On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Loading...
My favorite hangout in Chattanooga. Anytime I go back it's as if I'd never left. From the fantastic old-school wooden tables and bar, to the fun and friendly servers and bartenders, to the awesomely huge basket of fried pickles... I love this place.
One thing to bear in mind... late at night it does get smoky, so that could potentially bother people. It's not really an issue during the day. The outdair area upstairs is completely rad on a beautiful night.
The Pickle Barrel. An acute building at the end of a block, trapped halfway in between a super cheap college town pub, and a local dive that's just too cool for its own good.
The Beer:
is cheap. You can get a bottle of microbrew for under $4. And their selection is respectable. Abita abound.
The Atmosphere:
is refreshingly alternative, seasoned, endearingly run down. The patio slopes, or rather, bends down towards the tip of the building--so much so that you can feel the dip if you sit where it begins. The tables are rusted, bent and rickety. Some of the chairs are plastic lawn chairs. It's sort of like what your parents called "character" when you bought your first crappy apartment.
They have speakers mounted on the deck, yet no music was playing. And it needed to be.
The only thing I'd really change about the place is the lighting. The only lighting available on the deck is the streetlamp across the street. I found myself lifting and tilting the menu to try to read it. I know, it's cool to not have adequate lighting. But seriously, wrap some christmas lights around the banister or something.
The Food:
was pretty good. The fried pickles were excellent, but at almost $5 for only 6 spears and a small tub of aioli, I struggle with the idea of buying them again. This is the type of place that should be charging $2.50 for a basket of pickles that makes you say "woah" when they come. For God's sake, it's a pickle dipped in breading and fried.
My Black and Blue Burger was okay. The sauce was what made it work. But with tomatoes being the only vegetable, (no lettuce, pickle, onion) atop the meat, it started tasting greasy about 3 bites too soon.
The Service:
Was okay. Our waiter was high out of his dome. Which is fine and fits the place, but handle your high before you come to work.
This is a good alternative to the chain-restaurant feel of south riverside Chattanooga. The beer selection is good and priced right. I'd certainly come here to swig a couple and smoke a butt.
But the food is about $2 too expensive. I'll eat a burger with no veggies for $3-4, but not $6.50. And I'll pay $5 for some fried pickles, but I want too many to eat, or at least provide the option of a half-order.
It's a small, cool building but don't go if you are claustraphobic. I had a hard time enjoying my lunch in what felt like a very dirty bar and my food tasted like cigarette smoke. I probably should have had the burger, but I opted for the reuben and hubby had the philly cheese steak. Both were good, but we felt was typical bar food. I wouldn't vote to come back but it's a place my hubby would bring his drinking buddies when they come visit. The bloody mary was pretty good though.
A classic Chattanooga watering hole. Great for a beer and fried pickles with friends. Sit on the outdoor deck on the second floor to avoid the smoke.
I had the best burger ever at the Pickle Barrel. If you are a burger fan: GET THE BLACK AND BLEU BURGER. It was one of the juiciest burgers I've ever had in my life. It was spiced perfectly. It had bleu cheese, chipotle mustard, some kind of a spicy cheese, raw onion, and the juiciest/tastiest patty I've ever had. The fries were hot and amazing. It's in a modest setting; kinda rustic. You have to commend a place that stays open till 3 AM. Sometimes you just need good food in the late hours. This is the perfect place to do that in Chattanooga. Also: try the fried pickles!
To answer Vanessa G.'s question, I go to the Pickle Barrel to eat!
Driving from Austin to Boston, I stopped in Chattanooga, TN for the night. This place was open, dingy, and in a flatiron building. Yes yes yes. Our waiter (aforementioned guy with dreads) let us pick from the wooden booths covered with scratched tags, carded us (for a restuarant? wtf) and then brought us tasty fried pickles and an awesome mushroom quesadilla. plus they have a pretty good beer selection. a great place to find on a road trip, and i'm sure a great place to frequent.
Five reviews?! Man I thought we had discovered a gem no one on Yelp would know about. En route to Nashville, stuck in some major traffic, we decided to pull off and grab a bite to eat. Driving through downtown is fairly barren, but this cool triangle shaped building appeared and the bar beckoned with a Yuengling sign. If they have that beer how bad could it be??
