Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef

A great corned beef sandwich in a bar with plenty of character. Small place with friendly staff. Glad I stopped in.

Downtown Pittsburgh is deserted at night, especially on this street. I was asked if I needed help with directions by a well-​dressed stranger steps before entering into Sammy’s with my suitcase. That was sweet.
I got off the Amtrak train during the evening and was wandering around the area looking for a quick eat. Qdoba was closed. Originally, my plan was to eat here and then head to my hotel but I changed my order into a take-​out. Although only a few seats were occupied, the atmosphere was very heavy and intense. It was a little too quiet for me. I felt like I was in a saloon with a fight about to break out any minute.
I walked to the sandwich counter at the back of the bar and ordered the special. The woman was friendly although she didn’t seem to be up for much conversation. For less than $ 10 (~$ 8?), I got a pastrami sandwich on rye with cole slaw on the beef and a pickle on the side. Damn, the cole slaw was light and the pastrami was very tender and chewy! I devoured the whole thing. Definitely worth a trip to Sammy’s for this sandwich!

Belligerent bartender, dirty dishes and broken glassware.
Ordering my first (and only) round went smoothly. Conversely, when I noticed my mug had a chip in it, I politely asked for a replacement. The bartender, showing a great deal of condescension, acted as though this was a ridiculous request and illustrated his thoughts by pouting like a petulant child as he poured the beer from my damaged glass into a unclean replacement.
Ignoring the poor cleanliness of my second mug, as I was sensing some enmity, I continued with what I thought was proper decorum. I spared him the lesson on classical physics yet tried to explain that the glass chip may have fallen inside my beer, therefore, I would like a new draft. I also added that because I had already had a few drinks from my original, it would be perfectly acceptable for him to pour me only half a glass.
I could see that he was already precariously perched at the precipice of cantankerous conduct and possibly personally offended. Apparently, rational thought before asking for half a beer poured into a new glass (or on which to base any decision) became too much for him to handle. This is what must have sent him plummeting over the edge onto the behavior which I base my review.
With arduous focus maintaining a prison yard stare, he slammed both mugs into the sink. At the sound of broken glass I reconsidered explaining the basic principles of physics with an augmentation in decision-​making to thwart his poor life choices and their repetitive cycles. However the amplified air of hostility and roll of his eyes made me confident that he now understood how we ended up in this conundrum. Explication would be redundant and conceivably harmful. I nonchalantly looked away in an effort to prevent this volatile situation from reaching critical mass.
My labors to recover the situation were rewarded with a full glass of beer crashed onto the bar where it spilled over the sides to become a half glass of beer with a wet and sticky grip.
I let it go, after all, I didn’t come here with the futile notion of educating a bartender in the suitable customs and cultures of civilized society. If I ever hear anyone mention patronizing this place I’ll instead recommend a trip to the great ape exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo. From my experience the apes at the zoo exercise a more appropriate demeanor.
After the way I was treated I’m embarrassed to have spent money here. Fortunately there are a plethora of superior alternatives within walking distance.

I’m gonna miss this place now that I’m not going to work downtown anymore. The «Famous Special» with sauerkraut on marble rye was my favorite. Really really good.

This is my favorite place to go for a quick drink or food. Also the two bartenders Bubba and Dj are my two favorites.

Good food, horrible service.
If you have thick skin, you can definitely eat here. But if you are prone to being offended when someone’s rude to you, this is not the place to go.

Was in the Pittsburgh area for a few days and came here for their corned beef on rye sandwich through a recommendation of some locals we met and we are sure glad we tried this place. Their corned beef and cole slaw sandwich on rye is so tasty and yummy, that we returned for lunch again on our last day before our departing flight. The rye bread was fresh and soft and really compliments the sandwich. I will say though that this place is far from anything fancy and to be quite honest a bit run down with probably the worst bathrooms I have come across, but if your willing to look past this, you will get an great tasting sandwich. Give it a try if your in the downtown Pittsburgh area.

The most stunning dive of dives in the city– neon lights and Yuengling at 10AM sharp. And the sandwiches! They’re glorious. I may have erred in going for the brisket over the corned beef, but I couldn’t have been happier. Paper-​thin, moist, and sweet with onions and creamy dressing. The ideal sandwich, truly.

This place is a downtown must. Not fancy, by any means. But, that’s why I like it. It is a great shot and a beer place and the perfect spot to grab a beer before a Steelers or Buccos game. I love the Roast Beef on Rye. I think they use Breadworks bread. Keep up the great work, guys.

Absolutely the best corned beef sandwich ever. I have been a fan of Sammy’s for at least 25 years. It seems like nothing more than a bar, but don’t let that fool you. The corn beef is excellent. I like the corn beef special on light rye with the coleslaw and Swiss cheese.

The corned beef sandwich is the best. Add a cold brew and you don’t need anything else.

The famous corned beef sandwich on Rye is the way to go!

