Pittsburgh's defining sandwich stacks grilled meat, melted provolone, an oil-and-vinegar coleslaw and a handful of fries inside two thick slices of Italian bread. Everything goes in the sandwich, including the fries.
Around 1933, Joe Primanti set up a cart and then a counter at 46 18th Street in the Strip District to feed produce truckers and overnight workers. Putting the fries and slaw inside the bread let drivers eat one-handed without sitting down at a deli. The Almost Famous sandwich became the city's signature street food, and the original counter still stands. Versions now run from capicola and cheese to pastrami and the classic Pitts-burger.
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