Nosh Pit is planning a vegetarian restaurant and food truck park in Hamtramck

The Nosh Pit Detroit vegetarian/vegan food truck is planning a brick-and-mortar restaurant and food truck park in Hamtramck.

Owners and husband-and-wife-team Karen and Eric Schultz tell Metro Times that the restaurant will open at 2995 Yemens St. in downtown Hamtramck, and initially offer dinner service Thursday through Saturday. They already have the keys and are planning an early January opening.

The restaurant will serve items from the food truck menu as well as the Nosh Pit's catering menu.

That means sandwiches like The Denise (lentil sloppy joe served on a STAR Bakery roll with Better Made chips on top); The Jonah (sweet and savory grilled cheese made with smoky marinated mushrooms, house-made organic banana jam, and either sharp cheddar or vegan cheese that's all served on grilled kosher rye); and soups like mafe (peanut and potato stew made with sweet potatoes, peanuts, chick peas and thyme).


The catering menu is more varied with comfort foods like three cheese baked ziti, mushroom lasagna, farmer's pie, and potato and vegetable tart, and the Nosh Pit offers plenty of sweets, like sweet potato mousse.

“Having a brick-and-mortar location would allow us to not only provide mobile cuisine but have a location where we can increase our ability to cater and have a place Detroiters can count on, year round," Eric Schultz says via a press release.


No timeline is in place for the food truck park and details for it are still in the works. But the Schultzes say the park will "help food trucks have a year round home they can count on, especially during the cold winter months, which has historically been a slow period for food trucks."

Nosh Pit has also been working with Food Lab on a sustainability program that food trucks can implement. Over the last year, it composted and recycled over three tons of waste.

Why Hamtramck?

Alexandra Laxmi Iyer, who handles the truck's pr, says that Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski – a vegetarian for 42 years – pitched the city while Nosh Pit was parked at the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival. The city is centrally located, and has a lot in common with Nosh Pit, Iyer says.

"Hamtramck seems to be the perfect home for us as we feel it closely relates to our culture and mission. One of the things that Hamtramck celebrates is diversity and welcoming every person. For example, the buildings with graffiti as you drive in celebrating diversity. More simply put – we love the vibe," she says.

The company launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000 to fund the projects. That page can be found here.

Nosh Pit's announcement is the latest in a busy week of news for vegan/vegetarian restaurants. The Shimmy Shack vegan food truck announced it's plans for a brick-and-mortar, while Ann Arbor's Detroit St. Filling Station announced it is changing concepts.

Nosh Pit will join the recently-opened California Burgerz, Remas Mediterranean/Yemeni restaurant, and Hello Shawarma in Hamtramck.

Check the Nosh Pit's Facebook page for updates and check back here for more on the plans over the next few months.