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Pittsburgh classic

The story

Pamela's began with golf. Pam Cohen and Gail Klingensmith met in an amateur golf league in 1978, and on January 1, 1980 they took over a Squirrel Hill lunch spot called Papa Joe's. They put a cardboard sign they drew by hand in the window and tried their luck with breakfast. Gail waited tables, Pam cooked, and they had all of 12 plates. That's the P&G in the name: Pam and Gail.

The draw has always been the hotcakes, thin and crepe style with crispy edges, with a side of Lyonnaise potatoes. Shadyside opened in 1984, Oakland in 1986 and the Strip District in 2004.

In April 2008, Barack and Michelle Obama stopped by the Strip District diner during the Pennsylvania primary. He said they might be the best pancakes he'd tasted in a very long time, and in 2009 Pam and Gail were flipping hotcakes at the White House for a Memorial Day breakfast. The original Squirrel Hill diner has since closed, but the rest of the family is still flipping.

At a glance

The basics, from public records.

Pamela's Diner is a chain breakfast spot at 3703 Forbes Avenue in Central Oakland, part of Oakland in Pittsburgh.

We list 3 Pamela's Diner locations across Allegheny County.

Its latest Allegheny County Health Department record on file is a comprehensive inspection on Dec 8, 2025, which ended with an Inspected & Permitted placard.

Details

From Allegheny County food facility permits. The owner can add the rest.

Address3703 Forbes Avenue
NeighborhoodCentral Oakland
CategoryBreakfast & brunch
HoursNot listed yet. Owner can add.
PhoneNot listed yet. Owner can add.
WebsiteNot listed yet. Owner can add.
SourcePittsburgh Spotlight directory (built from Allegheny County food permits)

Health inspection

Inspected & Permitted
Latest inspection on file: Dec 8, 2025 (comprehensive inspection).From Allegheny County Health Department open data, records dated Aug 11, 2025 to Jul 28, 2026. Matched to this listing by address and name. This may not reflect current status; the Health Department's records are the official source.

Nearby

The closest listings to Pamela's Diner. 77 places in Central Oakland.

Central Oakland guide

Sources: listing details and inspections from Allegheny County Health Department food facility data via WPRDC (public domain). Story sources: Pittsburgh Magazine, How a President Turned Pittsburgh Into a City of Pancakes; Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, Treasure Awards 2014; Pittsburgh Magazine, The original Pamela’s will close; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Digs. Map from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line. Distances are straight line. Listing data refreshed Oct 28, 2026.