Mitchell Delicatessen, East Nashville’s Favorite Sandwich

Opened in 2008 to immediate success in a small little place in East Nashville, Mitchell Delicatiessen is in larger quarters, better able to accommodate the long line waiting to bite into what might be considered Nashville’s favorite sandwich.

What makes a sandwich good? It starts with the bread and one of the genius moves behind Mitchell’s is the freshly delivered hoagie rolls and bread from family owned,  Silke’s Olde World Breads, in Clarksville. I want to to make a trip to Clarksville (about 90 minutes away) just to get that bread or try the pastry.

Mitchell’s drums up lots of opinions about which sandwich is the best. The lady behind me in line told me I just had to get the Benton’s Bacon BLT, and she was so convincing I bought some Benton’s  bacon to take home, but it’s probably not the same without that great bread.  You can purchase bacon, and deli meat and cheese to take home, and I think if you get there early enough, you can purchase bread, because I saw signs for it but all empty baskets.

For those who don’t eat bread, Mitchell’s features a fairly nice salad bar.

Mitchell’s deli stuffs those crusty rolls a mile high with amazing meats and cheeses.  The hardest part of eating at Mitchell’s deli was making a decision. I went back and forth between roast beef and cheese, turkey avocado, Asian flank steak and french dip. I went french dip because the gal behind the counter recommended it as a favorite and I’m weak in the knees for good beef. I was not disappointed. It was tender, flavorful, sandwiched between crusty bread and a great beef dipping juice.

The next time, though, I’m getting that Asian flank steak, because while it used to be a once a week item, it got so popular it was put on the regular menu and it’s one of the most talked about sandwiches in the area. It was also featured on the Travel Channel with the recipe.

The sandwiches are all wrapped in deli paper, great for taking the rest home, as the sandwiches are quite filling.

Another consideration was the brisket, which is smoked in the back yard.

Mitchell’s deli obviously focuses on high quality locally sourced ingredients, including Bear Creek Farm, Sweetwater Valley Farm Cheese, Noble Springs Dairy, Willow Egg Farm and many more.

The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the sandwich. A french dip for $6.59 is unheard of anywhere else. I recently had a $9.00 meatloaf sandwich at a nearby cafe that had no atmosphere. I would rather drive clear across Nashville to eat Mitchell’s Deli.

You can quench your thirst with an array of draft beers, old fashioned Sprecher sodas on tap or housemade kombocha.

Mr. Spinach Tiger ordered the Italian in the feature photo,  and our friend ordered the mufflalata, which looked amazing, piled high with Italian deli meat,  cheeses, and an olive tapanade. Be prepared though, as you will be thirsty the rest of the day.

You can also purchase T-shirts, which tells me the regulars know they have a good thing going with Mitchell’s Deli in East Nashville.