Primanti Bros. Review

Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Ryan Magnuson/Mealtime With Mags

In a city known for it's food, Pittsburgh brought us weary, Illinois travelers a variety of quality food. Being college-aged kids, we are always looking to get good food in mass quantities without cleaning out our wallets, so we made sure our next stop in the Steel City would involve just that. Venturing to the heart of the University of Pittsburgh campus, we walked into Primanti Bros., a favorite among Penn natives.

Primanti Bros. has been serving up super-sized sandwiches since the early 1900s, but these are no ordinary sandwiches. A Primanti sandwich is like a full meal stuffed between two slices of thick Italian bread, served with heaps of fresh cut fries, coleslaw, and tomatoes, in addition to your choice of meat and cheese. The sandwich was created to cater to those who either did not have the time or money to squeeze in a full meal, so Primanti's made sure their guests did not leave hungry or broke. A version of these sandwiches are made in Chicago at Lucky's Sandwich Co., a favorite spot of mine closer to home.

Turkey and Cheese with Bacon Stuffed Sandwich
Photo Credit: Ryan Magnuson/Mealtime With Mags

With locations all over the Pittsburgh area, one does not have to travel far to find an establishment. I visited the Oakland location, at 3803 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213, which was right near the Pitt campus. We walked right in and got our food fairly quickly, which was great because we were hungry. I ordered a turkey breast and cheese with bacon, which costed me in the neighborhood of $9. The turkey was thinly cut with tons of flavor and the bacon was thick and crispy. The fries were freshly cut and added more substance to the sandwich. The bread was light and airy, yet held in the contents of the sandwich quite well. All menu items, including the 20 plus other sandwiches, wings, salads, soups, and sides, will run you around $10 or less. Caution: whatever you end up ordering, expect to leave full. It is a lot of food.

In comparison to Lucky's, the Primanti sandwich had a head up to me. It had more meat, both turkey and bacon were loaded on, whereas meat seemed less ample on the Lucky's sandwich. The fries were more to my liking also, fresh cut and russet potato-like, where as Lucky's uses more of a steak-cut. Both sandwiches are delicious, but I favor the original in Pittsburgh. If you are ever in Pittsburgh, make sure to visit the birthplace of the stuffed sandwich, Primanti Bros., at one of their many locations. You will not regret it.

Ryan Magnuson is a Baseball/Food Writer from the Chicagoland Area