Paulie’s Pickling

I love this place! My boyfriend and I come here on weekends for everything bagels with smoked whitefish and tomato — our favorite. Also, the lady with the short hair who works here is so sweet.
Only place you can get whitefish in the neighborhood, I believe, although they do NOT make it in-​house, which sucks. Also wish there was more seating inside — plan accordingly.

Making Jewish food taste like something I want to eat more than quarterly is a feat but PP’s braised brisket sandwich has changed that. The onion roll (get this on an onion roll if you care about yourself) the brisket, the slaw and I are living the dream.
I do recommend you take mustard off the egg salad sandwich tho. It gives it a sour taste and that’s not ideal when you’re eating eggs.

LOVE the smoked whitefish spread and their lox. Before Paulie’s, I’ve found that some of the local Mollie Stones locations (e.g., the one up on Portola Dr near Diamond Heights) have the best whitefish I’ve found in SF. Paulie’s whitefish spread is just a touch smokier than Mollie Stone’s, same consistency, which puts Paulie’s above imo.

Amazing food. Brisket ruben soooo good. Yum

I go here on a weekly basis– you can’t beat their homemade lox, tuna, whitefish, soda drinks (and now soups!) Staff and owner are always warm and friendly.

I have wanted to come here for a long time and I was really disappointed. I had the brisket sandwich. The meat was dry while the rest of the sandwich was soggy due to the junk that they added. The sandwich cost $ 12. What a scam.

They serve the best tuna burgers ever here!

Paulies sandwiches are the BEST! My favorite is the smoked whitefish (add jalapeños.) I’ve craved this sandwich and given into my cravings for several days in a row! the tuna melt is very good as well. All things pickled are to die for. You get a free pickle slice with your sandwich which is a perfect combo. Their strawberry shrub drink is very yummy too!
The people that work there are super sweet and service is quick! Best place for a sandwich in bernal heights!

Nestled in a first floor open area, this small sandwich stand really packs a punch in terms of flavor.
I ordered the brisket reuben, and although it was on the expensive side (about $ 13), it was well worth it. They packed a lot of tender brisket inbetween toasted rye bread, accompanied by vinegar-​y pickled greens mixed with a chipotle-​esque thousand island-​y sauce. Definitely the best reuben I have ever had, and I would be down to come again for sure.

Turkey salami was great. Try it on an onion roll with their special veggie sauce. Hella good. Pickles are great too. Will be back!

Love this place SO much. Actually, I am heading there now. Came to Unilocal to see if I should try something new there. Hmm I think I’ll get the jalapeño cheddar. Maybe the tuna salad. It’s really hard to choose. Everything here is delicious. Can’t wait to have all of it in my mouth! Mmm pickles!

Two words…
Turkey salami.
Yep, salami made from turkey meat.
On an onion roll.
There’s been so much dutch crunch in my life lately, I thought I’d change it up.
The service was great. Friendly & efficient. We had our sandwich & drinks in about 2 minutes.
I did a vanilla egg cream. It was tasty. A bit too sweet, but tasty.
He had a strawberry shrub. Delicious! The winner.
The sandwich was very good. The pickled cucumbers are a great addition. Turkey salami, if you like salami, will not disappoint. And the special pickle you get w a sandwich? It’s pickled w jalapeño…delish.
A great change up from the usual deli fare.
4 stars.

Definitely an ideal spot for picking up sandwiches to go before Delores Park. I split the Lox sandwich and the artichoke hummus veggie, both of which were piled high with fresh veggies and smothered in savory cream cheese and fresh ground chickpeas, respectively.
I would’ve liked some thicker bread, but the emphasis was more on the filling rather than what held it together. Normally, this would upset me, but I was so satisfied by the rich ingredients that I wasn’t overly bummed by basic, store-​bought bread.

This place is just perfect! You can taste every ingredient in their sandwiches… always so fresh! Did I mention the pickles? The cucumber salad? Also a must!
Stop in!

