rev:text
| - Primanti's is to Pittsburgh as Pat's King of Steaks is to Philly - an icon, a novelty, a must try, and a quintessentiially hometown institution. Ah, but how's the food? My view: good food and great value.
I've been to this location (their flagship and the original) as well as the Steubenville Pike one. I don't know if it's true for their other locations, but these two are very comparable. So this review constitutes my take on both.
This is bar food - greasy, flavorful, unpretentious, messy, and great with beer (though not Iron City Light - Yuck!). The decor is pure Steeltown sports tribute, heavy on Steelers and Pens, but nary a Pirate (I wonder why. It's not the Bucs' fault that MLB's economics make it impossible for small markets to compete, and the Pirates were GREAT before the Yanks and Sox started ruining baseball by outspending every other team). Putting the fries and slaw right on the sandwich is fine with me, because the sandwich basically disintegrates after your first savory bite. I suppose those who complain about the fries on the sandwich probably wanted to drown them in ketchup anyway. The Italian bread is thick and soft; I've never been here and had it stale (despite some of the other reviewers' comments). I do miss the knockwurst, but there's still a good array of choices.
Again, I think the prices are good and the food is a high quality bargain. Well, maybe not the wings at the Steubenville location - I think $4 for 5 wings is a bit too much, but maybe that's the Western New Yorker in me talking. Oh, and the chili was good (with onions and cheddar added), but not of the 5 alarm variety. All joking about IC Light aside, their draft selection is solid - lots of variety. This is a great place to watch a game, strap on the feedbag after a night on the town, or sample an authentic Pittsburgh institution.
|