the Pulse - Dining Beat: The Pickle Barrel is a dilly, even for vegetarians

The Pickle Barrel is a dilly, even for vegetarians

By Matt Smith

Situated on a bodega-heavy stretch of Worcester’s Pleasant Street, a few doors up from the “Sinbad in the New Land” grocery and across from “Eddie’s Super Plaza”, The Pickle Barrel Restaurant is pure Worcester, but it’s bigger and has more variety than most of Worcester’s diner-type joints. And vegetarians will be happy with The Pickle Barrel’s very cheap, veggy patty sub — a meal that can be hard to find in the city’s mainly meat and potatoes or piles of pasta diners.

With no late hours, The Pickle Barrel is basically a breakfast or lunch type of place, although they do serve dinner. It’s pretty nice that the place is spacious enough that you can reach for your coffee without elbowing someone, and you can actually stretch back and get comfortable while you eat your veggie sub — sometimes a problem in Worcester’s true diner car establishments.

The Pickle Barrel’s fare is pretty ordinary, but how much can you really expect? While there is a pretty wide selection, vegetarians will often find themselves getting the famous veggie pattie sub. It’s exactly what the name implies; imagine a veggie burger (the mashed vegetable kind, not the fake meat kind) that’s twice as big, on a sub roll with lettuce, tomato, and whatever else you want. Again, it doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s pretty good and fills you up. I think with the exception of a couple of egg sandwiches, this is what I’ve eaten every time I’ve been to The Pickle Barrel.

Most sandwiches (which make up the bulk of the menu) run between $2 and $5; they pretty much feature typical deli fare, so don’t worry about not being able to pick something. Breakfasts are no more that $4, unless you spring for the $5.95 Steak Special.

There are also dinner entrees that break the bank at around $5 and up. My old standby veggie pattie is $2.95 for a small and $4.25 for a large.

The main thing The Pickle Barrel needs to work on, food-wise, is having everything on the menu. I know I’ve tried to order home fries a few times and have had to settle for plain old french fries. I guess the idea is that they don’t want to have breakfast stuff all day, but I’m sure I’m not the only person who has wanted home fries at 1 p.m., so if they are on the menu, why not actually have them?

While my rejected order attempts may not make me happy, The Pickle Barrel’s clientele always manages to cheer me up. The place is always full of a pretty diverse cross-section of Worcesterites, including lots of black and Hispanic families, and lots of elderly folks who pack the place during lunch. Last time I went, The Pickle Barrel was so bustling, I ended up sitting in the last open booth.

So, next time you’re around Pleasant Street, look for the yellow sign and drop in for a bite at The Pickle Barrel. Say Hi to Gus at the register, and maybe they’ll have some of the Pickle Power buttons laying around, so you can show your eatery loyalty.

The Pickle Barrel is at 305 Pleasant Street, about halfway between Main Street and Park Avenue, and is open Monday through Thursday and Saturday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays until 9 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.