Famed Pittsburgh sandwich shop Primanti Bros. is coming to Baltimore
The Ravens-Steelers rivalry may never die, but a Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain is hoping Baltimore diners will overlook regional differences when it comes to sandwiches.
Primanti Brothers Restaurant and Bar, the famed Pittsburgh sub shop, will open its first Baltimore-area store this spring. The 5,200-square-foot restaurant will be a short drive from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, at 996 Corporate Blvd. in Linthicum Heights, according to a representative for the company.
The 91-year-old Primanti Bros. has 43 locations, mostly concentrated in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and has been on an expansion kick, doubling its locations over the past decade. The chain has one other Maryland restaurant, in Hagerstown.
“There’s no better place for Primanti Bros. to continue its expansion than into the Baltimore region,” Adam Golomb, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring people together at the location in Linthicum. And while we might’ve been born out of Pittsburgh – we know once Baltimore gives us a shot – they’ll love what we do.”
The sub shop’s origins date back to 1933, when Joe Primanti set up a lunch cart in Pittsburgh’s Strip District to sell sandwiches to hungry truckers. Soon, he expanded to a small storefront and brought his brothers Dick and Stanley as well as their nephew John DePriter into the business. They won a following for their sandwiches stuffed with lunch meats as well as French fries — a convenient combination for truckers eating with one hand and driving with the other.
Today, Primanti Bros. is known for its Almost Famous sandwich, a pile of grilled meats, Provolone cheese, tomato slices, sweet-and-sour slaw and those signature fries. The restaurant also serves burgers, wings and pizza, as well as a menu of craft and domestic beers, liquor and cocktails.
