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Food & Tradition Make Strip District Special On Christmas Eve

STRIP DISTRICT (KDKA) - There's something about the Strip District on Christmas Eve that makes thousands of people want to sing and shop, but it's mostly about the food and tradition.

"This is where you can get the good fish and the good food I'm looking for," Jim Barrett said.

Wholey's is always jammed on Christmas Eve.

"It's a fun day. We look forward to it all year 'round. We plan for it. We have extra staff. Very quick," Jim Wholey said.

Of course, all kinds of fish are popular.

"We come down usually to get bisque like lobster and stuff we get for dinner on Christmas Eve," Carter Mastovich said.

Who can visit the Strip District without stopping by Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. for the best in Italian meats and olives and those great cheeses? Everyone has a favorite.

Matt Smith, his wife Eileen and three young kids make this an annual food affair.

"We usually go to Pamela's, we usually go to Wholey's, and it's nice because for the kids now it's a tradition for them and they enjoy coming down and picking out olives and cheese and meats at PennMac. So, it's really enjoyable," Smith said.

There's plenty to eat even out on the street -- like Sunseri's famous peperoni roll.

"We've been making peperoni rolls for seven days. We never stopped," Nino Sunseri said.

Try one and you'll know why they sell thousands.

What's a Christmas Eve tradition in the Strip District without coming to the original Primanti's, where the sandwiches are the bigger the better.

Justin Graham, from Boston, checked out Primanti's for the first time today.

"The pastrami is great, the fries are great. It's awesome," Graham said.

Nothing edible is off-limits on Christmas Eve in the Strip District!

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