The 176 Line St. building that was occupied by Nana’s Seafood & Soul for nearly two decades will soon be home to Little Line Kitchen + Provisions, a daytime cafe owned by Wendy and Jeff Gleim. Look for coffee, bagels and pastries in the morning and sandwiches, salads and sides for lunch at Little Line, set to open in October, pending approval from the city of Charleston zoning division.
The Gleims currently own and operate Scratch Kitchen at The Wickliffe House near the Medical University campus, where they serve weekday lunch and offer full service catering for weddings at the 171-year-old mansion as well as off-premise events.
But after MUSC notified the Gleims they would close the mansion indefinitely for renovations last year, they started looking into their next opportunity. Wendy and Jeff came across the circa-1930s Line Street building last fall, shortly after Nana’s downtown permanently closed, Wendy said.
“Nana’s, they were here for a long time — they put a lot into this place, and they’re such a presence here still. Tourists still keep showing up because they’ve seen the old Bourdain episodes and stuff,” said Wendy, who always directs folks to Nana’s new North Charleston location. “I talked to the Nana’s people, and I’m like ‘I think I’m going to print a card with the information’ because I want them to find Nana’s.”
Before Nana’s 19-year run started in 2001, the space housed German and Jewish groceries, a dry cleaner and a seafood market, Wendy said. The couple has updated the space, but kept pieces from the past, too, like the now-polished original concrete floor.
For breakfast, the Gleims will specialize in bagels, and White Lily buttermilk biscuits will show up as a Saturday special.
“I’ve made a kazillion over the years with catering, so I’m kind of psyched to offer them on the regular,” Wendy said.
Little Line’s offerings are still being finalized, but the experienced chef’s latest lunch menu mock-up features items like benne seed hummus, a deviled egg flight, fried chicken cutlet sandwich, plant-based BLT and four salads with the option to add grilled chicken, falafel or shrimp. There’s also an assortment of gravies, or sauces — 11 to be exact — and a pumpkin spiced “pup cup” for your four-legged companion. And don’t miss the “Provisions Pantry,” which will feature produce, eggs, kitchen staples and more.
Once open, Little Line Kitchen + Provisions will serve the Westside neighborhood daily from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, follow Little Line on Instagram @littlelinechs.
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