New York pickle bun sandwich drawing crowds thanks to TikTok: ‘It has been pickle mania’

Is it Frankenbrine’s monster?

As if salted cucumbers weren’t already having a moment: Gherkin-istas all over the US are traveling to a New York deli to try a sandwich that’s literally “in a pickle.”

“It has been pickle mania,” Anthony Fiorito, the owner of Seven Brothers Gourmet in Oceanside, Long Island, which sells around 250 of them a day, told Gothamist.

For the uninitiated, this briney Frankenfood entails cured meats, cheese and other ingredients sandwiched by two cored-out pickles — like a savory equivalent of the notorious Luther Burger (beef patties bookended by donuts).

While this Long Island sandwich shop has been hawking these umami-licious sandwiches since January, they only just started blowing up thanks to a viral TikTok with over 4 million views.

In it, a food influencer who goes by Gabby Parmesan — and now describes herself as the “pickle sandwich girl” due to the clip’s popularity — can be seen chowing down on one of these cornichon-cocooned creations.

“This is seriously the best thing ever,” gushes the foodie as pickle juice drips from the gherkin grinder.

Now, the pickle sandwiches are selling like hot cakes with people making pilgrimages from as far as Albany to get a bite of the umami-licious dish, according to Fiorito.

He says the lion’s share of customers are teen girls who’ve seen the evergrowing number of TikTok reviews of the pickle hero.

And it’s not just New Yorkers who are clamoring to get a taste. “We’ve met people from Upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts,” said Stephanie, an employee at Seven Brothers, told Nextstar.

She added that she’s had customers come from as far as California and ask whether Seven Brothers Gourmet would ship a sandwich to their door.

Alas, Seven Brothers does not do delivery.

The sandwich has been the pickled cherry atop the ever-burgeoning phenomenon of baptizing every food in brine.

Gen Z — the kings of rebranding — have fomented a pickle renaissance thanks to gherkin-related trends, including “Girl Dinners,” cooking fried cheese and pickle wraps, completing the Hot Pickle Challenge and making Chamoy-spice flavored pickle kits.