When Chattanoogans think of the city’s flatiron buildings, one in particular stands out among the rest — the one that houses the iconic Pickle Barrel.
For over four decades, the Pickle Barrel has been a pillar of Chattanooga’s restaurant scene, especially for the city’s night owls. Whether driving or walking by on Market Street, the establishment is hard to miss, due in no small part to its triangular shape.
Revelry atop the second-floor deck, a doorman checking IDs as part of the restaurant’s 21+ rule, clouds of smoke from cigarettes and vapes — those are hallmarks of the Pickle Barrel experience. It did not take long for the Pickle Barrel to earn its reputation, owner Ben Bowers said in an interview.
“Started off as one of your only options, and then everybody just fell in love with it,” Bowers said of the restaurant, which back in the day was one of just a handful of late-night gathering spots. “It’s definitely one of a kind. There’s not many places you can go to that are like the Pickle Barrel. We like to keep it that way.”
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