BLUEBERRY SOFT SERVE AT PAGE’S ON THE SOUTH SIDE | PHOTO BY NATALIE RODRIGUEZ

On this hottest week of the year so far, where can we go for some cold relief?

We dispatched two of our interns to try out places for tasty ice cream and other chilled desserts — some of our old favorites and some almost brand new. Here they are:

1. Page’s
2. Crispy Cones
3. The Black Canary
4. Gus & Yiayia’s
5. Leona’s Ice Cream
6. Millie’s Firetruck

Page’s

LINES FORM EARLY AT PAGE’S ON THE SOUTH SIDE | PHOTO BY NATALIE RODRIGUEZ

On a Monday afternoon, many ice cream shops are preparing for the busy evening to come. But Pages manages lines that stretch around the building just hours after opening.

Page’s has been a Pittsburgh staple since 1951, and long lines are nothing new for the shop. Located under an overpass along East Carson Street, the shop serves both new and familiar favorites.

With more than a dozen soft-serve flavors, sundaes and milkshakes, the shop’s owner, Margie Prusin, is always looking for new inspiration.

Prusin began testing a Buckeye soft serve, a combination of peanut butter and chocolate. As well as a “big back” arctic swirl with Nancy B’s cookies, Reese’s cups and pretzels with a fudge-filled center.

In addition to new creations, Page’s offers customers limited-edition, soft-serve flavors that are only available for a few weeks each summer. The limited edition fresh blueberry soft serve uses real blueberries to balance the ice cream’s sweet flavor.

While the shop has been around for decades, Page’s recently announced it will be adding an ice cream truck to spread its sweet confections beyond the South Side. Prussin purchased a truck from Facebook Marketplace and hopes to have it ready by the end of summer.

“It was an older truck, but it only had like 3,000 miles on it,” Prusin says. “It went to the mechanics for a bit, then to the body shop and it’s being inspected…But everything takes so long. And if there’s a holdup, then we’re just waiting longer to hear back.”

Page’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and posts updates on its Instagram.

SOUTH SIDE: 4112 E. Carson St., 15210

— Natalie Rodriguez

Crispy Cones

TRADITIONAL CRISPY CONE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM, NUTELLA AND KITKAT TOPPING | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

Popularized by ABC’s “Shark Tank,” Pennsylvania’s first Crispy Cones franchise opened this past spring in Allison Park.

Owners of the Pittsburgh franchise, Mike and Ronna Brestensky, learned about the company when watching the March 17, 2023 “Shark Tank” episode in February 2024, and were immediately interested. They had always wanted to own a business — they had imagined a pizza place — though both of them still work full-time jobs.

Ronna is a third-grade teacher at Freeport Area School District and Mike works more than 40 hours a week at the steel mill in Brackenridge.

“I think it’s a midlife crisis,” Mike says, laughing.

They opened their shop on April 11 and in its first two months, business has been unbelievable, he says. Eventually, they may even expand their franchise to more areas in Pittsburgh.

The idea for Crispy Cones came from Jeremy Carlson, who saw similar cone pastries being made by street vendors in the Czech Republic. After establishing his first shop in Idaho, he made his pitch on “Shark Tank” to franchise the business, and one of the Sharks, Barbara Corcoran, agreed to fund his expansion plans.

After seeing that “Shark Tank” episode, the Brestenskys reached out to Crispy Cone and flew  out to Idaho to sample the products; they immediately fell in love with the treat.

The dessert is constructed with a freshly grilled dough cone, warm and covered in a topping of choice — the traditional option is rolled in cinnamon sugar and they have new options every month. Customers have a choice of filling: peanut butter, Nutella, Biscoff and finally ice cream flavor and topping.

Mike recommends a traditional cone, vanilla ice cream, Nutella filling and a KitKat topping.

I took all of his recommendations, except I opted for chocolate instead of vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was a really rich creamy chocolate, and though the cone took some getting used to, with its soft, still warm, dough shell, the ice cream melted right through it, but luckily they served the cones in a cup to catch any of the dripping.

The couple gave Crispy Cones marketing a lot of credit, saying they have done a lot with social media outreach to get the word out.

Their franchise is No. 14 in the Crispy Cone arsenal and more are planned, Ronna says.

“Once you taste it, you fall in love,” Mike says. “You taste it, and you know you’re going to get people.”

They are open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

ALLISON PARK: 4906 William Flinn Highway, Suite 101, 15101

— Naomi Girson

The Black Canary

DINOSAUR CRUNCH AT THE BLACK CANARY IN BLAWNOX | PHOTO BY NATALIE RODRIGUEZ

Ice cream and coffee. To some, this may seem like an unlikely pairing, but The Black Canary in Blawnox finds a way to perfectly blend the two ideas.

The superhero-inspired coffee and ice cream shop opened in 2023 and is now a staple in the community.

The shop’s owner, Rodney Burrell, designed The Black Canary to be a community gathering spot; the space features various seating areas, as well as a game room in the back of the shop.

The Black Canary’s product line can attract different customers depending on the season.

“Fall and winter are typically busier for the coffee shop because people were all crazy over pumpkin spice and caramel,” Burrell says.

While the shop still makes lattes in the summer, the demographic shifts to those who enjoy cold treats on a hot day.

“In the summer, we noticed an uptick in milkshakes,” Burrell says. “Obviously, because there are a lot of kids off from school and a lot of the college kids, and they want milkshakes and ice cream.”

Burrell comes up with flavors whenever inspiration strikes, but many new ideas come from his son, who also works as a barista.

