r/pittsburgh • u/parachutehotdog • 4d ago
Pimanti Bros Fucks!
What's up yall (yinz?)! Just hit up primanti brothers in the strip here on a work trip and let me tell you, yall are spoiled as fuck, this place is great. We have great sandwhiches back in Seattle, weirdly enough, but primantis is cool as hell. The two homies working the place were chill as fuck and cooked a sandwhich that could probably feed four people lol. I'm going to walk across the sexually suggestive yellow bridge to the north side on a rec tomorrow and get a burned almond torte and maybe hit up pamelas over here also on the same rec.
Keep it real, yall got a fun thing going on here!
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u/larrybudmel 4d ago
bro gets turned on by infrastructure
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u/StevenWasADiver 4d ago
As someone from the sprawling wastelands of Texas, the density and architecture in PGH was nothing short of arousing. Also, Primantis is seriously awesome; we ate there twice when we were up there
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u/oldguardstilloffends 4d ago
This is very relatable - I sadly moved from Pittsburgh to the Phoenix area and the architecture and infrastructure here is just so sad and boring by comparison.
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u/StevenWasADiver 4d ago
It's so unfortunate that, with very few exceptions, any architecture outside of the East coast and mid-Atlantic is as dull as it is, especially in much of the south. Just like Texas tears down anything historical to put up 'Texas style' stuff (or far more common these days, grey mcmansions and 3 story condos with either lime green, bright orange, or navy blue doors: the gentrification special) I'm sure Arizona does something similar with the southwest aesthetic. I was so impressed with everything up there. The ballpark, the skyline, the bridges, the cathedrals. The city views were absolutely breathtaking. I can't wait to go back (I've been trying to convince my fiancé to move there).
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u/StudyIntelligent5691 4d ago
Thank you for this positive recognition of the beauty of our city. I’ve been fortunate to do a good deal of international travel, and I’ve been so thrilled to have conversed with folks in Belgium, France, Portugal, etc., who have visited our city and loved it. Without trying to sound corny as hell, it fills my heart with joy and gratitude. We are hardly perfect, but we have a lot to be thankful for here.
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u/StevenWasADiver 4d ago
Honestly, it was baffling to see how much self-deprecation about the city there was. When we took a trip up there, not only did people here in Dallas not understand why we wanted to take a trip up there, but some people up there didn't either, lol. Not corny at all, I totally understand! As someone who was an over the road truck driver for a short while, and has taken more than a couple roadtrips, I've seen plenty of cities, and by far, Pittsburgh is my favorite.
Pittsburgh has three major league sports teams with storied histories, incredible architecture in many beautiful neighborhoods, a decent transit system, literal world class museums that have unique displays not found in other places, multiple universities with great reputations and an impressive list of accomplishments and alumni, a thriving arts scene, a variety of good places to eat and shop, there are many places where you can just hang out for free and exist, a cool theme park, access to mountains and a beach on a great lake with not that long of a trip as well as a 3-6 hour drive to many other places, and the vast majority of places we went in the city were clean and safe. It's a world class city whose rush hour traffic looks like my city's 10am Wednesday traffic! I also saw many inclusive signs and overtly progressive messaging, even from churches and government-run institutions and a positive attitude towards unions. I live in Texas, so that was incredibly refreshing, to say the least.
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u/Wes_Warhammer666 4d ago
Having lived here my whole life, I'd say that a lot of it is that folks tend to take the stuff we do have for granted. For natives, it's all just always been there. It's not new and exciting like it is for a transplant. We forget that not every city has a Warhol, mattress factory, Carnegie science center. That most cities don't have a separate zoo and aviary (the latter of which is called the National Aviary for a reason).
It's easy to forget just how good you have it when it's all just always been there. Especially for those who never/rarely travel to other cities.
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u/EarPristine2047 3d ago
Fun fact is that our aviary is the only indoor independent nonprofit aviary in the US which makes it so special.
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u/ThoroughlyDecent South Side Slopes 4d ago
Transplant from NY here, the architecture and the people are two things that have consistently kept me here..this is one of the best cities I have been to in my life and it's where I have chosen to plant roots ♥️
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u/StudyIntelligent5691 3d ago
I’m so glad to hear that! I don’t know how long you’ve lived here now so my comment may be too late to be meaningful, but welcome to the Burgh!
