Restaurant Review - Sho Pizza Bar

To start, I must say that I am a huge fan of anything Sean Brock comes up with. Both Husk and Joyland are some of my favorite places in Nashville, so seeing what his next venture will hold is very exciting. This place is unique, as it combines a Japanese-style flair with Neapolitan-style pizza, featuring funky 72-hour fermented crusts and quirky toppings. As soon as you walk in, it's light and open with an amazing playlist that goes from classic Britney Spears to Doechii to Chapel Roan. That said, it wasn't too loud, so it was easy to have a conversation. We sat at the bar and were able to see them craft the pizzas and cook them in their wood-fire oven while we waited for our feast. If you can sit there, I highly recommend it.

The Food Rundown

• Neapolitan Martini: I'm a savory person, so seeing this on the menu really called to me. It combines gin, buffalo whey from the mozzerella, basil oil, vermouth, and a smoked mozzerella-stuffed olive. It was light, salty, and definitely set the mood for the night.

• Brightwood Craft Cider Down The Way Blend: This is the champagne of ciders, and I'm not just saying that since it has Champagne yeast in it. It's cool, light, and refreshing in a way that feels luxurious. It was a perfect pairing with the tomato salad and pizzas that we ordered.

• Cucumber Yuzu Gimlet: A theme for the night - gin. A classic cocktail that complements the Japanese influence of the restaurant with the addition of yuzu. If you like cucumber and feeling like you're in a spa, I recommend ordering this.

• Stracciatella Bruschetta: It's exactly how you would imagine it. Cheese, a beautiful sourdough, and some sweet peppers - I wish it were a bigger portion, but with the amount of food we ordered, it was for the best.

• Marinated Olives: If I see olives on the menu, I will always order them. These featured fennel pollen and oranges. With fennel, it's easy to have it overpower the other flavors; however, here it helps the sweetness of the orange come out along with the brine of the olive.

• Heirloom Tomato Salad: When it's tomato season, ordering local tomatoes is a must. This salad features basil oil, balsamic, and dashi. The dashi added a rich umami flavor that was super unique to a typical Italian-inspired dish. This is the dish that really drove home the Japanese influence and set up for the star of the show.

• Puttanesca Pizza: Remember how earlier I mentioned that I love savory things? This was a dream marrying white anchovies, garlic, tomato, capers, olives, and artichokes. The herb salad on top brought a fresh element to the heaviness of the rich ingredients. 10/10

• Mushroom Pizza: This pizza really stopped me in my tracks. The wood-fired mushrooms were the star of the show, paired with mushroom cream, pecorino, and smoked mozzarella. With a squeeze of lemon, this was the best thing that I had of the night and will be a repeat order every time I go.

• Crust Dips: Something that Sho offers is a variety of crust dips to dip their fermented crust in once you finish your slice. We ordered the Calbrian Chili Honey and the Miso Ranch. The hot honey provided a nice sweet heat, while the ranch was rich and herbaceous. I firmly believe all ranches should include miso now as it brings an even depth that is missing from ranch unless you make it from scratch.

The Verdict

There wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy at Sho Pizza Bar. The only thing that I would change is more space to wait, but being in East Nashville, space is sometimes limited. They did validate parking, which was nice as well. I give this place a 9.5/10. If you love pizza and delicious food, please plan a trip to East to have some of the best pizza in town!

• 1309 McGavock Pike Nashville, TN 37216