Back in the 1930′s, Joe Primanti opened a cart in the Strip District selling sandwiches to truckers on the go. It was decided that he should expand to a small restaurant on 18th Street. The hours were 3am to 3pm to accomodate truckers and the like. His brothers, Dick and Stanley, joined him along with nephew John DePriter who was the cook.
According to John, “One winter, a fella drove in with a load of potatoes. He brought a few of ‘em over to the restaurant to see if they were frozen. I fried the potatoes on our grill and they looked pretty good. A few of our customers asked for them, so I put the potatoes on their sandwiches.” And the rest is history. The Primanti Sandwich: a true taste of Pittsburgh.
Joe moved to California in the 40′s for health reasons and the tradition continued on for 30 years with Dick, Stanley and John. With the passing of Stanley in the early 70′s and John in 1974, Dick decided to sell the business. Jim Patrinos bought the business in 1974 and re-opened in 1975 after minor modifications to the existing property.
With the business flourishing and the original location expanding to 24 hours, Jim decided to open more locations. The second Primanti Bros. location was in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh. Business took off with hungry students and doctors in the area, so expansion was on the horizon again, adding Cherry Way (downtown Pittsburgh), South Side, Market Square and, in time, Three Rivers Stadium.
In 1998, Primanti’s started growing into the suburbs of Pittsburgh while expanding the menu. Pizza, wings, salads and more were added to the “Almost Famous” Sandwich menu. Three Rivers Stadium went out with a bang in 2001, so Primanti’s (ever the sports fans) set up shops in the new venues: Heinz Field and PNC Park. 2010 brought opening of Consol Energy Center; you can get the Almost Famous sandwich during Penguins’ games as well as other concerts and events. Primanti Bros. locations now include 17 restaurants in the Pittsburgh area and 3 in Florida.
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11 Reviews
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10 Things to Experience in Pittsburgh | Explore Pittsburgh, 5 months ago
[...] Have Lunch at Primanti’s Get your favorite sandwich served up complete with the coleslaw and fries rolled right in! [...]
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Ty Masciarelli, 4 months ago
Quick service and great food….can’t beat it!!
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Megan Horell, 4 months ago
Great food and a decent price. Everyone should visit just to say they have been there! Staple of Pittsburgh history!
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Sarah Peace, 4 months ago
Fantastic food and great service. The price is good as well for what you get. I have yet to be disappointed.
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AB, 4 months ago
A Pittsburgh favorite and a fun experience every time. The service is friendly and accommodating.
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Elizabeth Bey, 4 months ago
Nice place but not as good as downtown or strip district. They are cheepskates when it comes to making the classics – like Smallman Street Fries.
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Jazz, 4 months ago
Eating at Primanti’s is a steal. You get the best sandwiches in town for very little money. The Southside location is small, but well run.
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Amanda, 3 months ago
Pittsburgh’s most famous restaurant! The roast beef and cheese Primanti’s sandwich is something to try besides the original – french fries are to die for too!
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Kayla, 3 months ago
Stays open late to satisfy that post-drinking hunger. I’d say it has the best location out of all the Primanti Bro. restaurants.
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mwcmfgg, 3 months ago
Best of all the different locations. The portions seem a bit bigger.
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Mark Sutton, 3 months ago
One can never deny that this is a Pittsburgh to-do staple… Philly has their Cheese Steak and we have our Primanti Sandwich.
[...] Have Lunch at Primanti’s Get your favorite sandwich served up complete with the coleslaw and fries rolled right in! [...]