Sam’s Deli on Highland to reopen
For more than a year, Shamira and Brad Wilbanks have been getting emails from customers asking them to reopen their popular eatery, Sam’s Deli.
“I have even had customers offer to host a fundraiser to help us get back open,” said Shamira, as she expressed her gratitude.
Hopefully next week, the wait will be over.
Shamira Wilbanks said if all goes as planned, the restaurant at 643 S. Highland St. will reopen Aug. 18. For now, the restaurant will be open for take-out only.
Sam’s Deli has been closed since March 2020. Wilbanks said the decision was originally due to the pandemic, but the couple also had to take care of Brad’s aging father. Now that Brad’s father has passed away, the couple feels now is the time to reopen.
Sam’s Deli is located in the University of Memphis neighborhood, having moved in 2018 from its original location in a gas station on Summer Avenue.
The Wilbanks serve an eclectic menu of subs, salads and Korean bibimbap rice bowls.
The sandwich menu is a little global melting pot - comprised of American classics like New Orleans muffulettas (there are four options on the menu), a Middle Eastern-inspired gyro sub and an Indian Chicken Tikka sub.
The bibimbap is an excellent lunch option that’s filling and loaded with lots of flavors. They have several versions of this popular Korean rice dish, ranging from the traditional Korean Chicken to a spicy Indian Chicken 65 to a Pot Roast version.
Shamira Wilbanks said to expect all the favorites to be available when they reopen.
The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.
“We will close at 7 or 8 p.m. depending on business,” Wilbanks said.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal.
She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.