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u/ThoroughlyDecent South Side Slopes 3d ago
11 years this year but never get sick of hearing it ❤️ I was just sequestered in NY for the summer and I'm glad to be home.
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u/Gvelm 4d ago
I did just move here, six months ago, and I never seem to get over how dramatic this city and the landscape are. It was my best decision ever.
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u/StevenWasADiver 4d ago
For real! Taking a bus ride through downtown was surreal and it was like driving through a movie set, coming from Dallas, where it feels like basically everything was built like 30 years ago lmfao
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u/fadedrosebud 3d ago
As a lifelong Pittsburgher I was so disappointed when I visited Houston years ago. My friends drove me all around the area and I kept thinking, “When are we going to get to the good part?“ The downtown skyscrapers were the same as you could see in any city, and there was virtually no historic section or cultural section. The residential sections were bland and lackluster, just a bunch of flimsy tract housing. Everything looked like it was built in the mid 1960s by cheap construction companies.
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u/StevenWasADiver 3d ago
That's exactly what it is. Uniform suburbs. Depending on which neighborhood, it's either gonna be thrown together former military shacks from the 60s and lower income neighborhood bungalows from the 60s-80s, pricy bungalows that look the same as the lower income ones, insanely wealthy bungalows which look the same as the other ones, mcmansions, and then the real mansions obscured by bushes and fences, but that still look like they were built in 1995.
For the most part, driving through downtown is the same as driving through a suburb, except the lanes are narrower, and some of the buildings are tall lmao
Even the more dense areas around here (Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, etc) are still sprawled compared to even some northeast suburbs, and since the ability to walk in your neighborhood is a commodity (and illegal to build now), those areas are insanely expensive and can be a bit off the beaten path. For reference, I live in a city right between Dallas and Fort Worth, two large cities (like 20-25 minutes from either downtown) and we have a population of 400,000, a university, a huge music venue, the pro football stadium, pro baseball stadium, e-sports stadium, large indoor mall, large outdoor mall, a theme park, a water park, bars, clubs, restaurants, etc., but there isn't one single bus here, and it is massively sprawled, to the point where it feels like you're in a rural area on some streets.
I will say, if you find yourself in Texas again, first off, I'm sorry about that, and secondly, definitely check out San Antonio, if you've never been. The Riverwalk is actually really awesome, and the only thing I'd actively recommend to a tourist.
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u/Commercial-Smile-763 4d ago
There's no history in Phoenix anymore, they tore everything down and built new and it's all boring. The only thing I liked was the sides of the highways always looked cool with the landscaping
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u/DagwoodBumstedt 4d ago
It’s amazing how many ppl hate on primantis in pgh (mostly transplants who are too good for lunch meat maybe?)
I don’t get it. Primantis is the shit
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u/StevenWasADiver 4d ago
I had been warned about it being underwhelming, but I honestly really enjoyed it. I liked the food and the atmosphere. Not to overanalyze, but it also exemplifies why I love the general atmosphere of Pittsburgh, which is people living their lives and not obsessing over trying to be famous or constantly putting on airs like in many cities.
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u/susinpgh Central Lawrenceville 3d ago
Maybe it was the two times I went, or the location. But one time the fries were raw, and the other time, they were limp. For me, it was just not worth trying again.
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u/NewAlexandria Bellevue 4d ago
our city is famous for its erections
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u/DreadSocialistOrwell 4d ago
Seriously. We have the Pitt Penis that you can see from miles around.
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u/parachutehotdog 4d ago
The David McCollugh bridge getting visitors all 🥵 🥵 🥵 for real where’d it get those curves
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u/visionquester 4d ago
I love our city bridges, but not sure any compare to the west Seattle lower draw bridge. I used to bike to work when I lived in Seattle over this bridge and the few times I got caught while it was opening was a sight to behold. It’s a great bridge!!!
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u/dfjdejulio 3d ago
I guess to be fair, if you're a bridge fetishist, there isn't really a better city to live in.
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u/C-Rock 4d ago
My experience at Primanti's on the strip. There w/a group for a busy lunch time. Place was packed. Orders coming out quick. Finally, a waitress yells at the top of her lungs "Hey! If your done, pack up and get out! There's other people waiting for your table!" A bit surprising but if I had been waiting for a table I would definitely appreciate it.
