Jacob’s Pickles – Your Comfort Food Spot in the Upper West Side
Most of our friends keep telling us they don’t know many good places to eat in the Upper West Side. Truth be told, they probably haven’t made their way uptown to discover the area. Once explored, they would recognize the diversity of this area and change their mind once they try Jacob’s Pickles.
Jacob Hadjigeorgis grew up around food. Thus, it is of no surprise that Jacob was inspired to open shop after a semester abroad in the Czech Republic, where he fell in love with the culture of food and artisanal beer. As a result of his success in Boston, he made his way to New York to open shop. Jacob’s Pickles plays on comfort fare with a southern feel.
Walking inside you’ll find a cozy, always packed spot decorated with brick walls, high lofty celling and a bar filled with limitless bottles of Tito’s Vodka. Food wise, you’ll see a creative menu of home-style, comfort cooking built mainly with the typical cravings like fried chicken, pickles, and homemade biscuits that are to die for.
The Food
While there are many a good dish, you should not leave Jacob’s without trying the below:
The Pickles
We love pickles, but we especially loved the variety of flavors and vegetables being used here. The options were impressive and ranged from hot sours cukes to sweet & spicy carrots to candy red beets. Another pickle, which is the standard staple, the big dill kosher cukes, was definitely one of our favorites. They were delightfully crispy, cool and tangy.
Bloody Mary
You’re in for a treat with Jacob’s very attractive Bloody BLT. Garnished with what one could call a duo of hors d’oeuvres, sterling bacon and jalapeño pickled egg, the classic bloody mary comes as a two fer. My suggestion is to eat the egg first, drop the bacon into the jar, and sip away from there.
The Biscuits & Fixins
Jacob’s soft, buttery and fluffy biscuits are made from scratch accompanied by House Strawberry & Orange Preservers, Clover Honey, Salted Butter, and Maple Butter.
Honey Chicken & Pickles
Like most things on the menu, you better be hungry when you order yourself the Honey Chicken & Pickles Southern Biscuit Sandwich. It’s HUGE. What you’ll be presented is a massive, crumbly and delectable, biscuit with fried chicken, honey, and a pile of shredded pickles on top, and wait for it…another biscuit on top. Pulling all these flavors together accounts for a delicious, but very hard to pick up sandwich. Therefore, don’t be surprised when you have to use the flatware.
Mac & Cheese
It’s hard to go wrong when ordering mac & cheese. Be warned that the side is gigantic in nature and could easily be a meal but why not just share it between the table? Oozy, gooey cheese drips down the cast iron pan as it is placed on to the table. Hence, it is truly a cheese lover’s dream.
Jam Jar
If you’re a sucker for gin and juice, you have to try the jam jar. Most noteworthy is its light and refreshing combination of house infused strawberry farmer’s gin and fresh squeezed lemonade.
Bread Pudding
My mouth waters every time I think of the dessert menu. Additionally, it very well may be one of the top contenders for my list of bread puddings. While it was so warm, rich and delicate with every bite, the coolness of the ice cream melds itself into an incredible mouthful. Thus, with that, Jacob’s Pickles left us with one final climax for a delicious meal, making it one of the most finger licking meals of New York.