The Old-School Pittsburgh Spot Serving Giant Fried Fish Sandwiches For Over 150 Years

There's only one place in Pittsburgh where hungry customers can experience the "Cod Father" of seafood while stepping into the shoes of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Rocky Marciano, and former president Jimmy Carter. It's a place where the walls are covered from floor to ceiling in old-school movie memorabilia and photographs of famous patrons, and where nearly every person you meet will have a childhood story to share about grabbing a bite at the city's oldest bar and restaurant. We are, of course, talking about none other than the Original Oyster House, which is nestled in the busy streets of Market Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Original Oyster House has been a Pittsburgh staple for over 150 years, catering to the state's long legacy of dishing out oysters, clams, fish, and other seafood. The historic restaurant is known for its beloved Famous Jumbo Fish and Monster Fish Sandwich, but it also offers a hearty menu filled with crab cakes, butterfly shrimp, baked scrod, and, of course, oysters, which are available year-round. We also rated it as the best seafood on our list of 20 restaurants in Pittsburgh you should know, affirming that it's easily the O.G. of breaded and fried seafood in the area. At one point, there were nine operating Oyster House locations around the Pittsburgh area — today, though, there's only the three-storey original Market Square location.

Not too much is known about the original proprietor of the Oyster House, who opened the tavern-like restaurant in 1870 – but in 1916, the business was purchased by Louis "Silver Dollar Louie" Americus, who helped turn its jumbo fish sandwiches into the legend they are today. Americus operated the restaurant for over 50 years, then Louis J. Grippo purchased the establishment in 1970, just about a year before the restaurant earned a historic landmark plaque in 1971. In 2017, when Grippo passed away, his daughter, Jennifer, and wife, Mary, teamed up to keep the Original Oyster House afloat.

Although the Oyster House has spent many years slinging classic seafood dishes, the building itself is thought to be much older. Supposedly, it was constructed in 1827 by the grandfather of former mayor Bob O'Connor's wife, Judy O'Connor. The building served as the home of Bear Tavern, and much of the historic building remains the same, including the dumbwaiter, floor tiles, mahogany bar, and tin ceiling. Since then, the Original Oyster House has become the restaurant of choice for locals, celebrities, politicians, and sports figures alike, and it's even featured in over 25 movies. The restaurant still makes regular appearances on food shows, like Travel Channel's "Food Paradise," and welcomes visitors from around the world.