A new food concept is up and running at a long-time downtown Lowell restaurant, now known as Main Street Deli & Tavern.
Formerly Main Street BBQ, the restaurant now will focus on a delicatessen-style menu and a larger beverage selection. Owner Erin Van Epps says this move is necessary to stay in business due to rising food costs and competition amongst Lowell restaurants for the community’s eating-out budget.
“In order for me to stay relevant, I have to lower food costs, I have to lower labor, my electric bill is extremely high. I have a smoker with a rotisserie that runs 24 hours. I’ve got to lower costs,” Van Epps said back in February.
With two other restaurants in Lowell predominantly serving BBQ, Van Epps changed her restaurant’s menu in order to offer more diverse offerings. The Main Street restaurant, which originally opened in 2015, closed for a few days last month and reopened with the new concept.
The new menu at Main Street D&T is very diverse. It features “samiches” of all sorts that come on various buns, breads, or wraps and range between $12 to $19 in price.
I had the “Muffa My Letta,” which is a take on the New Orleans classic sandwich muffuletta. It is made up of multiple layers of different meats and cheeses, topped with a spicy marinated olive salad. This sandwich can best be described as monster-sized. I was full when I left the restaurant and took home what proved to be two more meals, all from one giant sandwich.
We also ordered the “Wammie Pastrami.” While not nearly as large, the meat, which is still smoked in-house, was delicious.
Main Street D&T’s beverage menu serves a variety of tastes. Lovers of beer and wine can still enjoy those as well as offerings that are more unique, such as an Old Fashioned with chocolate bitters and a basil lime “cooler.” The beverage menu had a total of 12 featured items. Also available are a variety of “mocktails” for those who do not desire alcohol.
Also featured on the menu are pinsas, which are pizzas made with sourdough crust. There were also salads and five different protein bowls. I did not get the chance to try any of these items…this time. Pinsa prices are $14, protein bowls range from $14-$17, and salads range from $12-$18.
The menu finishes with four items on the dessert menu, which are carryovers from the old Main Street BBQ concept.
The presentation of the food is very basic. You are served your sandwiches on a tray, wrapped in paper, and all utensils and plates are disposable. We were served our dessert in a Styrofoam container. My sandwich required a lot of napkins, which were fortunately readily available in a dispenser on the table. If you are good with a no-fuss presentation, this will suit you fine.
The decor of the restaurant has not changed in any significant way. Images of pigs are still prevalent as a nod to the pork-focus of the former menu. On a Tuesday night, only an hour before closing time, we were seated promptly even though the dining room was almost full.
Fans of Main Street BBQ shouldn’t fret too much about the change, if at all. There is plenty of meat on the menu, and the smoker is still being manned for certain meats and catering services. One can expect a more diverse menu than in the past, and the restaurant still has the same focus on serving quality food but with a bit more variety.
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