Pickle Barrel

I’ve been eating pickle barrel for 40 years. I’ve lived in 4 different states and many more cities, travels extensively and pickle barrel has always been the one sub that no one else can live up to.
Consistent! And I love that

LOVE their sandwiches! Amazing! I don’t know what I’ll do when I move away after I graduate next year! They need to open in more cities!

Love this place! Born and raised in Bozeman but live 1800 miles away now. I make sure to make a stop in here every single time I come to town. The sandwiches are off the chain delicious, packed with ingredients and are larger than life. The only thing I would change is that the service isn’t very good most of the time, which for Bozeman is pretty normal, sadly.

Wasn’t real wowed. Big greasy sandwiches. Gotta say the staff was a bit grumpy. Kind of not very clean either.

Excellent sandwiches. Bring a big appetite they make huge sandwiches.
After you finish your sandwiches head next door for some great ice cream.

So sad to have to downgrade the Pickle Barrel. Primality due to the man we suspect is the owner. We were waiting for our sandwiches when he came in and began loudly berating the staff in our presence. Very offputting. That being said the sandwiches were swimming in mayonnaise on one side only so it was more like eating a mayo sammie than a deli one. The veggie sammie was heavy on raw mushrooms and sliced black olives and sprouts. Apparenly there are no avocados or cucumbers or red peppers that one associates with a veggie sammie.

We stopped here on our way to the airport to fly back home. The place is very small inside where you place your orders, but I believe the sitting area is next door. We ordered our food to go so we could eat on our way to the airport. I ordered the Mushroom Steak sandwich which was FANTASTIC!!! The sandwich was big enough for me (I enjoy large sandwiches) and had steak and mushrooms piled on! It was fresh, it was hot, and it was DELICIOUS!
This was my first visit to Bozeman and if I ever go back, I would make it a point to visit the Pickle Barrel!!!

I LOVE sandwiches. So much, that I Unilocaled ‘sandwich’ while driving through Bozeman and stopped here because of the great reviews. I ordered the cheese sandwich with veggies. It had a ton of lettuce, 2 tiny onion slices, 2 sad looking tomato slices, and the saddest dash of oil and vinegar. One of the tomatoes was a gross top slice. I was so disappointed to spend so much money on a huge sandwich that was basically just lettuce and cheese! I would’ve been better off at Subway or jimmy johns.
My husband ordered the Italian. He says it was too much bread for him to taste the flavors of the meat and toppings.

Yuck! Terrible service, food just as bad. Severs could care less if we were there. Tasteless veggie sand, 5 others in the group didn’t finish and said they wouldn’t be back.

I love this place. Same location, same décor, same small town sammich shop vibe. I lovvveeee the pickles and we always take our kids here for scoops because they have Wilcoxins icecream. As a native Bozemanite, I hope this place never changes.

These are honestly the best sandwiches I have ever had. Their delivery was speedy and the food was mouthwatering. My only complaint Is they would not heat my cold sandwich. STILL AMAZING!

Such tasty sandwiches! When we first walked in my jaw dropped at how expensive it was. 13 bucks for a sandwich with no side and no atmosphere? While I do think that it is still pricey for a place with no real seating and for just your sandwich, I must say the sandwiches are HUGE! A half is plenty and you still might save some for later! I still felt a bit guilty for paying 8 bucks for a veggie sandwich. The ingredients shouldn’t be anything special, but some how once assembled on their bread and whatever secrets… it tastes fantastic.

Great big sandwiches, although $ 13 is steep for a full size sandwich. The halves are still large enough for a satisfying meal. The cheesesteaks are the best meal you can get there, and their various daily soups are also very good. My only issue is that the ingredients they use are pretty cheap and you can taste that when getting a cold sandwich that doesn’t have any overpowering cheeses or sauces on it.

Yum! Perfect sandwich place for a cold day! Definitely a small establishment but it still has delicious food! I got a ¼ Italian sandwich with soup. The portions were generous and the soup was chicken and wild rice, my meal also came with a drink. Great place for a lunch but it would be hard to eat there with a large group so you’d probably want to call ahead with orders.

For whatever reason the date on this review is incorrect. It should be dated 11/​14/​2013.
I discovered just today (via Campus Special) that Pickle Barrel delivers! I ordered a Pepper Steak sandwich, a chocolate chip cookie, and a Snapple.
I really wish I knew the name of the driver who delivered my food, because he was fantastic. He realized en route that he had forgotten the cookie I ordered, so he went above and beyond stopping at City Brew to pick one up for me. Even with the extra stop, he still managed to get my order here quickly. He was also very polite and friendly.
The sandwich was humongous! Not having eaten a Pickle Barrel sandwich in a few years, I had forgotten that a «whole» sandwich is 12″…and don’t assume this will be the same as ordering a foot-​long at Subway. This is at least twice the amount sandwich you would be getting at Subway. I got about 80% of the way through the first half and was stuffed. Not that I’m complaining, though. I can save my other half for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow. :) The sandwich was also delicious. The beef was tender and not gristle-​y at all, and the cheese and toppings were perfectly melted into the sandwich so that you were able to taste all of them in every bite.
I will absolutely be ordering from Pickle Barrel again!

