This Fast Food Spot Has The Best Pickles

Pickles can get overshadowed when hidden in packed sandwiches and stacked burgers. Good ones will stand out, and bad ones can add a disappointing, limp textural element to the meal. If you're a true pickle aficionado, you probably already have a running list of where you can find the tastiest pickles. We contributed to the research on the subject with the ultimate ranking of fast food pickles. To determine which was the best, we ranked pickles from no less than 16 chains. Our number one pick: Jimmy John's.

Sandwich purveyor Jimmy John's might not fulfill the traditional image of fast food you have in mind. Quick-serve burgers with circular slices of condiment-smeared pickle tucked under the bun aren't sold here, but that's part of the reason why Jimmy John's pickles are so good. Jumbo kosher dill pickles are served as fat, juicy spears on the side of your sub. You can also order one whole, halved, quartered, or as a side on its own.

Our taste tester decided on their favorite pickle by sampling them on burgers, sandwiches, and eating them on the side. The ranking was based on the flavor, texture, and quantity of the pickles individually, and how well they worked with other flavors present. Commentary on social media channels also factored in. Carl's Jr and Hardee's and Chick-fil-A were runner-ups, but Jimmy John's ultimately made it out on top.

On a Facebook group called Pickle Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, one user posted, "This may have been discussed before, but can we talk about the Jimmy John's whole pickle? The $2.91 one? Why are they so good?" Jimmy John's dill pickles, which get their name from being jarred with lots of dill, might be enough to bring customers through the door all on their own.

What makes them crave-worthy is the fact that they don't taste or look like standard fast food pickles. Some of our least favorites on the list were thin, flaccid, and lacking a bright tang, whereas Jimmy John's pickles were as good as any type of snacking pickle you would buy from a store and eat straight out of the jar. That's how the chain serves them, too — well, straight out of a bucket. Kosher dill pickles, which is what Jimmy John's serves, are known to be extra crisp, fresh, flavorful, and crunchy. 

The chain knows it has top-notch pickles. In 2024 and again in 2025, it went as far as to offer a limited-release Picklewich, which traded a submarine roll for a pickle stuffed with meat and cheese. There was even an exclusive flavor of pickle-flavored chips to go with it. For the most passionate fans, know that you can also order a pickle bucket from Jimmy John's catering menu, which includes 16 spears.