Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt

I’ve grown up with Bruster’s, which I find to be quite similar to Handel’s, both touting «homemade» ice cream. Similar set ups: large boards with overwhelming choices, some of which are already gone but still on the board (banana cream pie). It’s mostly staffed by teenagers, some of whom are too busy checking their phones rather than attending to the growing line. There was no one in front of us when the employee immediately asked what we wanted. When I responded that we needed a moment, as should be expected if you put twenty flavors on a board and I’m indecisive, she disappeared. Well, actually, we watched her check her phone as they talked amongst themselves. Over five minutes and people trickling in before one of the four employees ventured back to the window. I don’t think we were giving the impression we weren’t ready at this point. So we sat there, after finding the two benches along the side, watching the line grow and one particular person continue to check her messages rather than attend to the window. Maybe I’m sensitive to this because my family has owned/​does own a business, but this poor work ethic, especially if it’s compromising efficiency. I think their ice cream is good, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t unique flavors or any better than some of the other ice cream places. And, as others have said, it’s a bit costly.

Hands down the best ice cream within at least a 10 mile radius. Awesome flavors and specialties. So. So. Good. Look for coupons in local retail magazines.
Delish!

I love Handel’s, but the problem is, if I go here too often, I’ll end up with Love Handles.
What to get: Chocolate Malt w/​Caramel (milkshake), Lemonade in summer.
This is a chain based in nearby Youngstown, Ohio, but it’s a local chain so you can feel good about frequenting them. They also have miraculous products that put Pitt-​based ice cream shops, sadly, to shame… especially in the milkshake department. Plus, the woman that owns this is really nice, and it’s a franchise, so a good portion of your money at least is staying in Pitt.
In the summer, they make delicious homemade lemonade which is a must-​try, but they are actually open year-​round, and the star item on the menu (and I’ve tried plenty), is a milkshake called «Chocolate Malt w/​Caramel Shake.» Get it, and see why it’s one of the best shakes in the country.
There’s another location up in the North Hills (McCandless), but if you’re anywhere South or East of downtown, or in Oakland, this is your closest bet.
I might bring Starlight here for a shake one day, just to see how she Handels it.

Family of four got waffle cones and a sundae for $ 15! Scoops are big! Ice cream is delicious! We will be back!

This place is absolutely FANTASTIC! I just moved to Pittsburgh and this is by far my favorite spot to get a tasty treat. They have a huge variety of flavors, I always try something different each time. Seriously though… best hot fudge sundae I’ve ever had in my entire life… and I’m from California. I’d give it 10 stars if I could!

Yum! There’s a long list of regular flavors, plus seasonal additions. I just had the salted caramel truffle in a waffle cone — _​delicious_​.

Homemade ice cream and a LOT of flavors! The ice cream is very creamy and delicious! They are open everyday until 10pm (I can’t remember what time they open) and there’s ample parking.

Just got a hurricane and she handed it to me completely melted. It was pretty much like cold milk! She said «ya I know, they are always like that» I was like wtf, I will NEVER come here again or recommend this Sloppy Milk Hole…

The ice cream was already dripping when handed to us. We we unable to finish eating the cones because the ice cream was too warm even after just a couple minutes and was melting everywhere. They need to keep the facility colder to ensure that the ice cream comes out like ice cream and not like syrup. Pricey too.

You can’t go wrong at Handel’s. Everything tastes good. From the shakes to the sundaes to the cones, they are all delicious. They have waffle cones, sugar cones, pretzel cones and even M & M cones. The ice cream is made right there and they change flavors every day. It’s open year round so if you get an ice cream craving even in the middle of a Snowpocalypse or a Polar Vortex you can have fresh made ice cream. They even make a special ice cream treat for dogs. There are always people hanging out with their kids and dogs enjoying the ice cream. It’s a family friendly place.

This is a great place to get ice cream! Large variety of Flavors, not to many & many ways to have your ice cream. They also have sodas (not just for soda floats), popsicles, lemonade and more.
The staff is always helpful, knowledgeable & friendly.
My only downfall is there is not many benches & there are no tables to sit down. There is plenty of space for a table or two. Especially since it is summer and I hate I have to drive home to eat my ice cream and it melts or sit in my car to eat.

This is my favorite place to get Ice Cream. I’m talking hand made, non-​soft serve slow melting ice cream. You think Dairy Queen is good? They and many got nothing on this place.
The Banana Cream Pie is my favorite but they have a flavor for everyone’s taste. They also have all the variations of sundaes and cones including the coveted waffle, in cone and bowl. If you can’t make up your mind they have a 4 scoop sampler for $ 4.65 including tax. They have seasonal flavors also and if you can catch it the pumpkin pie ice cream is some of the best you will of ever had but look for it towards the end of the season.
Good price, good location and quality service I wish they had more places like Rita’s or DQ but on a hot summer in Pittsburgh, this might be worth your drive from the city.

