Erie's Most Iconic Eateries: Picasso's

by Katherine Innes November 10, 2022

the outside facade of a sandwich shop with a sign in the shape of a paint palette that reads "picasso's the art of food" and a tall skeleton decoration in front of the building

Looking for your next favorite sandwich shop? Whether you’re local to Erie or just passing through, Picasso’s is worth the visit! This gourmet sandwich shop is located at 5800 Peach St. and was named Insider’s #1 road trip food stop in PA in 2021. They have a wide variety of damn-good sandwiches with many recognizable names, including the Rafael, the Warhol, and even the "hamsome" Ryan Gosling. If the names and flavors aren't enough for you (how could they not be?), this shop has a quirky art-themed interior with murals by local artists, artwork for sale, and palette-shaped chalkboard tables to bring out the artist in all of us.
The inside of a cafe with a paint palette-shaped table in the foreground and a "gone local erie" logo drawn on it in chalk

Brothers Ray and Matt Stolz just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Picasso’s in July. So how did they hit this milestone that so few small businesses achieve? Back in 2012 they bought a small pizza shop, sold off the oven, then used the remainder of the equipment to open Picasso's in its original location in the Millcreek Mall Plaza, and have since expanded into a larger space with ample indoor and outdoor seating. After only a few weeks of being open, Picasso's was mentioned on the Jay Leno show for putting a twinkie inside their classic ham and cheese, the Lee Roslyn. That clip was even played on the Today Show, garnering even more national attention to the brand and launching the business into the big success we know it as today.
The inside of a cafe with colored stools and murals on the wall and a quote that reads "the question is not why did I put a twinkie on a sandwich?... The question is, why has no one done it before me? - Ray Stolz"

The inside of a cafe with colored stools and murals on the wall and a quote that reads "the question is not why did I put a twinkie on a sandwich?... The question is, why has no one done it before me? - Ray Stolz"

While at Picasso’s, we tried three of their most popular sandwiches:

The Rockwell (seasonal)
The Lee Roslyn
The Mona Lisa

The Rockwell sandwich is a Thanksgiving-themed sandwich with turkey, stuffing and creamy cranberry sauce on multigrain bread only available in November each year. The Lee Roslyn is the sandwich that really put Picasso’s on the map; it has ham, a twinkie and cheddar cheese on multigrain bread. Don’t let the twinkie scare you out of trying this one! It's sweet and savory, much like the flavors found in a McGriddle. Finally, we tried the Mona Lisa, which is their number one best-selling sandwich. This one has turkey, artichoke hearts, baby spinach, tomato, creamy pesto and Havarti cheese on multigrain bread. Picasso's even gets their sodas from a local business, Erie Carbonics, which provides them will delicious Syd’s Soda flavors for the whole machine.

The brother-owners are self-proclaimed serial business buyers, and they have big plans outside of just Picasso’s. They currently own 95.5 FM Radio, which is a nonprofit radio station that you may hear over the speakers while at the sandwich shop. They also want to start a center for Vets that focuses on holistic and alternative medical care including yoga, cryotherapy, and more. We can’t wait to see what other creative ventures these two bring to our Gem City. For more information and a current menu, visit Picasso’s on their Facebook page or during their regular business hours.