OT, but relevant. The Original Hot Dog shop in Oakland (Pittsburgh) has closed.Update

[Brian Van Horn]

It was sixty years old and dates back to the days of Forbes Field. It opened four months before Mazeroski's home run:

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/04/18/the-o-shuts-down/

[bbnut]

Wait. You have a place called Oakland near Pittsburgh, PA? We have a town called Pittsburgh near Oakland, CA.

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[rhettyeakley]

Wait. You have a place called Oakland near Pittsburgh, PA? We have a town called Pittsburgh near Oakland, CA.

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The Oakland area in Pittsburgh is the academic center of the city (University of Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon-the latter is technically in Squirrel Hill but it is right there)

I went to Dental School at the University of Pittsburgh, I miss the area quite a bit and should get back there soon. I am sad about anything historic going out of business although I don't think I ever actually ate at the Hot Dog shop.

[where the gold at?]

yeah sad times....alot of mom and pop places wont survive this.
what id do for a chilli dog and fries right now

[mikemcgrail]

Wow, sad news. I spent alot of time there in the early 80s. Place was nicknamed The Dirty O!

[Cozumeleno]

It is incredibly sad news. I went to Pitt in the late 1990s and spent many late nights at the O when it was maybe the only place open at 3 a.m. Right in the heart of campus near the dorms. People would funnel in there after parties and whatnot. I once saw Virgil the pro wrestler, who lives nearby, step out of a car in an nWo shirt going inside at like 2 a.m. That will have context for very few people but, well, it was that kind of joint. Even famous locals went there and you never knew who you might see there.

The pizza was cheap and edible when it was fresh. Forget about trying to eat it the next day, though. It was called the Original Hot Dog Shop but I never actually ate a hot dog there. Cheap. Not the cleanest joint. But when you're a starving college kid on a budget, it was tough to beat.

Amazing and ridiculously large quantities of fries that were incredible. They have made some Best Fries lists, such as this one (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-french-fries/index.html).

The news was really out of the blue, which is why so many are shocked by it. Despite living only about 25 minutes away, I can't tell you the last time I went there. Trying to find parking in Oakland is a hassle. Now, I am wishing I had gotten there at least once more.

[Cliff Bowman]

Wait. You have a place called Oakland near Pittsburgh, PA? We have a town called Pittsburgh near Oakland, CA.

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Atlanta has a Pittsburgh neighborhood and a Oakland neighborhood. The Pittsburgh neighborhood was named after the city in PA because it’s an industrial area.

[Bpm0014]

As a Pittsburgher, let’s be honest. The O and Primantis are garbage. Give me Fatheads any day.

[toppcat]

I had relatives on my dad's side in Pittsburgh and one of my cousins, Tim Hornish, was a punter for the Pitt Panthers in the early 70's. Visited once, in August 1977 which I remember because Elvis died while we were there.

[Jay Wolt]

which I remember because Elvis died while we were there.
Betcha it was the hot dogs & oversized fries :D

[Mark]

Sorry to see it go. Whenever I would go to Oakland, I enjoyed knowing that it was still going strong---still across the street from where the home plate entrance should be. When I was a little kid, we never ate there. I saved my money for Forbes' Field's well-known green hot dogs.

[NYHighlanderFan]

As a Pittsburgher, let’s be honest. The O and Primantis are garbage. Give me Fatheads any day.

And Fatheads is so good because it is from Cleveland!
😂😂😂

[toppcat]

Betcha it was the hot dogs & oversized fries :D

I am not taking that bet!

[Marslife]

food on a college kids budget!

here is what an order of fries got you:

395839

[Brian Van Horn]

It may not be dead yet:

pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/05/21/mark-cuban-the-original-hot-dog-shop-purchase-attempt/

If it works, cardiologists in Pittsburgh will be booked solid for the next two years!

Update to the update:

https://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/2020/05/21/mark-cuban-the-o-pittsburgh-oakland/stories/202005210155

[Beansballcardblog]

That Virgil note made me literally LOL

It is incredibly sad news. I went to Pitt in the late 1990s and spent many late nights at the O when it was maybe the only place open at 3 a.m. Right in the heart of campus near the dorms. People would funnel in there after parties and whatnot. I once saw Virgil the pro wrestler, who lives nearby, step out of a car in an nWo shirt going inside at like 2 a.m. That will have context for very few people but, well, it was that kind of joint. Even famous locals went there and you never knew who you might see there.

The pizza was cheap and edible when it was fresh. Forget about trying to eat it the next day, though. It was called the Original Hot Dog Shop but I never actually ate a hot dog there. Cheap. Not the cleanest joint. But when you're a starving college kid on a budget, it was tough to beat.

Amazing and ridiculously large quantities of fries that were incredible. They have made some Best Fries lists, such as this one (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-french-fries/index.html).

The news was really out of the blue, which is why so many are shocked by it. Despite living only about 25 minutes away, I can't tell you the last time I went there. Trying to find parking in Oakland is a hassle. Now, I am wishing I had gotten there at least once more.

[botport]

Put me in the camp of those that will miss / hope the "O" can be saved.

For what and where it was the place was tough to beat.
Pretty much dead nuts center of campus, quick and affordable grub, open late. By no means gourmet stuff but consistent quality, I personally would rather eat at a place that sells 10k hot dogs a week than a place doing sparse business with a twenty plus item menu.

To the poster that mentioned Fat Heads being from Cleveland. Well played, we love that stuff here. I will try not to let it ruin my appetite for my favorite item there .. the aloha chicken sandwich (i don't think its a headwich).

To all the Pittsburgh natives, transplants and visitors ... thanks for sharing your stories.

[Marslife]

this just in! oopps saw already posted... sorry for the dupe.

https://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/2020/05/21/mark-cuban-the-o-pittsburgh-oakland/stories/202005210155

Mark Cuban is trying to save a Pittsburgh institution. No, it’s not the Pirates.

Instead, the Mt. Lebanon native, Dallas Mavericks owner and “Shark Tank” star is working to revive the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland, a staple of the Pitt campus he once walked as an undergrad.

The restaurant shuttered last month after 60 years in business. Its iconic neon signs are now gone, to the dismay of many who spent their college days savoring its celebrated French fries inside its location at the intersection of South Bouquet Street and Forbes Avenue.

Cuban offered those folks some hope Thursday during an interview with Pat McAfee, himself a Pittsburgh-area native and West Virginia football alum who’s now an analyst for ESPN.

[MooseDog]

Wait. You have a place called Oakland near Pittsburgh, PA? We have a town called Pittsburgh near Oakland, CA.

To be fair, it's "Pittsburg" (no "h") for the one near Oakland, CA...