Primanti Bros

While the food is not too great here, the company does business with a crooked valet service

If you had asked me 5,10, 15 years ago I’d of said 4 – 5 stars without a doubt! Yet when I go to Primanit’s (always taking friends from out of town) I am unimpressed. I guess many places have been cutting back while raising prices so I shouldn’t be surprised, but Primanti’s should be above this as an iconic place that seems to always be featured when Food Network «stars» venture to the city of bridges.
But alas, Primanti’s has dwindled to below average in my mind and always leaves me hungry for something better. Their «sammiches» used to be piled high with good meats, slaw, and fries and are now a shadow of their former selves. A carnivore would not be happy with the finger full of meat presented on the sandwich. The coleslaw and fries are still top notch, but the often rude and ever busy staff, the higher prices, the swelling pride, and lean portions of animal proteins have me buying their slaw and making my own Pittsburgh sammiches at home!

First time trying a Primanti Bros. sandwich and I was not disappointed. I came in after seeing the show featured on numerous television programs and through word of mouth. I wasn’t sure what to order at first, but the employees were super nice and explained each sandwich and just what I’d get. I ended up with the pastrami and cheese with egg and fries and coleslaw and, wowie, it was just spectacular. It was a bit messy, but that’s par for the course with these types of sandwiches. The price of a $ 7 plus sandwich seemed hi at first but made more sense after I could barely eat half. Could have been a by cleaner, but I’m reaching here. Go eat here at least once in your life.

We had lunch at the Market Square location yesterday, a Saturday, while on a tour of Pittsburgh. I’ve had some bad restaurant experiences in my life but this, hands down, was the worst. First, the waiter didn’t write down our order. That could be OK if we were a party of two but we were seven. When the order arrived, predictably, it was wrong and missing the 5-​year old’s chicken tenders which didn’t arrive until FIFTEEN minutes later. Three of the sandwich orders were wrong and most were cold. The waiter had to pry the sandwiches apart to tell what they were as he served them. And no knife and fork setups for anyone. My replacement sandwich was warm but the corned beef looked like it like it came from a supermarket deli counter. We also found out that sandwiches topped with french fries and coleslaw are really not a good concept especially when the bread is dry and breaks into pieces when handled. To be fair, Primanti Brothers at my request, comp’ed three sandwiches and when the bill arrived the waiter had also comp’ed the drinks. That gesture, however, could not erase the fact that the best part of the meal was our grateful departure.

You’ll have to forgive me. I live in Los Angeles where there is valet parking for hamburgers and top chefs have food trucks that can be found here, there and everywhere. A burger with a side of fries smothered in Duck Confit with White Truffle Sauce — so perhaps the bar is a tad higher than here in — ack — Pittsburgh where I found myself searching for sustenance before attending the wedding that brought me here. I only hope the godawful mess I actually ate doesn’t rear it’s ugly head mid-​ceremony.
It sounded like such a novel concept, a sandwich with all the sides just piled on. After all, it’s all going to the same place, right? Having been born and raised in Chicago it was a familiar concept. The noble Chicago Dog, a study in contradictions: sweet and sour, spicy and mild, hot and cold — a veritable mélange that blends and tantalizes from the first bite to the last. Yes! I’ll try it!
With my omnivore brother and his lovely wife I made my way through the chilly streets of downtown Pittsburgh on this frosty Saturday. A bustling little metropolis, scant parking so (I am shamed to admit) I pulled in a nearby lot that charged an $ 8 flt fee. A small price to pay, I reasoned, for a gastronomic delight as has been described here. Yes, as I said, I’m from out of town.
On to the main event — my bro and his bride went with the signature piece, the pastrami sandwich. I opted for the Hot Sausage with cheese. May god have mercy on my gastrointestinal tract.
It is a wonder how a sandwich with so many things can be so uniformly bland. Perhaps it starts with the niggardly portions of actual meat — when confronted with this sandwich in profile it is hard to find under the wad of soggy fries and tasteless cole slaw. The liquid in the slaw makes the bread begin to disintegrate almost immediately so that should you be as foolhardy as I and actually attempt to eat this mess it will be all over the table in short order.
I ate it — I admit that. I’m not proud of it, but I was that hungry. The saving grace of the near-​complete lack of any discernable seasoning is that I don’t have an aftertaste to suffer through, but the leaden ball in the pit of my stomach promises to make up for that with a trip or two to the bathroom in the hopefully not too distant future.
I would eat at McDonalds before I went back here. Please — don’t fall for the raves here. It’s pure, unadulterated crap.

