By Frank Wendling
RED BANK – Elsie’s Sub Shop has a new sandwich that has been getting quite a bit of attention over the past few weeks. The “pickle sub” replaces the bread on any sandwich with – you guessed it – two large pickles.
Thanks to social media, the pickle sub started getting popular four to five months ago, according to Elsie’s store manager Marvin Perez. Elsie’s decided to embrace the trend and began offering the sub starting at $8.95, even posting a picture of the unique sandwich on its website. Some diners like that substituting pickles for the bread helps them cut back on carbs.
And anything goes when it comes to pickle-as-bread, Perez said. “People mostly put everything on the sandwich. There isn’t a specific thing that has been asked for a lot.”
Elsie’s Sub Shop, on Monmouth Street, opened its doors in 1959. While technology has certainly changed, folks craving good and delicious food hasn’t. Elsie’s has stood the test of time, serving great sandwiches, salads and soups for more than a half a century.
Current owner Tish Reddington, above, bought Elsie’s in 1989 when she was 23. She said it has the same feel of a local small-town store where everyone knows your name that it had when it first opened.
“Everyone loves the place. It’s small. It’s very fun. We make you feel at home,” said Reddington.
Elsie’s Sub Shop
74 Monmouth St.
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-741-7682
The article originally appeared in the March 5-11, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