My favorite spot in Pittsburgh. Great corn beef sandwich, nice atmosphere, great bartender. Over all, a better vibe than any other downtown bar /​grill I visited! The bartender keeps a 2014 Almanac Book of Facts, to settle any dubious claims from any tall tale telling patron.

Not too impressed with the corned beef sandwich. I figure if you have the words «Famous Corned Beef» in you name it better be damn good… This one wasn’t at all.

I was in Pittsburgh for business in June and found this place. Nice place! Kind of a «shot & a beer“joint that sells really good corned beef sandwiches from a counter in the back of the place. Corned beef was really good! What makes them famous, I don’t know! They were not «that» good, but well worth the money! Check it out, but keep you expectations from getting too high…

Go have the corned beef. And a good Iron City draft. They’re both delicious. It’s a great lunch spot in downtown (I assume this is the one I went to; my receipt says 901 Liberty but 9^th is very close).

Not sure about others’ bad experiences… On arrival found clearly marked order counter with someone very happy to assist us. Good conversation as she prepared our sandwiches, quick and to order. Beer on tap was easy from a just as happy and helpful bartender. Beer was cold, sandwich was classic corned beef on rye deli made. I won’t hesitate to return if I’m back in Pittsburgh.

I didn’t have a drink at the bar, but one look around told me I would love this place as a bar. It’s just the kind of dusty, down to earth, sparsely filled place I like getting my drink on at and I will surely be back to sit at the bar and slow life down for awhile and have a brew. It should be also be noted that I have now found a new location to procure 16oz cans!!!
I stopped in on my half hour lunch break and ordered a roast beef sandwich.
The roast beef was warmed which I wasn’t expecting. For me I like my roast beef served with cheddar cheese… cheddar cheese isn’t exotic… but for some reason Sammy’s doesn’t have cheddar *frown…and I requested brown mustard none of that either.
So what I got was meat, lettuce and tomato with a large drink the total for my sammich and drink $ 8.00. That makes for an expensive lunch. Way more then the $ 4.85 I’m use to spending on my 6in Italian BMT…
I’ll be updating this once I see how the bartenders get down… but for now 3 stars the sandwich was way to expensive for what it was. No cheddar no 5 stars.

Came in and as the other reviews said it’s kind of dingy. I really was craving corned beef and have been wanting to try this place for a while.
The waitstaff is rude. There are no signs of where to order so I asked the bartender and he shoveled me towards the back.
I found the spot where they make the sandwiches and ordered the corned beef. I asked the next lady I wanted everything on it and to go. They do take credit cards to my surprise. Even Amex haha
I have to say my sandwich is quite delicious. The corned beef is quite good and the bread is soft. It came with a pickle that was huge! For around $ 6 bucks I really can’t complain. I’ll call this place a little hidden gem.

The idea of people going to restaurants and ordering things that aren’t on the menu only to slag them ruthlessly for not having those items is one that has always confused me. I assume these cranks want to dislike particular businesses and have churlish fun doing so.
Sammy’s is nothing more than what it is, and I’m not sure why some diners can’t appreciate it for that. If one wants the Big Apple delicatessen experience, one should board a Greyhound, and coincidentally, a bus station is blocks away from this Sammy’s satellite. So go. Far. Away. Please.
At Sammy’s, you’ll find adequate service, a mixed, civil, quiet clientele, old-​fashioned tavern décor, and fine, fine sandwiches served in normal proportions. Are they really «Famous?» I don’t know, don’t care, and hear no one «raving» about Sammy’s aside from its haughty, eternally malcontented detractors. Sammy’s makes sandwiches and serves alcohol, soft drinks, and a few other things. Cope with that.
Regardless, I still feel that Sammy’s makes a fabulously fatty yet fragile and flavorsome corned beef, but they do offer other kinds of sandwiches as well, and for some reason I was feeling like having tuna salad en route to a Symphony X concert at Altar Bar one evening last week, so that was what I treated myself to.
See, I often crave that chilly, mushy, rich, creamy, slightly crunchy tuna filling between slices of sturdy white bread from time to time, and Sammy’s delivered it unto me without fail, building the beast to my specifications (white bread, lettuce, tomato, onion, American cheese, and mayo). And I’d never ordered such a thing from Sammy’s before, either. So take a chance for you I did, the Unilocal lurker, coming out happily unscathed.
What I have ordered before is their luscious potato salad, and I ordered it again due to its abundance of waxy, yielding spud cubes, tenaciously velvety dressing, and whatever other good, good things comprise it.
A fat, cold obelisk of dill pickle completed my basket nicely and kept me going for the rest of the long, strident night ahead, so to me, the portion was adequate and destroyed Subway with a bolt of lightning.
Including a tall cup of Pepsi, my bill came to less than 7 dollars. I left a dollar tip and was thanked by my server who told me to «holler» if I needed anything else.
P. S. Over two years ago, I reviewed the corned beef sandwich itself at Sammy’s sadly defunct Lawrenceville location…