Mish Is Eric Greenspan's Deli, and It Turns Into a Vinyl Lounge at Night

A deli that closes at five, then reopens upstairs as a DJ-led listening room.

Mish opened in early June at 127 S. La Brea Avenue, and chef Eric Greenspan has been blunt about what he is trying to do. He told the Beverly Press that legacy Los Angeles delis are institutions he loves but describes them as a form that has not moved in decades, and that being new means Mish is unburdened by tradition. He has also said he is cooking for people in their twenties, thirties and forties and their kids rather than for an older generation.

Greenspan is a James Beard Foundation finalist whose Foundry on Melrose was nominated for Best New Restaurant in 2007. He has cooked under Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adria and Joachim Splichal, scaled MrBeast Burger, launched New School American Cheese, and most recently ran the Tesla Diner before stepping away to focus on this. His business partner is restaurateur Bill Chait, and the two first discussed the concept in 2016.

What is on the menu

The through-line is the Jewish diaspora rather than any single tradition, pulling Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Mizrahi threads together. The pastrami is hardwood smoked and hand carved, served on schmaltz-grilled rye with Russian dressing, melted swiss and fennel kraut. There is a combination with hand-carved brisket, New School American Cheese, sweet and sour tomato jam and Mish mustard.

The bagels are Montreal-style and wood fired, and Greenspan traveled to Montreal and ran trials in the La Brea space's wood-burning oven to dial them in, working with Oren Salomon, Michael Fiorelli and Daniele Uditi. An all-beef Snap-a-Razzo hot dog comes wrapped in a house-made poppy seed bagel. Elsewhere the menu runs chopped liver, fried kreplach, matzah ball soup, potato latkes and noodle kugel, alongside a hummus bowl with grilled eggplant and amba, a zaatar wood-fired bread with shakshuka sauce and a baked egg, and sesame-crusted challah stuffed with scrambled eggs and pastrami.

Pastry chef Dara Yu, formerly of Bouchon Bakery and Dominique Ansel, runs an extensive babka and Jewish pastry program that anchors the market counter. Beverage director Julian Cox handles coffee and drinks, including an espresso with chickpea miso caramel and maldon salt, a cold brew with orange flower and kumquat cream top, and a turmeric-saffron option.

The night shift

The part that separates Mish from every other deli in the city is what happens after close. By day it functions as a neighborhood living room and a comfortable co-working room, with food by the pound and the option to spike a drink. At night the deli shuts to the public and turns over to curated events, with the upstairs becoming a vinyl listening lounge and DJ-led space built around food, music and conversation.

Visiting

Mish is at 127 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036, on the block just south of First Street, in a stretch of La Brea mixed with galleries and independent retail. Reach it at (213) 723-0723, info@mishdeli.com, or events@mishdeli.com for private bookings.

• Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Greenspan set the schedule deliberately so he could be home for dinner with his family.

• Reservations: none taken. It is counter-first and walk-in only.

• Seating: indoor dining plus an outside seating area.

• Parking: metered street parking along La Brea and the side streets.

Menus and ordering are posted on the Mish site.

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