Our story
A Syracuse institution since 1975.
For fifty years, Central New York has lined up for our giant overstuffed sandwiches, huge subs, and award-winning homemade soups. Now Southern Pines, Raleigh, and Charlotte line up too.
$2,200 and a dream
It started in a space barely wide enough for one of our sandwiches.
With just over two thousand dollars in his pocket, founder Ken Sniper opened the first Brooklyn Pickle in 1975, taking a quarter of a building on Burnet Avenue while a beauty salon filled the rest. The tight quarters didn't cramp anyone's style: within two years a second shop opened on the West Side.
Through every rebuild, renovation, and new town since, the things that matter most haven't moved: great food, served with a smile, at a great price.
- 1975
Burnet Avenue
Founder Ken Sniper opens the first Brooklyn Pickle with just over $2,000, in a 13-foot-wide storefront about 25 feet deep, sharing the building with a beauty salon.
- 1977
The West Side
A second shop opens in the Byrne Dairy building on West Genesee Street. In 1984 it moves kitty-corner to where it stands today.
- 1992
A new building
The original shop outgrows its space and a new building goes up at the same Burnet Avenue address.
- 2007
The day after Christmas
After a major renovation and expansion, Syracuse East reopens with the pickle-shaped table, larger-than-life murals, and the neon Brooklyn Bridge.
- 2011
West Genesee renovation
Black granite counters and tables, intricate tile work, and a Brooklyn Bridge graphic under a sky mural on the ceiling.
- 2019
Liverpool
The third Central New York shop opens on Buckley Road in July, with a big umbrella-covered patio.
- Now
Utica, Marshall Street, and the South
Downtown Utica in the historic Utica Steam Cotton building, then Marshall Street on University Hill. Proprietor Craig Kowadla brings the Pickle to Southern Pines, Raleigh, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
