There's just something ~special~ about visiting a restaurant's original location. Maybe it's the charm or authenticity, but going to the original - the first - location is usually what people seek out. "Oh, you went to so-and-so? But did you go to the one on ____ street? AW MAN you gotta go to the original! It's way better for X reasons!"
Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure, but if my trip to the original Primanti Bros. is any indication, this theory might be right on point. Located right along the Strip District, the original Primanti Brothers usually has a bit of a line stretching out the front door. While this is the original location, they have expanded significantly out of Pittsburgh and into surrounding states like West Virginia and beyond - Florida, Indiana, etc.
It's a small space with Pittsburgh sports memorabilia and art on the walls. The folks at the bar were no nonsense and took our order in a sort of quick, brash way I would expect. Afterall, these folks got their start by feeding hardworking truckers a hefty meal at the height of the Great Depression. The menu is basic, with a bunch of sandwiches that are all the same, just swapping out the protein: fries, slaw, tomato and your choice of meat piled high on white bread.
You can get baloney, egg, hot sausage, ham, bacon, pastrami, corned beef, turkey, roast beef - and tons of others. But, this time, I went for the kielbasa, and I think it was my best decision yet. Maybe I should have known this, because I'm a big fan of kielbasa, but despite not even being very hungry (we did just have breakfast), I tore into this thing. You can call it my choice in sandwich, or maybe it's the location, but the combination of that kielbasa with the crunch of slaw and nice french fries all on a good piece of bread was simple but so, so good.
Grade: A
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