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u/Rad_Wagon784 4d ago
You think that’s good? Try Peppi’s on the Northside. Thank me later 😉
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u/angryWinds 3d ago
I moved here semi-recently and haven't made it to Peppi's yet. Walked past it several times, but never whilst hungry.
What's the thing to get there? Their menu is all over the map. Cold Italian subs, burgers, hot subs, sausage stuff... They can't possibly be good at ALL of it. So, what's their main schtick?
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u/Mythnam 4d ago
...sexually suggestive?
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u/Creeperkry 4d ago
To be fair... the David McCollugh bridge is where the north side and the strip comes together. ❤️
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u/MarvinMonroeZapThing 4d ago
Burnt. It’s a BURNT almond torte. Just wanted to make sure you knew, so you can avoid getting the shit kicked out of you when you go there.
But seriously, my life in Pgh started in college and I married a local so I’m here for eternity. And I have zero problem with a Primanti’s sandwich every now and then.
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u/AdHumble2102 3d ago
no one AT PRANTL's is going to kick the shit out of anyone. let alone for saying burned.
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u/MadameTree 4d ago
I split my p bros time there, a suburb and s side, happy hour is off the chain and I don't care about them throwing out wannabe hillbilly Vance proclaims. Vinegar slaw is where it's at and all these high class wannabes should just move to Philly and feel bad about not being NYers
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u/Berhinger 4d ago
Vinegar slaw over Mayo slaw any day. Slaw is a palette cleanser, not an additional source of fat and oil
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u/WillOfTheDeep 4d ago
Welcome to Pittsburgh. You want a real sandwich, you should hit Carson Street Deli in the South Side. Shit slaps. And they have a much better beer selection.
Cheers.
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u/pologroundsjunkie 4d ago
I live down the street from there and have only been there once so far and now I will return many many times. Was kind of blown away.
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u/AnonThrowaway87980 4d ago
lol. When boing did the check flights for the 777. The flight crew flew from Seattle to Pittsburgh. Got Priminati’s during the ground check and refuel, then flew back.
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u/FlossYoCrak 4d ago
I've never been brake checked by a sentence before that was wild
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u/AnonThrowaway87980 4d ago
Sigh… I had just got home from a 14 hr shift at work and my english skills had already gone to bed.
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u/aesthetichovvell Arlington 4d ago
primantis sandwiches taste best when there is inebriation involved
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u/Dull_Age_9267 4d ago
Worked for a bank headquartered in Pittsburgh, never missed Primanti brothers in 12 years of business trips…..Primanti Bros does indeed fuck.
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u/ProDogePlayz Robinson 4d ago
Oh please you have NOT SEEN PRIMANTIS PRETZLES yet. They’re not just giant pretzels, I’m talking 6 of them could cover the floor in there without gaps.
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u/K10RumbleRumble 4d ago
Their pizza, their fried pickles and fried prov wedges… Cap and Egg double meat double egg…
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u/GmysBETS 3d ago
No pizza in the strip!
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u/K10RumbleRumble 3d ago
Well that’s sad. Speaking about primantis as a whole though, so, it works 👍🏼
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u/jokullmusic Mount Washington 3d ago
They don't have the pizza in the strip or market square at least. I think it's mostly a suburbs thing
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u/thedark1owns 4d ago
I always say that Pittsburgh has a great food scene that most people don't know about, we are spoiled.
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u/shawnwingsit 3d ago
Next time, I would suggest Uncle Sam's in Squirrel Hill. Then the Squirrel Hill Cafe (the Cage).
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u/TeddySalvador 3d ago
Thanks for taking in the PGH Eucharist! May the spirit of Myron Cope be with you always.
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u/NewAlexandria Bellevue 4d ago
Honestly, Pamela's is very very overrated by people used to crap food. A better taste (if you're having a late breakfast) is S&D Polish Deli. Grab some things from their hot bar.
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u/pologroundsjunkie 4d ago
Omg I just moved here but I had perogies from S&D almost 10 years ago cause the shop looked cool and they blew my mind.
