Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop is a famous Northern California eatery renowned for its jam-packed sandwiches, unique cuisines, and specialty breads. While the specialty sandwich shop has a slightly odd name and even more somewhat odd options on its menu, it has developed a cult-like following over the years, thanks to the sheer quality of the food and guest experience. Now, Mr. Pickle has arrived in Los Angeles with a brand-new 1500-square-foot Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Sherman Way in Van Nuys.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the shop is helmed by California natives and long-time pals Jason DeMayo and Eli Ilishah, who also own the Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop location in Fresno. Under the umbrella of the Hungry Hospitality brand, this dynamic duo of pickle-loving pals plans to open additional locations in Los Angeles and beyond in the coming years.
Mike Nelson, chief executive officer and long-time customer who purchased the Mr. Pickles brand in 2020, said in a recent press release, “Since 1995, Mr. Pickle’s has been a premier full-service sandwich shop specializing in innovative sandwiches, salads, and catering.”
Mr. Pickles has received recent accolades from Nation’s Restaurant News as one of the Fastest Growing Emerging Restaurants in the United States and a spot in the Top 100 Movers & Shakers by Fast Casual, and he seems well-positioned for further growth. Nelson emphasized that the Los Angeles launch is a big move in their long-term expansion plan and is just the beginning, stating that, “During its first three decades, thanks to its company culture, incredible recipes, and all its fans, the brand grew from one to 54 locations across Northern California and, in the past two years, opened six new locations in Arizona as well.
The Los Angeles launch is the next step in our long-term plan to take the brand nationwide.”
The new Los Angeles location also introduces two new sandwiches to the brand: the Goomba and the Mama Mia. The Goomba, named after both the Italian term for “friend” and the minions featured in the “Mario” games, includes capicola, pepperoni, salami, ham, red onion, pepperoncini, pickles, red wine vinegar, tomatoes, and lettuce. It can also be ordered as a chopped salad with a choice of dressings. The Mama Mia, a take on a traditional meatball sandwich, pairs meatballs with capicola, pepper jack cheese, pepperoni, and jalapenos.
Besides these new offerings, “We also just enhanced our bread, adding new rolls to our expansive carb-lover section of the menu,” said DeMayo in the press release. “We partner with a premier brand out of San Francisco whose mother dough dates back more than 150 years to make these ultra-specialty rolls, as well as our new sliced sourdough, custom to us.”
In addition to all of this, Mr. Pickle’s offers a “Not-So-Secret Secret Menu” for its die-hard patrons, featuring popular orders like the Spicy Bird, Pickle Burger, Fast Eddy, Say Cheese, and Reggie-Reggie. These sandwiches are available through its delivery program, with orders via DoorDash or directly from its website at mrpickles.com.
