Sunseri Brothers

2010 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA - (412) 471-8330

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Posted By Michael Stern on 5/25/2001 4:40:00 AM

Sunseri's is easy to find on Saturday because that is when the accordionist serenades passers-by with "Volare" on the sidewalk just outside. Any other time, look for the sign on the wall that reads, If it's Italian, it's at Sunseri's. This is the Italians’ Italian store, in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Strip district – a neighborhood filled with good things to eat.

Sunseri’s is a brash market with old-world character and an inventory of groceries that makes us want to pull up in our pick-up and fill it up with edibles. Here you find the largest olive oil selection in Pittsburgh, olives sold from barrels (available in a wondrous configuration -- cooked warm, drizzled with olive oil and hot pepper flakes), impeccable produce from the market's wholesalers, and baked goods to make bread-lovers weak-kneed.

Of course there is crusty Italian bread and garlic bread made therefrom; but the house specialty, and the one dish we nominate as the pride of the Strip (alongside, maybe, a Primanti's sandwich, an Enrico macaroon, and a Jo-Jo omelet) is Sunseri's Visionary Bread -- a hefty oval loaf layered with roasted peppers, onion, garlic, mozzarella, and herbs. Like Sunseri Brothers itself, it is a sandwich bursting with color, good smells and mouth-watering flavor.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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"In the heart of the Strip district, which was named for its ribbon-like strip of streets, Sunseri Brothers is the place to go for all foods with an Italian accent."
Michael Stern

"Made here, or imported ..."
Michael Stern

"No matter what time you shop at Sunseri Brothers, there is always something being moved, unpacked, shelved, or shipped, both outside on the sidewalk as well as inside where the groceries are."
Michael Stern