement. “We have made so many memories here at Lingr, and we will continue to do so until our last day.”

Lingr announced Tuesday that the restaurant is fully booked for its final week of service and will not be accepting any additional reservations.