Pickles Deli is in a strip shopping center and open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Sunday.   You can order in or call ahead and get your order to go.  The space has a high ceiling and a variety of pickle decorations as well as souvenirs for sale.  Lots of tables of different sizes in addition to a few outside are available.  In the entry room the walls are hung with bead-art pictures for sale and music is in the background.  The counter was busy filling to-go orders when we arrived and so it took a minute to get our order taken but it gave me time to look around and admire the beautiful cash register as well as the many containers of pickles.  They had a 3D hanging sign of a girl riding a pickle that was like the flat one on the wall outside the building. The people were friendly and the order came out pretty quick.  After you pay at the counter they bring the food out to your table.  The sandwiches were well stuffed with nice flavor so add this to your list when you visit Whidbey Island.  My main criticism of the place involves the assembly of the sandwich.  It was not evenly done, which is tough if you want to split one but it also changes the balance of the flavors.

Set-Up

 

Food

Spicy Italian was a heated sandwich on a baguette drizzled with a snappy garlic parmesan peppercorn dressing, extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Inside was hot capicola, pepperoni, hard salami, sharp provolone, mozzarella cheese and plenty of romaine, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini peppers and black olives.  The baguette was toasted but not as much as you’d expect.  The heating is just to melt the cheese.

 

Smokey Beast was a cold sandwich on Rosemary Diamante bread smeared with pungent blue cheese-horseradish sauce and crowned with grilled red onions, Italian roast beef, smoked Gouda, romaine and sliced tomato.  I really liked the sauce with the beef on this one but the ingredients kept falling out probably because the bread was thick and the pressure when holding it squeezed them out.  This one suffered most due to poor distribution of ingredients.