Jimmy John's Picklewich swaps its usual French bread for a whole dill pickle. Is this the best thing since sliced pickles? Or is every bite a dill-emma?
I Tried the Jimmy John’s Picklewich—Here’s My Honest Review
Published on Oct. 29, 2024
Have you ever noticed that a sub roll is the same shape as a really big pickle? Well, the geniuses over at Jimmy John’s sure did, which has led us to this moment in human history. From now through November 14, we are all inhabiting a universe in which “The Picklewich” exists. And as a highly-experienced fast-food critic, it’s my job to fall on such sodium-laden swords for the benefit of all Americans, whether they live within delivery distance of a Jimmy John’s or not.
I am a person who counts both pickles and sandwiches as two of the great loves of my life, but still, the idea of replacing bread with a massive pickle seemed like a bridge too far for my palate/blood pressure. Would it be too much of a good thing? Would I be able to taste the cold cuts and cheese? Could I eat it in public without making a scene?
I trekked to Jimmy John’s to experience the Picklewich myself the moment it dropped. Here’s what I thought.
What is the Picklewich?
It’s all there in the name: pickle + sandwich = Picklewich. For this limited-time only item, Jimmy John’s swaps out its fresh-baked French bread for a big honkin’ dill pickle, slicing it in half lengthwise and stuffing it with meat, cheese and condiments.
According to the Jimmy John’s website, there’s supposed to only be two different varieties available: the Vito Picklewich, with salami, capocollo, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar and oregano-basil, and the Turkey Picklewich, made with turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. However, when I went to place my order in person, the staff informed me that any sub could be made Picklewich-style, which was a nice surprise.
Is the Jimmy John’s Picklewich good?
I asked the Jimmy John’s staff to Picklewich-ify the Cubano, which features bacon, ham, provolone, mayo and mustard in addition to sliced pickles. I definitely appreciated their willingness to push the boundaries of sandwichmaking with a pickle-on-pickle sandwich, but as we all suspected, this was a bad idea. After the first bite, I removed them all, tucking them into my bag to use at a later date.
What I was left with was, unfortunately, still too much pickle. It turns out that bread is more than just a containment system that lets you eat meat on the go; it is the glue that allows all the toppings to successfully co-exist. Without it, the sodium is overwhelming, blowing out your taste buds to the point where you can’t taste anything but salt. When bread is involved, it acts as a buffer between the worlds of pickles and ham. When it’s not, there is nothing but chaos.
As much as I love all types of pickles, when they’re a sandwich component, they need to be sliced. When used whole, there is far too much flavor—a great thing if you’re eating only pickles, but a bad thing if you’re simultaneously trying to enjoy some ham. Even though I think the Picklewich inherently fails at being a sandwich, I do think it succeeds as a fast-food oddity, and would be a fun thing to split with a few pickle-obsessed friends, as long as they’re all in good heath.
How long is the Picklewich at Jimmy John’s?
The Picklewich is available at all Jimmy John’s locations right now, and will be on the menu until November 14. If you love pickles but don’t think you can handle the Picklewich, the chain has brought back its pickle-flavored potato chips as well.