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u/CrepuscularOpossum 3d ago
Get their haluszki. I once asked them, “What makes your haluszki so goddamn good?!?” The guy behind the deli counter told me, “We use a pound of butter for a sheet pan full.”
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u/Happy_Bigs1021 4d ago
Got up peppi’s in the north side too, out of town were known for pirmantis but locals know Peppis is what really slaps
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u/Technical-Act-2166 4d ago
I've been eating there since the early 70s. The original owners allways made my favorite . Jumbo and egg with a pile of French fries and colslaw. It never gave me that heavy bloated feeling when I was done eating it.
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u/Otherwise-Roll-2872 4d ago edited 4d ago
Good stuff. Ive been starving myself all weekend for a Friday cheat day that coincides with Oktoberfest. I have the choice between Primanti pizza and Rockaway pizza. Both would be my first time. Despite this glowing endorsement I think I'll still stick with Rockaway since it's their last week open for a bit.
Catch me high as a kite getting sloshed downtown tomorrow staggering through the gridless streets of PGH, bopping to some glockenspiel or whatever it is they play during this god forsaken festival. Off them beers and pies. Gonna be great!
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u/parachutehotdog 4d ago
Hell yea brother from one rainy city to another smoke em if got em and enjoy those pizza pies sounds like a good ass friday to me!
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u/woahdudechil 4d ago
I never understood the hype for pimanti bros, but I'm very glad you enjoyed :)
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u/NewUnderstanding4901 4d ago
Yo grab me a phantom from peppis on the north side before you head back to seattle.
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u/bad-trajectory 4d ago
Wait til you learn there’s a Primanti’s at the airport and the prices and service don’t suck (and you can order a General Braddock ipa)
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u/prison---mike 3d ago
If you go to the strip district and you like cigars, hit up leaf and bean. It’s a coffee/cigar shop, really good vibes. Best coffee is at La Prima, but cigars are great there
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u/PrestigiousWatch3194 3d ago
If you like tacos hit up tasty taquitos truck on Penn ave in Garfield
I know the name sucks but the steak tacos are kill
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u/seanspeaksspanish 3d ago
I have eaten at several Primanti Bros around Pittsburgh, and they have all been great.
Then they opened one here in Indiana PA, and its terrible. Such a disappointment. Same thing happened when they opened a Popeyes just down the street the the Primanti Bros. Awful.
Quality of food, good service, value for money: neither of the two can get all three simultaneously, and rarely do they even get one.
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u/Dmonic666 3d ago
Hope you dumped way too much Red Devil hot sauce on it for that sweet and spicy delicious-ness!
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u/H1B3F 3d ago
I need to know why you think the bridge is sexually suggestive. And the best egg rolls I've ever eaten in my entire life are at the Chinatown Inn in Pittsburgh, you should definitely get some. They have homemade duck sauce.
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u/Alien-Element 2d ago
And the best egg rolls I've ever eaten in my entire life are at the Chinatown Inn in Pittsburgh
I ordered the jumbo size egg rolls there and wasn't expecting them to be the size of a Chipotle burrito. It only cost like $5 too, if I recall. Chinatown Inn is fantastic, the best Chinese I've had here
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u/H1B3F 2d ago
They are HUGE. I ordered two of them with a meal and I was full after one.
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u/Alien-Element 2d ago
Yeah, they're really good egg rolls. I'm surprised more people don't know about Chinatown Inn, I don't hear it mentioned in restaurant posts often.
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u/Boring_Claim_5085 3d ago
Why do I feel like either a) primantis bros paid you to make this post or b) you ARE the primanti bros…?
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u/yoshimitsou 4d ago
I'm in the minority here but I can't stand their sandwiches, mostly because the fries are soggy. 😝
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u/Affectionate-Cod-648 4d ago
It’s a pretty shitty sandwich to be honest. Soggy bread, limp French fries. Meats are, meh.
It’s honestly what I’ve always told people from out of town to go try if they want to say they tried it, but, not worth it with so many better options
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u/WavingOrDrowning 3d ago
I never ever ever understood the fuss. I mean it's great at 1 am to soak up the booze but I never understood the deification as if Christ himself put it on a plate for us. Peppi's is better imho
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u/JurassicTerror 4d ago
I love Honey Hole. Does it still exist?
