Eric Greenspan, owner, chef and creative genius behind Mish, wants his version of the Jewish deli to spark new life in the traditional dining experience. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

Eric Greenspan likes to break the rules. The chef, whose first restaurant The Foundry on Melrose was nominated for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2007, has since made a name for himself in several outside-the-box ways – Guy’s Grocery Games, Mr. Beast Burger, the controversial Tesla Diner. With his new restaurant Mish, on La Brea and First, Greenspan has reinvented the Jewish deli. In Los Angeles, where surnames like Canter, Factor and Langer have for decades slow-cooked pastrami into a seemingly untouchable deli canon, that certainly takes a bit of chutzpah.

But if anyone’s got it, it’s Greenspan.

His passion for food is unmistakable. In our 27-minute conversation he casually dropped the f-bomb 48 times to describe the restaurant, the way he cooks, a perfect Reuben sandwich and even Billy Crystal – more on that later. Greenspan is unafraid to take risks and do things entirely his own way, largely because he has nothing to lose. Whereas longstanding delis rely on a loyal customer base that relishes in a never-changing menu and a storied atmosphere, Mish only has to look toward the future.

“I hate to say this, but the legacy deli in Los Angeles, whereas I love it, they’re pterodactyls that haven’t fallen out of the sky yet,” Greenspan said after a Thursday lunch rush in his new deli that is anything but orthodox.

“Because we’re new, we don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done, just because they’ve always been done that way,” he said. “We have to respect the culture, we have to elevate the culture, we’ve got to move it forward, but we’re almost the only one that can do that because we’re unburdened by tradition.”

Located in a warehouse-sized building at 127 S. La Brea Ave., the space has been transformed into a uniquely modern take on Ashkenazi cuisine. With a wide open floor plan, a rustic design supported by exposed brick and cross beams, a grab-and-go bakery shelf and a full bar for plenty of day drinking, Mish offers a glimpse of what a 21st century deli can be.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” Greenspan said, noting that he has received support from L.A. deli legends like Norm Langer and Marc Canter. “At the same time, somebody asked me why I didn’t call it ‘Greenspan’s,’ and I was like, because it sounds like it’s 100 years old. I want to do something new.”

Everything at Mish feels new, from the Bad Bunny soundtrack blaring over the speakers to the marketplace-style atmosphere.

“I think the [Jewish deli] space needs reinvention. I think the space needs a new vibe, a new look. I think it needs to be more approachable to young people. It needs to not just speak to Jews, it’s got to be a big welcoming umbrella,” Greenspan said. “It can’t look like an Epcot Center version of the Lower East Side – there’s f––ing maps of the New York subway system on the walls and pictures of Billy f––ing Crystal.”

Greenspan says since his new restaurant is not tied to tradition or legacy, it is uniquely prepared to handle the challenges of today’s restaurant industry. To tackle rising costs, for example, Greenspan pointed out that his restaurant simply doesn’t employ waiters.

“You order from a kiosk,” Greenspan said. “I have to pay my kitchen a livable wage. I have to pay my runners a livable wage. I have to pay my bartenders a livable wage. Something’s got to give.”

Still, he sees the cost-saving measure as rooted in tradition.

“In New York, if I go to Katz’s or if I go to Pastrami Queen, I order from the counter, they bring me my food, so it’s not strange to me to do that.”

The robust menu at Mish – not kosher – reflects Greenspan’s irreverent creativity that’s still informed by tradition, with all-day breakfast, bagels, salads, sandwiches and inspired twists on deli classics. The matzah ball soup is simple and subtle, with a savory, bouncy matzah ball and crunchy chunks of carrot and celery. The macaroni salad – brightened both flavorfully and visually with turmeric mustard – balances a soft, creamy texture with punches of Persian cucumber and a hint of smoke. Meanwhile, Greenspan elevates the Reuben – perhaps the benchmark for a good deli – to a new level by infusing the pastrami with a burst of a ras el hanout-inspired spice blend, topping it with a crisp fennel kraut and frying the whole thing in schmaltz.

(photo by Jakob Layman)

“To me, the pastrami is what the restaurant is,” Greenspan said. “It’s the lens of a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish deli, but it is the entire diaspora of Jewish culinary tradition.”

For Greenspan, cooking Jewish food has been a longtime goal.

Nine years ago, when his second child was born, he was running eight restaurants in L.A. with “no idea” how to balance work and life.

“I was like, you know what, I need to take a break from the restaurant business, and if I ever come back, I’m gonna do a deli,” he said. “I’ve always been a very proud Jew, but I’ve never cooked Jewish food.”

Though he was inspired by a growing trend of chefs embracing their familial culinary traditions, Greenspan was hesitant. He felt he was “too good” for it, he said. He added that while the restaurant industry was beginning to take Jewish food seriously through the lens of Israeli cuisine – think Bavel and Laser Wolf – foodways that were developed in the U.S. by Ashkenazi Jews remained overlooked.

“And for good reason, it’s sandwiches,” Greenspan added, laughing.

“It takes a very specific person who can take a Reuben and elevate it to that,” he said, pointing to his take on the sandwich, plated on a tray lined with deli paper sporting the restaurant’s bubbly logo.

For Greenspan, Mish is also something more personal. After years spent running multiple restaurants and chasing increasingly ambitious projects, he wanted to build a place centered on the food he grew up with – and a schedule that would allow him to spend evenings with his family. The deli closes at 5 p.m. each day, a deliberate departure from the late nights that once defined his career.

Whether Mish becomes Los Angeles’ next deli institution likely won’t be decided for years. But Greenspan’s path to success is already being hand-carved one slice of pastrami at a time.

Mish is located at 127 S. La Brea Ave. For information, visit mishdeli.com.

Mish is located in a warehouse-sized building formerly occupied by the fine dining concept Workshop – and long before that, a printing press. (photo by Jakob Layman)