Inside a guy with dreads greeted us and we sat at an old wooden table that had to have been there since the building was built. Everywhere you look there is writing on all the walls, tables, and ceiling. The place is definitely not "clean" but it's a dive, what do you expect?
I ordered the black and blue burger, but it wasn't typical. It had Cajun seasoning, chipotle mayo, and blue cheese. Mmm!
Definitely a cool place if you find yourself in Chattanooga for a day.
This is a cozy little bar. Emphasis on the little. If you want to go from one end of the bar to the other, for example to go to the bathroom, it' s probably better if you go out of one door and go around the outside of the establishment and come back in through the other door. Otherwise, you are forced to go through a tight squeeze.
Despite the size, they have a decent selection of sandwich creations or you can make your own. They stay open pretty late and serve food until 3am. I spent $16 including tip on two Heinekens and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with tater tots. So you get a good value here.
From what I could see this particular night the place was, from the front of the house to the kitchen, fully staffed and operated by women. My server was very attentive to my needs.
The 3 stars was mainly due to size o f this joint and level of cleanliness. Although clean by most bar standards, not as clean as I would like the restaurants were I eat to look like (especially the bathroom yuk). But it seems like this is a popular local hangout and it seems to be enjoyed by most patrons.
Stopped here for lunch last Saturday. Just like the other reviews say, they do have a great burger. Service was ok. Was about 11:15 am, so it was pretty dead. There is a soup kitchen right across the street , so the walk over from our hotel was a drag, being hit up by all the homeless. I think it would be a great spot on a Saturday night with friends. It's VERY small inside!
Okay, the food is nothing special, but it isn't bad and it is inexpensive. But who goes to the Pickle Barrel to eat?? It is a great place to hang out and drink. Nice staff and cozy atmosphere. The outdoor rooftop patio is awesome during beautiful weather. And if you are a Noog native you are bound to run into at least two or three people you know at the Barrel. Great place to start or end your night 'o fun. I miss it! And that is saying a lot, 'cause there are more bars than can be counted in Milwaukee. (Like churches in Tennessee!).
I went here twice. The first night, our waitress was wonderful. We all ordered food, and it was really good, and relatively inexpensive. So of course we told all of our friends and went back the next night. We ordered food again, and some drinks then cleared our check. Let me say, the staff can't handle a large group. All in all, there was probably 20 or so of us, in the downstairs part, and on the roof. I waited for 15 minutes for a beer, and after repeatedly trying to flag down the waitress, went to the bar and got it myself, and twice was double or triple charged for drinks. The people i was sitting with cleared our tabs, and got ready to leave. There was a dispute about some drinks and one guy paid, and on our way out the waitress followed us outside and said "I know there was some confusion about the checks, but you didn't leave me a tip". The rest of the group had tipped her each time our tabs were cleared (which was 2 or 3) and when we left. In all of my years of working jobs where I received tips, I never knew it was ok to ask for them. And it's not. EVER. If you're looking for a place for inexpensive food and drinks, I'd recommend The Pickle Barrel, but don't go with a large group.
From the outside, it looks like an east coast sort of pub [shhhh - don't tell the local's I said that - but it's a complement!]. In the inside - all southern comfort and hospitality. The friendliest people around were hanging out there. Next time I'm back in Chattanooga - I'm coming back here. It's that little bar that makes you happy to have taken a chance, stuck your head through the door, tripped on the way in the door and sat down and had round after round of cheap drinks served by the nicest bartender. Thank you Avery for being so kind and obliging.
A great place to hang out day or night. Funky old corner building with roof top seating available when the weather is nice.
WOW I am happy to see that the Pickle Barrel is still around, since it's been about 10+ years since I ate there last. When I was there I had a bacon hamburger, and it was one of the best I have ever had! When I think of Chattanooga, I think of the Pickle Barrel and that wonderful burger I had! Enjoy!!!
I try to go to the Pickle Barrel whenever I'm in Chattanooga, it's a fabulous place, the staff has always been wonderful, the food delicious, and you just can't beat the atmosphere!
Chattanooga, TN
Category: Barbeque
Chattanooga, TN
Category: Barbeque
Chattanooga, TN
Category: Italian
Chattanooga, TN
Category: Italian
Chattanooga, TN
Category: American (Traditional)
