Following his success opening high-end southern restaurants Audrey and June, and a fast-casual chicken and burger joint called Joyland, Sean Brock’s newest project is all about pizza.
Sho Pizza Bar will open in East Nashville’s Riverside Village on Monday, April 14, for lunch and dinner. It’s a collaboration with Nashville natives and entrepreneurs Mary Carlisle and Ben Gambill after the trio connected over their shared love for the unique pizza they experienced in Tokyo.
Sho is named for the Japanese word “shokunin,” which represents a person’s full commitment to every detail of a craft. The Gambills explained that they want Sho to be a place that reflects the welcoming nature of Nashville, while using the best ingredients and techniques that they can.
A 12-seat chef’s counter looks onto the wood-fired pizza oven. Photo credit: Minnie Morklithavong
The restaurant has a 30-seat dining room, an outdoor patio, and a full bar. There’s also a 12-seat chef’s counter offering guests a front-row view of the pizza-making process from an elevated perch.
The interior is light and airy, with an earthy color palette and natural materials like wood and stone. The open kitchen features a blue-tiled pizza oven and stacks of hickory and oak wood to feed the fire.
Sho’s pies begin with dough that undergoes a three-day fermentation period in the restaurant’s temperature-controlled dough room. The team described the process as creating a light, airy, and pleasantly chewy crust that not only tastes good, but makes you feel better than many pizzas. That’s because the long-fermentation technique produces a dough that’s easier to digest than standard pizza dough.
“I became obsessed with the craft of pizza-making after a trip to Tokyo in 2016,” Brock said. “I had no idea a simple marinara pizza could be so complex and life-changing. I was so inspired that something seemingly ordinary at first glance could be so extraordinary when you refine all the little details. Sho’s precise, multi-step technique integrates the Tokyo Napoli style of pizza I discovered in Japan with Italian-Neapolitan tendencies and Southern flavors for a unique, global experience.”
Pizzas range from classics like margherita and marinara to a rotating seasonal pizza called Sho-Stopper. Photo credit: Minnie Morklithavong
Local chefs Trey Tench and John “Woody” Woodward will oversee day-to-day operations in the kitchen. They both trained under Brock to perfect the Sho style of neo-Neapolitan pizza.
That style translates to classic pies like the margherita and marinara, as well as the bianca, a white pizza topped with three cheeses and Meyer lemon. Signature pies include the Sho-Stopper, a daily rotator featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients, the Country Boy made with ham and wood-fired onions, and a puttanesca pizza loaded with capers, olives, artichokes, and anchovies. Mozzarella for the pies is flown in from Italy and meat and produce are sourced from local farmers and butchers.
Beyond pizza, the restaurant is also serving salads and appetizers like stracciatella bruschetta, cured meats, tuna crudo, and marinated olives. For dessert, there’s matcha soft serve and classic tiramisu.
The bar is pouring beer, Italian wine, sake, and classic cocktails, plus a couple of highballs, including one made with Japanese whisky, honey, and lemon.
This is the first restaurant collaboration between Brock and the Gambills, but they shared plans to eventually open Sho Pizza Bar locations across the Southeast.