The food was very good. The cole slaw was so delicious. SOOOOO delicious. Especially in the sandwich with the pastrami (I had a pastrami sandwich btw). But the fries in the sandwich were Eh. I wish they were seasoned better, but i think i would have enjoyed it better on the side. Overall, it was super tasty and the next time i’m in Pittsburgh, most definitely going here again.

We ate at Primanti’s before watching a Steelers-​Ravens matchup on a snowy December 24^th a few years ago. It was five guys with lots of room to consume, and we needed the calories to keep us warm for the game. A cold and persistently penetrating wind whipped through the exposed stadium and made us get up from the garishly-​colored, bright yellow seats to stamp our feet, clap our muffled hands, and generally cheer on «our» team to victory. But for whom to root? That was indeed the question. While I was wearing a Polamalu jersey — and grew up outside Pittsburgh in the northern panhandle of WVa — I was living at the time in Baltimore and had come to appreciate the defensive power and toughness of the Ravens squad (but not their arrogant, chinless former coach, or his idiotic sunglasses. Gloat after you’ve got more than one ring, buddy! Some Steelers have more rings than they do fingers, at least for one hand to bear). Still, I was totally on the fence about which side to cheer for, and that made me the enemy.
But we ALL could agree on Primanti’s. I had the smoked turkey sandwich, the fries and slaw inside of course, and a local microbeer, the kind that once made this German-​immigrant rich city famous before the world wars and the god awful mistake that was prohibition ended all that. Primati’s was basically awash in black and yellow, terrible towels hanging from many a pocket. I thought about quoting Poe but wisely kept silent. It was a decision that likely saved my life in this football-​frenzied city of the three rivers, in one of which my body likely would have been found floating the next morning, with purple blood floating on the dark waters (not the Monongahela, please! I can never spell that one right). Besides, my mouth was full with delicious food and brew. The Steel City never tasted so good. For even though the Steelers were vanquished on the gridiron that day by the Birdmen of Baltimore, Primanti’s definitely came out a winner. But those fries and overstuffed sandwiches will get ‘ya, even if Heinz, err, Hines Ward doesn’t. Quoth my stomach, nevermore! Well, at least not more than once every visit to the ‘Burgh.

Why order a sanwich, a side of fries and cole slaw when everything can come in one on the cheap?
I was in town for a conference at William Penn and made a point to check out Primanti after learning about their sandwiches from Samantha L. Conveniently located nearby the conference hotel on the other side of Macy’s, the place is right off a small tunnel and somewhat easy to miss. The décor was interestingly rugged hole in the wall and reminds me of a no-​nonsense working class diner with a few small wobbly tables, napkin dispensers and conventional condiments dispersed throughout.
It was already 2pm and my good friend from Texas and I were starving all day so our expectation was fairly high. My order of knockwurst sandwhich ($ 5.79) came with two thick slices of soft white bread with sliced knockwurst, cheese, cole slaw, special sauce, and a huge load of french fries tightly stacked in between. At first it looked like a tall order to finish it, but the delicious spongy white bread made it easy. I’m a big sausage fan but would have preferred something other than their knockwurst. Otherwise, the blend of melted cheese on square-​shaped hearty fries and slightly tart and the not too saucy pickled slaw made it a sinful and yet delightful experience.
Albeit the interesting concept, it was nonetheless a heart clogging meal so thank goodness that I don’t have access to this type of sandwiches all the time. It is still a must try however, for any first time visitors to Pittsburgh. Service was brief and straight forward and my food was served on a paper plate. Thanks Samantha, for the wonderful recommendation! 3 stars for the worthwhile experience. I hope to be back.

Passing through Pittsburg (my mother’s home town) on the way from LA to NY…
Call up Mom
Mom, do your uncles or cousins know of the best place to try the local fare?
«Let me talk to Terry and find out»
5 minutes later… Mom calls back and says Primanti Bros… noted for fries on their sandwich.
A couple of teeth pulling moments of telling my Mom we don’t need directions… we have iPhones and an hour later and we’re in Downtown Pittsburg enjoying our Primanti Bros. meal.
I ordered the capicola, my girlfriend ordered the fish, and my friends got the pastrami and the steak salad.
The pickled and peppered cabbage is a nice treat on a sandwich piled high with fine deli meat and french fries…
Not something that you could eat every day without coronary bipass, but that doesn’t stop this sandwhich from deserving 5 stars… a party for the mouth.