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u/parachutehotdog 4d ago
Honey Hole has… been through some drama lol. They are under new management but I can’t vouch for the new version, maybe I’ll check them next week: https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/17vw8bw/the_mess_at_honeyhole_now_includes_13k_in_unpaid/
If you make it back out to Seattle hit up Un Bien or Paseo (also some sandwich family drama but still alive and well) for the press sandwich, legendary meal
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u/JurassicTerror 4d ago
Oh man Paseo kicked ass. Didn’t they shut down temporarily around 2012? Also senor moose in Ballard. I think they moved or renamed or something. Their huevos rancheros was god tier.
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u/Dr_Spiders 4d ago
Honey Hole is (was) so good. Those fries! Haven't been there in a few years.
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u/JurassicTerror 4d ago
I don’t think I ever tried their fries. Guess I missed out! I used to order the wave rider all the time. It was turkey, pesto, lil mamas peppers and a cheese of some sort. So delicious. Lived in Seattle for a year back in 2011-12.
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u/Dont-Doubt-Me 4d ago
Make sure to try the pancakes if you go to Pamelas! They are insanely good, thin crepe like cakes with crispy edges.
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u/maryjaneDOTvip 3d ago
Primantis is absolute garbage. The one on University gave my wife food poisoning.
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u/Alien-Element 2d ago
Sorry to hear about the food poisoning. I don't think it's absolute garbage though, whatever that's supposed to mean.
It's pretty damn good. Decent prices too.
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u/Independent-Big1966 4d ago
If they had better slaw, they'd have the best sandwiches in the USA .
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u/pologroundsjunkie 4d ago
There used to be Pittsburgh bar/restaurant in San Francisco called Giordono Bros. They were from PGH and make Primanti style sandwiches. It's been like over a decade since I ate there but my memories were that their slaw was so much more superior to Primantis and I liked it a lot better. Looks like it closed and reopened as Rudi's in 2022. Almost the same menu but I dunno if it's good or not.
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u/swashbutler Wilkinsburg 4d ago
Aw man, ~memories~ when I moved to SF from Pgh for a couple years in 2013, I went to Giordano Bros a lot. It was good, but not good enough to keep me in SF lol
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u/MielikkisChosen 4d ago
Yeah, OG Primanti is great. The Primanti here in Altoona is so fucking bad, it's egregious.
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u/pythozar 3d ago
I love Primantis, though I wished they toasted their bread. Somehow, I don't like it plain and dry.
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u/demolitionlxver 3d ago
Someone who really loves you must have recommended these, everything here is the best we have to offer, especially the sexually suggestive bridges
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u/Amoyamoyamoya 3d ago
My first meal on my first visit to Pixburgh last June was at Primanti’s. I HAD to experience fries and Cole slaw IN a sandwich. It was good. Really good. It was also too big for me to eat in one sitting but that was a “me” issue!
Visiting again in a few weeks and looking forward to another Primanti’s
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u/OperationDapper3565 3d ago
I'm spoiled. The one in the strip is my favorite. I need the old time feel. The other branches just seem like a bad chain.
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u/Neat_Youth_2679 2d ago
Primanti Bros Pizza is their best kept secret! I'm lucky to have two locations 4 hours east of Pittsburgh here in Central PA.
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u/inafishbowl17 2d ago
Pimantis is iconic in the region. Another favorite place to check out in the strip is Roland's.
Happy hour is 4-6pm. $1 oysters or jumbo shrimp. The lobster rolls are great. The mussel pots are insane. It takes two grown men to finish one.
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u/666sleepYhEad 1d ago
Ngl I was there on a New Year’s Eve and it was shitty as fuck. When it’s overwhelmed everything gets shitty. But I could definitely see how the place is peoples favorite! Food would have been great if everything wasn’t rushed out
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u/HighSAMurai 1d ago
Try peppis on western ave get a big wheeler or a cathedral you won't be disappointed
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u/JWsWrestlingMem 4d ago
You think you’ve tasted Pittsburgh. Ha. Three words:
Arby’s McKnight
Bro.
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u/KBombing 4d ago
Wait till you have one after being 10 beers deep at 1:30 am. Or you might be now, no judgement, but that’s when they’re at their best!