Best Cold Treats Around Pittsburgh
As the summer temperatures rise, so does the desire for a cold treat. Ice cream and other frozen treats are a staple of the summer season. A frozen dessert is great to enjoy at the end of the evening as the sun is going down or a perfect treat to sneak in during a long lunch at work. Whether it's a sundae, shake, cone or frozen yogurt you're craving, here are some great places to add to your list of summer treat spots.
Best Ice Cream:
Dave and Andy's Homemade Ice Cream
207 Atwood St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 681-9906
www.facebook.com/DaveNAndys
Located in Oakland, Dave and Andy's has been a favorite of the college crowd since it opened in 1983. Many ice cream chains have come and gone in the area, but Dave and Andy's has remained, still producing its homemade ice cream and hand-rolled waffle cones. This small, often crowded, sweet-smelling ice cream shop offers 200 different flavors of ice cream. Flavors range from standard vanilla and chocolate to more experimental flavors such as white chocolate cinnamon habanero. Dave and Andy's famous finishing touch is to place an M&M in the bottom of each waffle cone to hold the ice cream in.
Related: Best French Fries in Pittsburgh
Best Milkshake:
Mercurio's Mulberry St. Creamery
5523 Walnut St
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 621-6220
www.mercuriosgelatopizza.com
Located in Shadyside, Mercurio's is a pizza shop and cafe that also happens to be famous for its delicious gelato, which is handmade at its creamery located in Kittanning. Gelato is an Italian-style, low fat, creamy and flavorful frozen dessert. Mercurio's offers 30 daily flavors of gelato as well as some rotating specialty flavors and you can order a milkshake made with any one of them. A shake made with gelato tastes indulgent and creamy, but actually has less fat than shakes made with traditional ice cream. With sophisticated flavors such as hazelnut, dulce de leche and raspberry and truffles, the shake you order can be as traditional or unique as you wish.
Best Sundae:
Sarris Candies & Ice Cream
511 Adams Ave
Canonsburg, PA 15317
(724) 745-4042
www.sarriscandies.com
Located just 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh in Canonsburg, Sarris Candies is famous for its rich, high-quality chocolates sold at many stores throughout the area. A trip to the Sarris factory allows customers the added treat of being able to enjoy a sundae at the adjacent ice cream parlor. Sarris has 23 different flavors of ice cream every bit as decadent as its candies. Sarris hand makes all toppings with many of the same ingredients used to make its candies, such as caramel, hot fudge, peanut butter and raspberry. This ensures that each ice cream treat can incorporate the famous Sarris candies into the mix. Try one of the specialty sundaes such as Candyman's Dream (two scoops of double rich chocolate ice cream topped with hot fudge, maple walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry) or Merry Berry Circus (three scoops of vanilla and strawberry ice cream topped with strawberry, pineapple and blueberry toppings, whipped cream and a cherry).
Best Frozen Yogurt:
Sweetlix Tart Frozen Yogurt
820 Liberty Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 281-2171
www.facebook.com/Sweetlix-Tart-Frozen-Yogurt
Located downtown, Sweetlix offers the latest trend in frozen yogurt -- tart frozen yogurt. This frozen yogurt has less fat and fewer calories than standard frozen yogurt and is packed with tangy flavor. The flavors at Sweetlix change daily and consist of fruit-based tastes such as raspberry sorbet, lemon or blueberry as well as rich flavors like white chocolate macadamia, vanilla custard and peppermint stick. This shop offers a variety of toppings such as cheesecake nibbles, brownie bites and flavored syrups. The daily flavors are posted each day on the store's Facebook page.
Best Smoothies:
Pure Cafe
119 Neely School Road
Wexford, PA 15090
(724) 935-1515
www.pureathletex.com
Located a little over 20 minutes north of downtown in the Pure Athletex Sportsplex in Wexford, Pure Cafe is a great place to enjoy a variety of cold, refreshing smoothies after a game of tennis or racket ball. Customers can relax and enjoy a smoothie in the cafe or grab one on the go from the drive through. Whether you are looking to satisfy your craving for a sweet, cold treat or boost your health, Pure Cafe has an option for you. Its smoothie menu offers traditional fruit and yogurt smoothies with berries, bananas, pineapple, guava and papayas. In addition, it also offers soy smoothies made with soy milk and fruit or green tea, performance smoothies such as peanut butter protein power and low-cal smoothies such as the skinny minny made with strawberry-kiwi juice, strawberries and mangos (106 calories). Health boosters such as energy, smart, flu-fighter and stress relief are also available to add to any smoothie.
Related: Best Ice Cream in Pittsburgh
Jennifer Stockdale is a native of the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. She is a restaurant marketer and wine enthusiast and one of the hosts of the East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
