Tried both the Pitts-Burger and the pastrami and they both sucked. The pastrami sucked less, but still not close to any decent sandwich. The meat patty in the Burger was like shitty Salisbury steak from a TV dinner.
The beer was good.
Lol i do agree. On the week of the 4th, our favorite family run pizza place closed down for vacation so we ordered wings and pizza from Primanti’s. The pizza was flavorless and the wings were disgusting. Tossed them both in the trash and wont be going back.
Have many great Primanti’s memories from my college days (30+ years ago). Cheese Steak with Bacon and Egg. The original Strip District location was all there was then and in my recollection, it was awesome.
I’ve eaten in two (Monroeville and Ft. Lauderdale) since it became a “mini-chain” and both aggressively sucked. Have resisted the temptation to order Primanti’s online from Goldbely knowing that it would surely be a major disappointment.
When I went to Pittsburgh a couple of years ago I went to the original Primanti’s.
I have to agree that it was a great disappointment.
Maybe if I was in college it would make a difference.
Who orders pizza from Primantis? It’s hard to find a good sandwich in Pittsburgh, the bread is one problem. I miss Thin Man Sandwiches in the Strip.
I went to the original a few years ago and had whatever the famous sandwich you see on TV is with fries and a runny fried egg thrown in. Is that pastrami?
I thought it was good, although not amazing. Definitely a fun place to visit and check off the bucket list. But it ain’t no Di Nic’s in Reading Terminal Market (Philly).
Or the White House in AC or about 100 sandwich shops in philly.
Not if you don’t dignify a Philly cheesesteak by calling it a sandwich. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
Crappy meat, crappy cheese, crappy bread…crappy sandwich. Give me a Philly Roast Pork (or a Primanti)!
Although the 14-hour smoked brisket cheesesteak with homemade Cooper Sharp White whiz, wit, I just had at Mike’s BBQ in S Philly was a damn good sandwich. But according to purists, that doesn’t qualify as a cheesesteak.
Someone who needs to feed a lot of people when everything else is closed. Still, if they sell it then it should be at least okay. This stuff was barely edible. I’ve had many primanti’s sandwiches as well and they are okay at best.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
We need to put this in context. Was it better or worse than pizza and wings from Domino’s?
It has been a long time since i’ve had dominos. Too long to remember what it tastes like, but i’m guessing this was worse than dominos. we literally threw the wings out after having 1. They were impressively gross.
We ate a few slices of the pizza each since we were really hungry, and threw the rest out the next day.
This was the primantis in the south hills of Pittsburgh, not the original. Our go to pizza and wings place is Crust - a little family run byob (no corkage) pizza place with some of the best pizza and wings we’ve ever had. Worth seeking out if ever in the area.
I’m not joking about the processed burger patty. It had air pockets in it from the meat glue that the processor uses to hold it together.
So does Vincent’s Pizza in off Ardmore Blvd still exist? Best Pizza in Pittsburgh about 40 years ago. I hope it remains awesome, unlike Primanti’s…
Growing up, I worked for my family’s fish business in the Strip from the time I was 8 years old to when I graduated college. I can’t tell you how many hundreds (thousands?) of times I ate at Primantis. It served a decent sandwich, but I mostly went because the guys I worked with went there, and it was a lot of calories, which I needed to survive the day. It was never a great sandwich. And it was made with steak, not pastrami, and definitely not hamburger.
When I as in college, some of my friends, not from the burgh, wanted to go get a sandwich late at night at a place they had “discovered” and had a great sandwich. I cracked up when they took me to Primantis in the Strip. They were confused when I knew everyone there.
If you want a great sandwich, come to Seattle and eat at Salumi.
Have to agree with the title to this thread.
Have been to the original twice. Both times I thought the coleslaw was the only worthwhile thing in the mix. Bread awful…and spongy; meats seem as cheap as they come; fries…ok…but…get cold quickly. Combo…couldn’t finish either time…
Yeah…it’s not a destination place. And, there is a reason that unlike things like Philly cheesesteaks; Nashville chicken; New Haven pizza, etc…Primanti’s combos are not replicated anywhere else by others. (Had the pizza in Ft. Lauderdale last year; surprisingly, it was ok.)
and, FWIW, I’m not a fan of White House subs in AC…crowded; super-inefficient. Pricey and their tuna has nothing on it, and is, therefore, impossible to eat…and is dry. Fun to go to the place, but…again, for me, not a destination place anymore. I was there last month…lots of better “hoagies”/subs…out there…
I did eat at one of the Frank Pepe pizzerias in CT this week. Though that place is not my favorite pizza place in New Haven (Modern is)…because the crust is so chewy (glutinous) that my jaws ache…the branch concept has worked really well for them…and replicates the original with great care and respect.
enuff
It’s definitely a destination place as far as the original Strip District location goes, because it is so famous. It would be like going to Philly and not trying either Pat’s or Geno’s (both crap) or Mike’s in Boston (far better cannoli around the corner, without the tourist mob) or Katz’s in NYC (I’ve never actually had it). You’ve gotta check the box.
Actually, it sounds like some of you didn’t order what might be the best sandwich at Primanti’s. Following the lead of Adam Richman and his “Best Sandwich in America” tv show, I ordered what he had, a Capicola (spicy Italian ham) & Cheese, with an added runny fried egg (and of course fries, slaw, tomato on top). Then I went back to Philly and had a Di Nic’s roast pork, which was exactly the matchup in the first episode.*
It’s the only Primanti I’ve had, but it was definitely TASTY, and I would eat it again, but I don’t feel any particular urge ever to go again, unless I’m with someone who has never been there. Fries on a sandwich just doesn’t appeal to me, not being a truck driver.
BTW, if you are in Pittsburgh, go to Cure. That place is sensational. http://www.curepittsburgh.com
*FWIW, Di Nic’s Roast Pork in Philly beat everyone else’s sandwich on the show. Can’t say I was surprised, since that’s as close to a perfect sandwich as I’ve evah had.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: The BEST Pepe’s location is actually the new one in Chestnut Hill near Boston (where Boston College is located).
And not because of the pizza!
I think it’s very good pizza (and I’ve been to the original too, although far enough apart that I wouldn’t try comparing), but it’s not even in my top 3 in Boston (YMMV, pizza is a personal thing).
But as you know, Pepe’s doesn’t serve dessert.
And it just so happens that MORANO GELATO is located right next door. And Pepe’s plus Morano = TOTAL DESTINATION!
If you haven’t heard of it, Forbes called the original Morano in Hannover NH “the best gelato in America”. The Chestnut Hill location is run by Morgan Morano herself, after she sold the original location (there is also a franchise location in Westfield NJ). She spent 6 years in Sicily learning to make Sicilian-style gelato, which is different than the N. Italian gelato you typically see in the US.
I am not kidding when I say: Morano’s raspberry gelato is the single best thing I have evah eaten in my life (sorry Oysters & Pearls)!
Maybe my sarcasm detector is broken but why check the box if the box is universally described as completely sucking?
Primantis is straight garbage. We went to the original strip location and couldn’t finish 1/4 of the food, it was just inedible.