Is there even another sandwich shop in Bozeman? There shouldn’t be. No one who has tried the delectable sandwich that is Pickle Barrel would ever go anywhere else. Thick filling sandwiches and fast friendly service. 5 star sandwiches are all they allow on their menu. Hot or cold THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT!!!

They stack a sandwich thick! High quality local place. It’s been there forever for a reason.

Pretty much still the best cheesesteak I’ve ever eaten. Great food. That is my PRO. CONS? Place is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. 14 dollars for a full sandwich is stupid. Might wanna head down to the bank and get a loan if you plan on eating here more than once every other week. Also, the employees are always really rude. REALLY rude. They act like it’s a pain to deliver. Oh well. Like I said. Great food

Many years ago I attended MSU and was fortunate to room next to an upperclassman who ordered a cheese-​steak sandwich from the Pickle Barrel. Being a college novice, I followed the wonderful smell to the room next door. I asked my learned neighbor where he got that wonderful sandwich and he replied … You don’t know about the Pickle Barrel? Sophomore-​ishly, I replied, «No !! What’s that?» I still remember his response «Don’t worry … Here is the phone number … They deliver.»
After making my first phone order to the Pickle Barrel, I spent a quarter of my college food budget at that restaurant from that point on. To make mom and dad a little bit happier, I ordered more ham and cheese sandwiches than I ordered cheese-​steaks. However, as the bard aptly said, «to thine own self be true» … My fave is still the cheese-​steak.
Since graduation, I have traveled the US and world, sampling many varieties of Hoagie, Po-​boy, Muffuletta etc… The best by far is this cheese-​steak Sammie. Also to my dismay and disappointment, the cheese-​steak offerings in LA are pathetic. Grunion’s in Manhattan Beach makes something similar. Their steak sandwich does not have marinara sauce. Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh make a similar steak Sammie and is very good. It is more along the Philly cheese-​steak style. Also a good offering can be found in Kansas City at the Chartroose Caboose.
And for those Pickle Barrel-​o-​phyles who are nowhere in the vicinity of your favorite restaurant. Here is a method to make the world famous offering at home … Sorry PB, the secret is now out! You can blame my old roommate Duane who badgered me for years to duplicate this recipe.
Ingredients:
17″ Italian bread roll cut in half but not separated
½ pound of shaved beef
¹⁄₃ cup chopped sweet onion
½ to ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, tarragon, sage, and thyme)
½ teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar
2 to 3 ounces of Monterey Jack or Havarti Cheese (grated is preferred)
3 to 4 tablespoons of Marinara Sauce (homemade version supplied below)
Method
A. On a hot grill, partially caramelize the sweet onions using a spatula to frequently turn (about 2 minutes.)
B. Add in the marinara, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and shaved beef to the grilled onions. Chop the shaved beef during this grilling cycle. Grill the filling for about 2 minutes. (Do not over grill the beef.)
C. Add the cheese to the top of the filling and allow cheese to melt slightly (15 seconds). Quickly mix the cheese into the filling (another 15 seconds).
D. Transfer the cheese-​steak filing to the Italian bread roll

Dr. Geer’s UCLA Inspired Homemade Marinara
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Yellow onion (finely chopped)
½ green bell pepper (de-​veined, seeded, and finely chopped)
Tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
½ cup fresh cut and de-​veined cilantro
¼ cup of Red wine
Salt and pepper to Taste
Optional if you have
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves (finely chopped)
Sautee onions, and green bell pepper in a pan with olive oil. Add in the garlic to the onion mixture and sauté for about a minute longer. Add sautéed vegetables to a sauce pan with crushed tomatoes. Heat tomato mixture and add the cilantro, Italian seasoning, red wine, salt and pepper. Simmer mixture for about ½ hour crushing the tomatoes to your desired consistency. If you have fresh basil then add it for the last 5 minutes of simmering. Transfer the marinara and seal in mason jars. Refrigerate until needed (marinara will keep for 3 weeks stored cold in the fridge)
Note: you can use this marinara sauce as a pizza sauce or you can use with tortilla chips as a game time snack.
Web links
Restaurants:




Cheese-​steak fixings’

I stopped in again, one year later. The sandwiches are still huge, and still awesome. There is no other sandwich quite like them.