My friend recommended this place as an alternative to our usual sandwich spot so we decided to give it a whirl. It was so disappointing.
I got the brisket reuben. It was pretty mediocre, and pricey. I wouldn’t mind the price if it had been delicious, but it wasn’t. The brisket had more of a barbecue brisket taste than a good Jewish deli taste, and the rest of the ingredients just didn’t work well together.
Service was friendly, but it took FOREVER to get our food. I’m a patient dude, but it wasn’t particularly busy.
The one thing I did enjoy was their pickles. My friend wasn’t wowed by them either, but I thought they were solid. Though small.
Anyway, maybe it was an off day and maybe their other sandwiches are better, but there are much, much better reubens in the city.

I made it here a few weeks ago and it was great. At first I saw it on TV and thought I try it out. The TV did not lie to me about the quality of the food, it was beyond my expectations. This is not your average sandwich shop because the owners of this place believe you should get the most out of the money you pay for your food, if you want to splurge go to Panera. Those guys just make knock offs of this place. Even worse, Panera does the opposite of Paulies. There are big portions for customers to eat. Getting here is not that bad as well because a BART station is right down the road. There is also ample Muni service available because the eatery is located in the Excelsior neighborhood. You can also order some pickles by the bottle. Not everything you see on TV is good but this place rocks

I HAD THE BEST TUNA MELT SANDWICH OF MY LIFE HERE YESTERDAY!!! (I ordered it without onions though, I don’t know if that matters for this review. haha What can I say, I don’t like onions.)
Since this place is located in a shared marketplace, my friend and I had a hard time deciding where to go. We had picked out Paulie’s Pickling beforehand but it was still difficult deciding.
The customer service did it for us. It sealed the deal because the man and woman behind the counter gave us tips. (we were struggling because everything looked good)
The man (sorry forgot to ask for your name) told me the tuna melt was one of the most popular. I felt like he read my mind because I was eyeing it on the menu. HAHA!
My friend and I went to eat our sandwiches at Holly Park. We found a picnic table and sat down. Thank you for the suggestion man who works at Paulie’s Pickling! We had a delicious meal with a beautiful view!
Paulie’s Pickling, I will definitely be coming back due to your wonderful customer service and delicious sandwiches! It’s getting close to lunch time and I’m thinking of going back today for some more… It WAS THAT good.

3.5 STARS
When your celebrity chef crush tells you to go somewhere…
YOU.GO.
Of course, making sure to wipe off the residual drool from the corners of your mouth before doing so.
It’s no secret that my celebrity chef crush is Ryan Scott. When we visited his restaurant Mason, two months ago, he highly recommended that we try Paulie’s Pickling since I live nearby.
Paulie’s Pickling is located in the shared marketplace: 331 Cortland (no available seating). Their specialty is as their namesake states: pickles. They have an array of different pickled veggies: cucumbers, green beans, sauerkraut, cauliflower, jalapenos, spicy carrots, etc. which are about $ 6-​$ 10 per a jar.
They also serve up various Jewish deli-​style sandwiches ($ 7.50-$ 11.50), bagels and smears ($ 3.50-$ 8), salads (price varies on size), and housemade drinks like honey cardamom soda, egg creams, cucumber lemonade ($ 3.50). Please note that prices on their website are not current. Most items were about $ 1 more when I visited yesterday. CC’s accepted.
Most 8-​year olds would cringe at the thought of eating liver. My classmate did… so much so that she would trade her weekly liverwurst sandwich for my pathetic burnt toast folded over with a slice of ham and imitation cheese.
When perusing the menu, I immediately gravitated to the Brisket & Liver Combo Sandwich w/​grilled slaw, onion, and Russian dressing ($ 11.50)
. Between a choice of rye, onion roll, sourdough, and wheat, I went with sourdough bread. The sliced sourdough was lightly toasted in the oven so it held everything together quite well. Overall, I thought the sandwich was just OK. For the price, I wouldn’t order it again. Just like Ed U., I thought the brisket was very dry and bland. I found myself just picking it out of the sandwich. =/​The slaw gave a nice crunch, however, it lacked acid to cut through the richness of the meats. The highlight was the liver (5 stars) which was decadently rich and creamy (no metallic taste). I’m glad they sell this a la carte because it would make a killer spread over some lightly toasted Acme or Josey Baker bread. Mmmm…
The sandwich also came with a pickle spear which was perfectly pickled, über crunchy, and very satisfying. For the price of the sandwich, I wish it came with two spears but anyhow, I would definitely come back for a jar.
A NYC classic, it’s rare to find egg creams in SF so I ordered a Vanilla Egg Cream ($ 3.50) to slurp on while I waited for my sandwich to be made. Loved the prominent vanilla flavor but it was too sweet for my liking. Next time, I would ask for less syrup.
Service was very friendly and sandwiches took about 8 minutes to be made (only 1 person working).
Easy street parking.
The sandwich, egg cream, and small tip totaled over $ 18…for a non-​sit down lunch. Eeeeeck. Ahhh, the price of being a wannabe groupie…

