Shep’s Deli Debuts in Five Points With Corned Beef, Pastrami, and Chopped Liver

East Nashville’s Five Points scores the classic Jewish delicatessen Nashville has been waiting for, as Shep’s Deli debuts in the former Marche space with staples like house-made pastrami, corned beef, chopped liver, and egg creams.

Sheps’s is the passion project of restaurateur Howard Greenstone, which he’s opening in partnership with a group of investors including Ken Levitan and Pennington Pribbenow (who also own the 404 Kitchen, Adele’s, Bajo Sexto, and Emmy Squared). The much-needed deli is named in honor of Greenstone’s beloved grandfather Israel “Shep” Shapiro. Shep, one of 13 children of immigrant parents, graduated from NYU Law in 1927 then moved to Teaneck, NJ where his love of food inspired him to open Shepard’s Baking Company. Clearly, that loved passed on to Greenstone, who grew up on Jewish staples in NY like Katz’s Deli, Kossar’s Deli, and the Pickle Guys. Greenstone has been looking for the same sort of place since he moved to Nashville in 2019 to no avail, so he’s opening one himself.

There’s an all-day breakfast menu, plus lunch and dinner at Shep’s. On the all-day breakfast menu, find plenty of bagels, bialys, and schmears, plus breakfast sandwiches like pastrami served with cheesy eggs on a roll. On the sweeter side, there are pancakes aplenty, French toast, and blintzes. Beyond Jewish cuisine classics, there are nods to the South including a pimento cheese schmear and of course, biscuits and cheesy grits.

The lunch and dinner menu expands to add starters like Grandma Jean’s matzo ball soup, crispy potato latkes with applesauce, and loaded Reuben fries, followed by a selection of salads and a plethora of hot and cold sandwiches. Entree options run from sweet onion sliced brisket to stuffed cabbage, baked salmon, and chicken Milanese. There’s also a Jersey-style sloppy Joe (somewhere between a Rueben and a Cuban) with double-decker corned beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, and cole slaw on rye.

LA-born Jonathan Londer will run the kitchen, and says he’s excited to return to his roots. Londer grew up in a Jewish household and has worked in everything from fine dining the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills to Kansas City barbecue.

Shep’s will also feature a full bar, serving beer, wine and cocktails, including Shep’s favorite cocktail, The Presbyterian, made with bourbon, club soda, and ginger ale.

Greenstone says, “We are so excited to take over this space and transform it into Shep’s Deli. I have made it my mission to bring this food to Nashville, and many of these recipes came directly from my Grandma Jean and Grandpa Shep’s cookbook that I was so lucky to inherit. We can’t wait to share these dishes with the community.”

Shep’s is located at 1000 Main Street, in the former Marche space, which was vacated after Margot McCormack opted not to reopen Marché following last year’s tornado damage and the ongoing pandemic.

Shep’s is now open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. They plan to eventually open 24 hours Thursday through Saturday.

See the full menus below.

Shep’s Deli [Official Site]