Manliest Restaurants In America: 'Men's Health' Declares Primanti Bros. The Most Dude-Friendly Restaurant

What constitutes a "manly" restaurant? Is it an establishment that serves red meat? Big portions? A really thick sandwich? It may be a little 1953 to classify certain foods as "manly," but Men's Health has rounded up a variety of establishments that it deemed worthy of the honor. The magazine crowned Primanti Bros. of Pittsburgh, Pa. the winner of the first annual "Manliest Restaurant In America" competition, from among 45 nominees. The shop is best known for serving big, meat-filled sandwiches that come with French fries inside the sandwich, rather than on the side. In a press release e-mailed to The Huffington Post, the magazine describes Primanti's:

Because sit-down restaurants are for sissies. At Primanti Bros., you order your sandwich with the side dishes stuffed inside it, so you can perform some sort of manual labor with your right hand and eat with your left. The result: a bicep-buster of a sandwich so good you'll (try to) eat the whole thing.

Anyone else hearing phantom cavemen grunts?

The magazine has teamed up with the Travel Channel show, Food Paradise, to air an hour-long episode of "America's Manliest Restaurants" on November 30, at 10pm. In addition to focusing on Primanti Bros., the show will also highlight regional winners:

Mid-Atlantic: Primanti Bros. (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Los Angeles: Salt's Cure (Los Angeles, Ca.)
Gulf Coast: Alabama Jack's (Key Largo, Fl.)
San Francisco: Original Joe's (San Jose, Ca.)
Northeast: Keens Steakhouse (New York City, Ny.)
Southwest: Salt Lick BBQ (Austin, Tx.)
Southeast: Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Chicken (Memphis, Tn.)
Northwest: Couloir (Jackson Hole, Wy.)
Midwest: Jethro's BBQ (Des Moines, Ia.)

Pass us the beer pitcher -- male or female, we can totally get down with this list.

Comments

[Lafire Emanuel]

06:21 PM on 03/08/2012

Looks Good!!!

[Y ME]

02:05 PM on 11/28/2011

Phillipes (sp?) !

[jchowell3657]

01:48 PM on 11/28/2011

Good choice on Salt Lick Barbecue in Austin. County Line Barbecue is also great.

[PleaseNoPolitics]

12:52 PM on 11/28/2011

How the hell are you going to have a manly list that doesn't include wings?

Huff&Puff...

[lgtshot]

12:32 PM on 11/28/2011

Surfer's Club north and south of Brisbane, Aust. has the largest sandwiches this world traveler has ever seen....the sandwich sits at least 8" high...........

[bigwingnut]

01:14 PM on 11/28/2011

Damn, I didn't know Australia was part of America!!

[locodrjohn]

01:25 PM on 11/28/2011

I think you have sandwich envy. : )

[lsfan12345]

12:27 PM on 11/28/2011

Should have included St Elmo's Steakhouse in Indianapolis IN. Very man-friendly atmosphere, incredible steaks, large portions, tuxedo'd servers, excellent service... A much better choice over a place that simply piles everything between two slices of bread.

[Al Schrader]

12:13 PM on 11/28/2011

Oh, you mean a big hunk of meat on a hard roll ? Au Jus dipping sauce ? A big tall glass of beer ?
Ok, yeah I can see that....Al-

[paradisewriter]

11:58 AM on 11/28/2011

What's up with the "Gulf Coast" listing? Alabama Jack's and Key Largo aren't on the Gulf Coast by any stretch. Actually, splitting hairs, Jack's is not even on Key Largo. Look for it on Card Sound Road.

[paradisewriter]

12:05 PM on 11/28/2011

More precisely, take Card Sound Road left off US-1 in Florida City and Jack's in on the right just before the Card Sound Bridge. A little out of the way but worth a stop on your way to the keys.

[lgtshot]

12:30 PM on 11/28/2011

Pittsburgh isn't a Mid-Atlantic area either...........

[CapsFan1988]

02:13 PM on 11/28/2011

i was thinking the same thing/ Mid-Atlantic= Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland and sometimes Delaware... PA is considered a part of the North East.

I know of many manly places around the DC area, too bad none of them made the list.

However, if a restaurant has sports playing on the TVs, pool tables, a full bar, rock music playing (not hip hop or dance), and lots of large portions of meats and potatoes, and hot waitresses (and a smoking section would be nice too) then it gets my vote and patronage!

[reponomore]

10:07 AM on 11/28/2011

Shapiroes Deli In Indianapolis

[bjvela60]

09:42 AM on 11/28/2011

Been there some years ago. My impression was the cook with a cigerette hanging out the side of his mouth, making sandwiches with out food handlers gloves, then slapping a woman worker on the butt as she passed. Nope not a manly place. Food sucked, no taste, environment faux working class. Cabelas is a good choice.

[Shyla22]

09:01 AM on 11/28/2011

What about the Big Texan in Amarillo? How much more manly can you get than a 72oz steak + sides challenge?!?!

[locodrjohn]

01:26 PM on 11/28/2011

Eating a cow isn't manly. It's neanderthal! Just kidding.

[carnivor52]

08:57 AM on 11/28/2011

Primanti's is a completely overrated sandwich. I have had it and the fact that it has more junk in it than other sandwiches is because it tries to hide that fact that all tastes as bland as can be. There are at least two dozen hoagie, sandwich and cheesesteak shops in Philadelphia that are clearly better than Primanti's- Paesano's, Timmy D's, Fink's, Campo's, Primo's Hoagies, etc., etc.

[DutchOvenFire]

08:45 AM on 11/28/2011

I was mildly surprised that Cabela's was not mentioned. True, there is no alcohol served. But what could be more 'manly' than a restaurant serving exotic meat and comfort food that is located in a boating/camping/fishing/hunting store.

I understand that Bass Pro Shop is similar.

[cammerconcepts]

08:27 AM on 11/28/2011

Please hire some heterosexual men to write about issues that have to do with men. Having women and gays do it just doesn't get the job done, if you are serious about attracting a more diverse crowd to this mostly one-sided, left-wing publication. Just a suggestion. Remember. diverse also includes straight, white men.

[jimbo175]

08:46 AM on 11/28/2011

Amen.

[Willing to Consider]

09:00 AM on 11/28/2011

Wow. An article about food and you managed to bring politics into it. That's...um...a wee tad obsessive, don't you think? (And, before you say or infer otherwise, I am a straight, married man, not a vegan or anything like that.)

[cammerconcepts]

09:21 AM on 11/28/2011

I can tell you're a youngster by the way you, "um" write...20s maybe? This article was written by a woman for men. I want to read stories about men written by REAL men...get it cupcake?

[ALTONFLASH]

08:24 AM on 11/28/2011

NY SUCKS..........

[Megandale]

03:44 PM on 11/23/2012

Why, because it has the best restaurants? Museums? Theater?