Pittsburgh's Most Famous Sandwich Restaurant Is Now An Eastern Chain With Mouth-Watering Offerings

Philadelphia's cheesesteak is arguably the best-known sandwich from Pennsylvania, and stopping by one of Philly's top cheesesteak restaurants is a must-do for many visitors. But that's not the only signature sandwich in the state. Pittsburgh has one, too: the "almost famous" sandwiches of Primanti Bros., which have been a local staple since Joe Primanti opened his first cart in 1933. Along with mouth-watering pierogies and Iron City beer, this distinctive sandwich is a defining pillar of the 'Burgh's culinary identity.

The gist of the Primanti Bros. sandwich is simple: thick Italian bread with your choice of grilled meat topped by provolone cheese, french fries, coleslaw, and tomatoes. Pastrami is the traditional meat, but there are 24 options available, from standard lunchmeats like ham, corned beef, or turkey, to breaded fish, kielbasa, fried eggs, or the unique Pitts-burger — a seasoned beef patty with a consistency between a typical burger and a slice of meatloaf. While locals debate which meat option is the best (and whether it's acceptable to ask for the fries and coleslaw on the side), they collectively embrace it as a Pittsburgh institution, and visitors have picked up on the tip. "When in Pittsburgh, you have to stop at Primanti Bros.," declared one Tripadvisor reviewer from California. A reviewer from New Jersey called them "perfect sandwiches" and wrapped up her review by saying, "This was a great restaurant and if you are in Pittsburgh, you need to visit it!"

There was a time when traveling to Pittsburgh was the only way to eat this iconic sandwich, but that's no longer the case. Since opening its first non-Pittsburgh location on Fort Lauderdale Beach in 1995, Primanti Bros. has expanded to 41 restaurants across five states, bringing a taste of Pittsburgh to folks across the country.

The origin story for Primanti Bros. starts in the Strip District, a vibrant neighborhood of converted warehouses known for unique markets and international cuisine. Of course, when Primanti Bros. started, those warehouses were still open and busy with truck drivers and shift workers. That was the reason Joe Primanti chose the area for his sandwich cart, and it proved a smart move. Within a year, he sold enough to open a storefront on 18th Street. That location closed briefly in the early 1970s after deaths in the Primanti family necessitated a change in ownership, but it was back in action by 1975. Today, itremains the best place to get a Primanti Bros. sandwich if you want the full experience.

The idea to put the sides right on the sandwich was inspired by those early working-class customers. According to the legend (you know a restaurant has become an institution when it develops its own myths), a trucker showed up one winter with extra potatoes and wanted to see if they were frozen. So Joe DiPriter — Joe Primanti's cousin, who was working at the time — sliced them, fried them, and threw them on a sandwich. After that, it was a short logical leap to pile the coleslaw on, too. This enabled truck drivers to eat the sandwich one-handed while they drove.

The Strip District was the only location until the 1970s, when Pittsburgh native Jim Patrinos bought it and opened a second restaurant in the university district of Oakland (one of the top Pittsburgh neighborhoods for travelers on a budget). That location thrived, leading him to open more in the South Side and downtown's Market Square, expanding into the Pittsburgh suburbs and beyond starting in the late 1990s.

The majority of Primanti Bros. locations are still found in Pennsylvania (31 of the 41, as of this writing). Many of those are in the Pittsburgh area, including one in the airport for folks who want to satisfy their sandwich craving immediately upon arrival (or while they're passing through). You'll also find them in other towns across Western and Central Pennsylvania, like the charming Great Lakes port of Erie and the peaceful Amish Country hub of Lancaster, as well as college towns like Indiana, State College, and Greensburg.

Outside of Pennsylvania, the options are more limited but growing, with plans to open five locations a year. As of early 2026, most non-Pennsylvania locations are in bordering states, with four in West Virginia (Clarksburg, Morgantown, Wheeling, and Weirton), two in Ohio (Niles and Youngstown), and two in Maryland since the Linthicum Heights restaurant opened in June 2024, joining the Hagerstown location that opened in 2015. The outliers from this pattern are the two locations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

If none of those are close to you, you're not completely out of luck. You can get Primanti Bros. sandwiches delivered anywhere in the United States through Gold Belly. Granted, that's not the ideal option. The ambiance of Primanti Bros. restaurants is part of the appeal, and to fully experience that, you really should eat it in Pittsburgh (ideally at the original Strip District location). Gold Belly's meat options are also limited to pastrami, capicola, roast beef, corned beef, or salami, and they cost more — the minimum order of four sandwiches will set you back $104.95, compared to the $39.96 you'd pay in a restaurant — but it does mean you don't have to travel to get your Primanti Bros. fix.