The Angry Pickle Pub newest addition to downtown Sycamore dining scene

Josh and Abby Smith had not originally planned to get into pickles, no matter what emotions those pickles were feeling.

But now weeks since opening downtown Sycamore’s newest dining destination, the Angry Pickle Pub, the Smiths hope they have another hit to add to their growing menu of local food and drink favorites.

“The funny thing is, I’m not really a fan of pickles,” said Josh. “But we’re serving up something different, with a different concept, while we maintain the same high quality.”

And the name?

“It’s catchy, and something no one’s ever going to forget,” Josh said.

Since 2020, the Smiths have operated the business that would grow to become the Dirty Bird restaurant. Beginning with a food truck, Josh and Abby built a strong following in Sycamore and beyond, as the community fell in love with their fried chicken and other Dirty Bird staples.

In 2020, not long after rolling out the food truck, the couple opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Sycamore and eventually moved to what Abby has called their “dream location” at 124 S. Maple, in Sycamore’s popular downtown.

In the years since, the restaurant has continued to enjoy a strong relationship with its fan base and the community at large. Josh attributes that success, in large part, to his and Abby’s consistent commitment to maintaining high quality of homemade foods and everything else they serve.

With the business continuing to grow, Josh said they began exploring the possibility of opening a second Dirty Bird location in another community.

But Josh said they struggled to find a way to make the idea work without the quality of their food and drink offerings suffering at both the current and possible future location.

“I’ve seen it happen all the time when good places open new locations,” Josh said. “When they expand, one of the places, if not both, can’t maintain the same quality.”

So instead, Josh said they decided to try something different enough from Dirty Bird, which could be opened right around the corner.

They ultimately settled on a vacant storefront at 215 W. State Street.

For the menu, Josh decided to build it around a longtime favorite special menu item offered periodically at The Dirty Bird:

Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.

“We want to have something that not every bar and restaurant around here has,” Josh said. “And we knew that every time we offered these at Dirty Bird, they sell really fast.”

And finally, Josh said they needed a name. And that’s where their 3-year-old daughter came into the story.

“Our daughter, for a long time, she would draw only angry pickles,” Josh said. ”We don’t know why.

“And we had all of these angry pickle drawings around the house. So I said, ‘Why not name it the Angry Pickle?’”

And so, The Angry Pickle Pub concept was born.

With a name like that, Josh said he knew they would need to add pickle-themed items to the menu.

The Angry Pickle’s food menu, for instance, includes a special Pickle Burger, pickled eggs, and a Pickle Platter. The drink offerings include pickle-infused cocktails, including a Pickle-tini and a pickle margarita, among others.

And the bar offers a local pickle-flavored craft beer on tap, courtesy of Noon Whistle Brewing, of Lombard.

But visitors to Angry Pickle can still find a wide assortment of high quality, homemade appetizers, entrees and beverages at the restaurant.

These include burgers and chicken sandwiches, sandwich wraps, cheese curds, jalapeno poppers, wings, and the always popular cheesesteaks, which form the heart of the menu.

Possible cheesesteak options include a traditional beef or chicken Philly, a pizza Philly, or the Angry Philly, which Angry Pickle describes as an “Italian beef meets Philly cheesesteak.” The sandwiches can come with grilled peppers and onions, a slice of Swiss-American cheese, and then may be topped off with queso cheese sauce.

The menu, he said, has very little overlap with The Dirty Bird.

Even the fries are different, he said. While Dirty Bird serves thick crinkle-cut fries, visitors to The Angry Pickle Pub can expect to find “delicious, crispy shoestring fries,” Josh said.

But, just like at Dirty Bird, Josh said everything at Angry Pickle will be of the highest quality.

But on top of delicious food, he said, those dropping in to The Angry Pickle Pub can also find a fun and friendly environment, complete with a nod to Josh and Abby’s daughter and the origin of the Angry Pickle moniker.

In the entry vestibule, the Smiths painted one of the walls with special chalkboard paint, and guests and invited to try their hand at drawing their own take on angry pickles.

Josh said he tries to erase them daily, offering guests a clean slate each time they visit. But sometimes, a drawing or two may survive its date with deletion, for a time, “if there’s a good one on there,” Josh said.

“Hopefully, everybody can find something good they like here,” Josh said. “And everybody can have a good time.”