Sometimes, one idea just isn’t enough.
Community Canteen along Stone Avenue on the north end of downtown Greenville is now open, bringing with it a taste of two continents. The business opened Aug. 2 with little fanfare.
The eatery comes from Sushi Murasaki owner Cheng Yap to the former World Piece Pizza space. It offers both Asian and European fare.
On one end is a takeout-focused concept with options like sushi, tataki and Malaysian-style ramen. On the other is a traditional sit-down concept with dishes such as jägerschnitzel and spätzleand currywurst.
The two cuisines? Remarkably cohesive.
“It all kind of seems to go together in a kind of wild kind of fashion,” said manager Harald Schmidt. Schmidt formerly owned Prost!, which was previously in Gather GVL, before he joined Yap’s team. Schmidt said he likes to see tables order a mix, with some reaching to cut a schnitzel while others grab a nigiri roll and make a little space on their plate for ramen.
Inside, the team has added a mural over the darker tones of the space on one half. The other is adorned with warmer brown tones and custom-made tables. The two spaces are divided by a wall but easily accessible from either end.
Schmidt is a native of Stuttgart, Germany and helms the European side of things as well as the bar, which offers “anything but domestic” beers, wine, cocktails, and apéritifs like French pastis and Spanish vermouth as an ode to his time in Madrid. In the future, he said he hopes to add more European delicacies encompassing foods from all over the continent, noting dishes like gambas al ajillo and maultaschen.
Community Canteen is located at 109 W. Stone Ave. It is open Tuesday from 4 to 10:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
