Magic City welcomes New York-based Mile End Deli

Executive Chef Adam Grusin describes Mile End Birmingham as a “Canadian-style Jewish delicatessen,” modeled after delis found in Montreal’s famous Mile End neighborhood. It had been a longtime dream of his to open a restaurant with a heavy focus on cuisine influenced by older Jewish-American delis. 

The deli, located at Railroad Park at 1701 First Ave. S., will be managed by Grusin, who was chosen by Mile End Deli co-founder Joel Tietolman, who opened the first location in 2010 in Brooklyn. Grusin is in charge of managing menus, day-to-day food operations and expanding the restaurant further in the South. 

The goal of the restaurant from the beginning has been all about sharing classic Jewish comfort food from time-honored family recipes, in addition to introducing a new type of cuisine to those who might not be familiar with it. Since then, they’ve opened additional restaurants in Manhattan and Nashville. 

In early 2019, downtown Birmingham was officially added to that list as the fourth location and the first Montreal-style cuisine and Jewish-American deli in the area. 

Mile End Deli Birmingham serves traditional dishes with a focus on fresh ingredients and from-scratch cooking. Grusin said some of the most popular dishes from the other restaurants are the Montreal smoked meat, wood-fired bagels and poutine.

“The space has a timeless feel, with clean subway tile, warm wood, marble bar top and an open kitchen and bakery,” Grusin said.

Mile End Deli is run by restaurateur Nick Pihakis, founder of the Pihakis Restaurant Group, in addition to partners Max Levine, Tietolman and Grusin. All of the Mile End restaurants are also family focused. 

Grusin said in the last 10 years, Birmingham has been labeled as “one of the most up-and-coming food-centric places in the U.S.,” which is why the city was chosen as the southern destination. 

“Nick [Pihakis] and I have always talked about how much we enjoy old-school Jewish delis and wanted to bring a legit deli experience to Birmingham,” Grusin said.

Mile End Deli features an all-day breakfast menu with classics including smoked meat hash, which contains smoked brisket, potato, caramelized onions and fried eggs; a breakfast sandwich, made of maple bacon, cheddar, rye toast, avocado and fried egg; and Challah French toast with maple syrup and seasonal fruit.

Grusin said there will be definitely be a learning curve for Birmingham guests, but many people have expressed interest for an eatery option like Mile End Deli to join the expanding food scene and add authentic Jewish comfort food, such as Latkes and Matzo Ball Soup.

“Some may be familiar with New York style bagels,  but we’ll introduce the Montreal-style of cooking bagels, in a traditional wood-fire oven,” Grusin said. 

Their wood-fired bagel options, he said, includes a few special creations he recommends. The Beauty is the classic bagel and lox option. Then there’s the Larry David, which contains whitefish salad, scallion cream cheese, lettuce, cucumber and coleslaw, while Cosmo’s Creation mixes it up a little bit with beef salami, egg, tomato, lettuce, cheddar and mayonnaise.

Lunch and dinner options include sandwiches ranging from a classic Reuben to a chicken schnitzel BLT to a variety of smoked meat options. “Noshes,” or appetizer-like foods, include pastrami chicken wings, potato latkes, Hoyt dogs in a blanket and pierogies, in addition to an assortment of pickles. There is also a rotating specialty Poutine of the Month, Grusin said, and the deli prides itself on being able to offer a poutine selection.

“Locals should love this restaurant for the people who create the experience. The bartender who makes the cocktails, the cooks who craft the food, the baker who comes in before the sun rises to start making the bread and the servers who are there making sure every diner’s needs are taken care of,” Grusin said.

There will be special catering available for Hanukkah celebrations each year, as well. For more information, visit Mile End’s website, mileenddeli.com, or its Facebook page, @MileEndBham.