One of The Black Canary’s new flavors for the summer is called Dinosaur Crunch — vanilla ice cream, dyed blue with broken-up cookie wafer pieces. Burrell suggests pairing the ice cream with espresso to create an affogato (an Italian dessert in which warm espresso is poured over the ice cream).

Dinosaur Crunch is a simple, yet satisfying flavor, but the dye might turn your mouth blue for the rest of the day.

Another new flavor is the shop’s take on banana cream pie, but they also have classic flavors for those who desire simpler options.

In its aim to be a community space, The Black Canary hosts various events, including an upcoming art show and Bible studies on Saturday mornings.

The shop is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

BLAWNOX: 276 Freeport Road, 15238

— Natalie Rodriguez

Gus & Yiayia’s

GUS & YIAYIA’S ICE BALL CART ON WEST OHIO STREET ON THE NORTH SIDE | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

There’s a sign in the middle of the road on West Ohio Street on the North Side that reads “Slow Dahn,” “Have Shaved Ice.”

Blink and you’ll miss it, but Gus & Yiayia’s Ice Ball Stand has operated for 91 years and you’ll find the bright yellow cart parked right off the road in Allegheny Commons Park.

With nothing costing over $4, they sell popcorn, peanuts and, most importantly, their ice balls, in small medium and large sizes — all cash only.

Though Gus Kalaris — who took over the cart duties at age 17 after his own father’s death — died last June at the age of 92, his daughter, Christina Avalon now operates the cart.

It’s open five days a week (Thursday through Monday), from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the warmer months.

Their 12 ice flavors — made fresh daily by their manager, Michael Spanos — vary from banana, pineapple and peach to rootbeer and cotton candy.

But, you don’t have to get just one flavor.

Avalon recommends trying a Stella, a mix of cherry, grape and blueberry, or a Gus — cherry, orange and lemon, named after her mom and dad’s go-to concoctions.

I tried a “Gus,” per Avalon’s recommendation, and I thought the flavors all complemented each other really nicely. I did have to ask how to eat it, because they pack the ice so full it’s hard to get the spoon in. Once I got some of the initial ice out of the way I was encouraged to drink it, which almost made the flavoring even tastier.

Because of the cart’s longevity, returning customers are now bringing their children, and later, their grandchildren. In a few cases, a couple who visited the cart on their first date have returned on their wedding day, bringing their wedding party brigade in limousines, just to have another ice ball.

“Look at the walk of life here, from here to there and everywhere in between,” Avalon says, pointing to solo patrons strolling in and out, and families sitting with their children, napkins in hand, trying to keep the syrup from spilling out of the cups.

“People are quite happy to be here, it’s a happy place,” Avalon says.

— Naomi Girson

Leona’s Ice Cream

LEONA’S CINNAMON/OATMEAL LACE ICE CREAM SANDWICH | PHOTO BY NATALIE RODRIGUEZ

Tucked away behind walls of construction, Pittsburghers will soon find a new Leona’s Ice Cream Shop, gleaming on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood.

Leona’s Ice Cream is a specialty ice cream distributor, with plans to open a shop later this summer. The ice cream company focuses on lactose-free products, including ice cream sandwiches and pints.

The idea started when owner Katie Heldstab noticed a lack of high-quality, lactose-free ice cream in 2013.

“When we started, the only non-dairy options were almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk,” Heldstab says. “And they weren’t very good. They have gotten much better over the years, but they were pretty substandard, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to eat real ice cream.”

Leona’s now has more than a dozen flavors for every different palate. Their new Black Sesame on Salted Tahini Chocolate Chunk ice cream sandwich balances sweet and savory elements, while their classic, Cinnamon on Oatmeal Lace ice cream sandwich focuses on familiar, comforting notes.

Before the Garfield shop officially opens, owner Katie Heldstab has planned “First Friday” preview events at the current construction site.

The preview events debut new products unique to the new shop. One concept that has not yet hit grocery stores is their new “crispwich.” Crispwiches are two rice cereal treats with ice cream in the middle that also act as a gluten-friendly option.

For fans unable to attend the First Friday events, Leona’s Ice Cream still distributes its sandwiches and pints to more than over 50 locations across the Pittsburgh area.

Leona’s Ice Cream posts updates about their new flavor and shop on their Instagram.

— Natalie Rodriguez

Millie’s Firetruck

Millie’s Homemade has been around for more than a decade now, with franchises all over the Pittsburgh area and in Florida. This summer, keep an eye out in Lawrenceville for a new addition — a mini fire truck.

Millie’s has always involved mobile ice cream vehicles as well as brick-and-mortar locations, but the firetruck is just one of numerous vehicles owned by the owners of Millie’s Lawrenceville location, Jason Horowitz and Tina Scheuring, according to Lauren Townsend, co-founder of the company.

The two have a fascination with Japanese vintage vehicles, and their tiny fire truck recently represented Millie’s in the Memorial Day parade in Lawrenceville.

They also steer the truck into car shows and events in their territory, complete with the Millie’s logo plastered on the side.

As for Millie’s ice cream, the beginning of summer brings new flavors including their picnic series, which has blueberry pie, key lime pie, Arnold Palmer (lemonade iced tea) and a dairy-free orange dreamsicle.

They always have their old favorites, including Chad’s vanilla and Best Chocolate, but they also offer more avant garde flavors including buckeye, strawberry jam, dairy-free candy apple, blue cotton candy and cinnamon chocolate churro.

I personally enjoy their dairy-free brownie batter milkshake — it’s handheld, portable and slightly less messy than a normal cone with the protective dome lid shakes offered.

Find their full list of locations (including Florida’s Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach) here.

— Naomi Girson