«Check, Please! Bay Area» strikes again. I thought I had a solid handle on all the Jewish-​style delis in town, so seeing I missed this one in Bernal Heights made me feel like a shmendrik. Well, you could have knocked me over with a paper towel and picked me up with a pair of silver ice tongs when I saw that this has been in a communal space at 331 Cortland for the past 4−½ years. I convinced Jamie W. to accompany me for a Saturday afternoon visit, and I was amazed I was able to find parking just a half-​block away. Gee, I wish there were more incubators in the city that allow budding small business owners to share space and cut down on their rent to establish themselves. Married owners Paul and Liz Ashby run their combination deli, bagel and pickle shop in here.
It’s clearly the favorite of the six businesses in operation in here. Lots of sandwiches to choose from the whiteboard (photo:
), but I already knew from a Unilocal photo check that I was getting the $ 10.50 Brisket and Liver Combo with their Grilled Slaw, Russian Dressing and Onion. I ordered it on an onion roll (photo:
), and I was surprised that the luxuriantly creamy chopped liver overpowered the brisket which was a bit dry and under-​seasoned for my taste. The grilled slaw was a nice switch fro the expected mayo-​mustard mix lending a welcome smokiness to the sandwich. Jamie was happier with his choice, the $ 11 Brisket Reuben which more predictably had Sauerkraut, Russian Dressing and Swiss Cheese (photo:
).
The ingredients blended more comfortably together in his sandwich, and the sauerkraut, in particular, had a nice fresh taste. Of course we had to have Paul’s specialty, the housemade pickles, and we enjoyed the snappy flavor of the garlic dill spears we got (photo:
). Just from looking at the display of them in the case, I ended up getting a jar of them to go (photo:
). The other temptation I caved into was a $ 3.50 slice of the Lokshen Kugel, which looked good in the case. Liz warmed it up for me, and it was one of the best slices I’ve had. I had a good one at Wise Sons, but this was much richer with a custard-​like consistency and plenty of egg noodles and raisins (photo:
). You do have to shlep everything you buy, so they obligingly bag everything up for you. Oy, I’m mishpocheh!
FOOD — 4 stars… Paulie has fine, snappy pickles, but it’s the creamy chopped liver and kugel that stand out… though not together
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… the 311 Cortland marketplace concept is very cool… a little seating area would be nice
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… responsive, helpful in explaining the choices
TOTAL — 4 stars… not quite verklempt but Paulie and Liz have reason to kvell

I’m familiar with places like the SF Ferry Building where vendor share the entire building and have their own little spots, but I was a little confused/​amazed that the four vendors inside this place decided to do the same, in such a little space.
The menu of Paulie’s is mostly cold-​cut sandwiches that sound amazing. I’ve no idea why, but the idea of a liver sandwich on marbled rye sounded like the most delicious thing ever, but alas, we had just come from another bakery and were stuffed. What really caught my eye was their egg cream.
As a child, in books I read with characters in New York (and some tv shows), the egg cream was always mentioned, which to me was a delicious, mythical, confusing sounding drink that I was dying to try, but could never seem to find anywhere I went. Seeing it on Paulie’s menu made my order a no-​brainer.
A plain way of describing it is as a fizzy yoo-​hoo drink, it’s 3 layers of chocolate syrup, seltzer and milk, and cream on top, I believe. Based on the drink itself, I’m glad I got to try it, but it isn’t necessarily a repeat order from me. I would come by to try the other dishes here, though!