This summer we’re kicking off our series on all of the Llano Estacado’s best local restaurants. This week is a big one for The Local Bite with the soft and grand opening of the Pickle and the Pig’s dinner hours.
The Pickle and the Pig is located in downtown Lubbock inside the Legacy Event Center and was originally open exclusively for lunch from Monday – Friday 10:30 am – 2 pm. As of yesterday Pickle is open to the public for dinner, as well, with a speakeasy style dinner menu complete with their brand new BYOB option Monday – Friday, 5 pm – 9 pm.
The Legacy Event Center is a community event center who supports the YWCA and a program called the Women’s Health Initiative which helps low-income families with female medical expenses and extends to the entire family if need be. They hold local events as well as private events for the entire city.
15% of the Pickle and the Pig’s proceeds are donated as well as having a sandwich on the menu that is 100% donated. “The Legacy” sandwich on the lunch menu is the biggest thing that you can order at the Pickle and the Pig. For $50 you get a perfectly crafted sandwich and the feel goods of donating to an amazing cause.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with the restaurant’s General Manager who is lovingly referred to as “Cousin” throughout his family, team, and the city. He shared with us the idea of community that the Pickle and the Pig is built upon.
Walking into the restaurant, we already knew we’d love it! The long, community-style tables that run down the dining room force us into conversation with new people every time we visit. After talking with Cousin, we only loved it more.
According to him, the primary focus of the Pickle and the Pig is community. The service is split equally, where every server helps every guest have a great experience and along with that, helping each other have a flawless shift.
With the quickly growing downtown area of Lubbock, the addition of the Pickle and the Pig’s dinner menu was highly anticipated. The development of the Lubbock downtown is a focus for Pickle as they created their menu to fit cohesively with what downtown already has to offer. The other restaurants who have moved, or opened downtown are not their competition, they strive to make our downtown thrive together.
The Pickle and the Pig’s lunch hours offer what they call “mid-day gourmet” by crafting sandwiches that stand out amongst the crowd. Cousin shared with us that the company, owned by Lubbock locals Joan Isett and Chef Sara North, came about as a sort of social experiment to get the public talking and sharing a meal together. One of Cousin’s favorite things about the restaurant is witnessing guests ordering dessert and realizing the portion is too big for their party, and sharing it with the guests sitting next to them.
When asked about their quest for locality, we learned that The Pickle and the Pig recently partnered with Pereira Pastures Dairy for fresh milk and cheeses for their establishment. They visit the local farmer’s markets to collect fresh produce as well as support our local producers.
Along with their support of local producers, which is near and dear to our hearts at Local Llano, they have a strong support system of local art and music. Cousin explained that, in addition to community, they have a focus in supporting local food, art, and music—or “FAM”. He went on to explain the significance of calling their focus FAM to be their families. The entire reason they started was to support their families as well as creating a family at work, and to take care of each other as well.
Our favorite thing about talking with Cousin was to hear his passion about working for and with local companies in Lubbock. He said, “if you’re not doing what you love, you shouldn’t be doing it.” And, man, do we love going to the Pickle and the Pig!
