The Pretzel Shop is a Pittsburgh staple, this family owned bakery has been serving our city for almost a century. The business began in 1927 and was purchased by a local carpenter in the 1980’s. His family has continued to twist up pretzels for Pittsburghers ever since. The shop thrives with three generations of family working together every single day to bake delicious pretzels with a process that hasn’t changed since they opened.
Pretzel preparation begins as early as 4:00AM, lighting the century old brick oven and prepping the equally long-standing “machine” that churns out thousands of pieces of pretzel dough every day. This dough is then skillfully twisted at a rate unachievable by a machine. The bakers twist pretzels by hand for hours and carefully bake them by an open flame, all to achieve pretzel-perfection. They supply not only the hungry customers in the store front, but also numerous local businesses and restaurants throughout the city.
The Pretzel Shop is a quintessential Pittsburgh business, not only due to its family origins and Steel City roots, but because of the diversity and tradition that it creates. Mention this shop to any Pittsburgher and they’re sure to have a story to share about their grandparents taking them to watch pretzels bake early on Saturday mornings, the old man who sold them on the street corner, or stopping in to grab a bag to take to their tailgate, meeting, birthday party, and everything in between. Like many restaurants in Pittsburgh, the shop still serves many hardworking industrial employees and their families, but also attracts locals, young families, and broke college students. Really, you can eat here with the change from your car’s cup holder.
A regular pretzel is only 60 cents! A full lunch, made up of a pretzel sandwich, drink, and a treat will cost you less than $8, if you’re feeling real spendy grab a cup of homemade soup and an extra pretzel and it’ll be a splurge at about $12.
They offer a wide selection of sandwiches with something for everyone. Our favorites are the chicken salad sandwich, buffalo chicken, and chipotle turkey. All of these are served on a fresh pretzel bun, with your choice of cheeses, toppings, and sauces.
The soups are only served on cold days, but they cannot be beat, if they’re serving wedding, tortellini, or chicken pot pie, get yourself in line.
The flavored pretzels range from classic sugar and cinnamon to cheesy goodness like tomato basil or parmesan bacon, all of them will leave you wanting seconds.
Check out the catering menu if you’re looking to make yourself the office favorite for a while.
Truthfully, you can’t go wrong with anything here and the history, family, and hard work that goes into each and every item served is something that every Pittsburgher and Pittsburgh visitor should experience. Take a trip dahn to Southside and share your pretzel experience with us on Instagram!
You can learn more about The Pretzel Shop here:
The Cooking Channel: Cheap Eats