Map: U.S. Census TIGER/LineOpen in map

Pittsburgh classic

The story

Primanti Bros. started with a sandwich cart. During the Great Depression, Joe Primanti sold sandwiches to the truckers and workers who kept the Strip District moving. In 1933 he opened a little storefront at 18th and Smallman with his brothers Dick and Stanley and his nephew John DePriter, feeding drivers and shift workers at all hours.

The fries got there by accident. One winter a driver brought in a load of potatoes to see if they had frozen. John fried them up on the grill, customers asked for them, and onto the sandwich they went. Meat, cheese, tomato, coleslaw and fries, all stacked between two slices of Italian bread. A driver could hold the whole meal in one hand and keep the other on the wheel.

That's still the sandwich, and the original shop on 18th Street is still serving it to night owls, Steelers fans and anybody who wants to taste Pittsburgh in one bite.

The original is Primanti Bros., 46 18th Street in Strip District.

At a glance

The basics, from public records.

Primanti Bros. is a chain American restaurant at 45 McIntyre Square Drive in Ross, one of the North Hills communities in Allegheny County.

We list 10 Primanti Bros. locations across Allegheny County.

Details

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

Address45 McIntyre Square Drive
TownRoss
CategoryAmerican
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

No match on file
We couldn't confidently match this listing to a recent county inspection record. That usually means the permit is filed under a different name or address, not that it was never inspected.Source: Allegheny County Health Department open data.

Nearby

The closest listings to Primanti Bros.. 140 places in Ross.

Ross guide

Sources: listing details and inspections from Allegheny County Health Department food facility data via WPRDC (public domain). Story sources: Primanti Bros., Our Story; Penn State University Libraries, Steel City’s Signature Sandwich; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Digs; Pittsburgh City Council legislation. Map from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line. Distances are straight line. Listing data refreshed Oct 28, 2026.