I’d have given it more stars, but I don’t like the way they have it set up. First off, they have a ton of flavors, and the ice cream tastes great. Better ice cream than you can get at most places. The reason I gave it a 3 start instead of 5 is because of their pricing. It’s super expensive. It’s not necessarily a bad deal though. They give you so much ice cream it makes you sick, but you feel like you need to eat all since you paid so much for it. I wish they’d charge less, and give you a more realistic amount of ice cream instead of so much that you feel like you want to throw up. I suppose you could just ask for one scoop, but I can eat a scoop of ice cream at home. If I’m out paying for ice cream, I usually like to get something I can’t get at my house, like a banana split or something.

I’m a fan of this ice cream shop. They have a large menu and lots of different flavors to pick from. They also have sugar free and sorbet. The banana split is a personal favorite and handells does it better then most. The scoops of ice cream are piled high and topped with fresh tasting pineapple, cherry, and nuts. They also have a dirt Sunday complete with gummy worms that my 4 year old loves. They even have ice cream for my dogs! The girls behind the counter are always friendly too. Check this one out next time your sweet tooth gets the better of you, I think you’ll be impressed.

Great homemade ice cream with an old-​school feel. The number of flavors they have was pretty astounding. So many I really didn’t know what to choose, so went ahead and just got a seasonal fresh peach. As expected, the ice cream contained actual peach chunks, which was a great addition. The ice cream itself was not too sweet and still quite creamy. The single scoop was huge, and was probably enough even for two people. All in all one of the better ice creams I’ve had in the region.

I LOVE this place! On our way home from dinner last night we stopped by here. We’ve been here before so I figured its about time I write a review. I love the banana split and this particular night was the warmest day in months and they were out of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Now don’t be sad for me because instead I got peanut butter cup and chocolate chunk. Let me just say I might like it more this way. There’s huge pieces of peanut butter cup in the peanut butter cup:) and the chocolate chunk was even more chocolaty then the regular chocolate. It was just so good. I may just have to ask for every banana split I get in the future to be made this way. Also they have puppy ice cream!!! My Track curls up in a ball with his back to me. It’s like he’s trying to keep it safe. It’s so funny. If you haven’t stopped by this place I recommend you do.

I’m sp glad there is a Handel’s near our Wal-​Mart. All of their flavors are divine. ‘Nuff said. Handel’s rules. I loved the one out in Chippewa (my former home) too.

Note: Handel’s is a national chain of homemade ice cream kiosks, the bulk of which can be found in Ohio. This location is one of five in Pennsylvania and is the only one I’ve been to aside from the Handel’s in Chippewa, my girlfriend’s former domain.
So yes, last weekend we were out in West Mifflin for the purposes of dealing with the devil (Wal-​Mart). After Kay had her Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy’s (eh), she requested some soft serve ice cream. Kay, being a Handel’s fan, was easily persuaded to swerve in her expectations once I remembered and mentioned that a franchise was nearby.
As the more petulant, elitist, privileged, and «wordly» reviewers of the Unilocaliverse will be predictably eager to point out, customers shouldn’t expect to find exotic fusions or unorthodox flavors in this creamery. Instead, one will find many variations and chimeras founded on the confectionery classics of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, caramel, apple pie, Oreo’s, and numerous other fruits and candies. As I often do, I chose for myself a wallop of a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae centered around the easy crowd-​pleaser that is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.
The dense, lead-​heavy, hours-​old brownie was wealthy with fudge overtones and never lost its flaky lusciousness despite being buried beneath frozen rondures of batter-​studded dairy product. The nodules of dough within the vanilla ice cream were textured with granulated sugar and of course that choco-​shrapnel, which complimented the lush square cake. Hot fudge was ladled liberally onto the bottom of the transparent plastic cup, becoming a lake for this island of decadence to float upon, augmenting the richness factor several more notches with its syrupy lust. Only a white nebula of whipped cream prevented the sundae from falling into complete infamy (mutiny?) by halting the sweetness a step.
Those craving lobster, tuna, or saffron ice cream should return to the larger, more crime-​ridden, more congested, and more expensive cities from whence they came. Handel’s doesn’t trade in fashion or fads. Instead, tradition is at the fore and has served the business well for nearly 70 years. I doubt the swanky, trendy parlors putting cicadas and proscuitto in their ice cream mixers will last ¹⁄₁₀^th as long. How deprived am I? *sigh*
P. S. The service was excellent and cheery. A pretty, suntanned sprite of a young lady with a radiant smile waited on us and brightened our boring Sunday afternoon shopping trip. If I was a single and much younger man, I’d be smitten by her.

I give this place a 3 although the bf would give it 5 because it was the «best mint chocolate chip ice cream» he’s ever had.
I guess I’m more of a snob, and I’ve been spoiled. I love the goat cheese gelato at Holy Gelato in SF, the mascarpone at L’arte del Gelato in NY, the corn ice cream at Cones in NY. I also love the sweet cream ice cream at Marble Slab in Houston. So I was looking for something just as interesting, creamy, and tasty.
Handel’s has maaaanny flavors, the good ol’ fashioned (and super sweet) kind. I decided to try the red velvet since that seemed interesting. I also tried the strawberry just to get an idea of what their basic flavors tasted like. The strawberry was way too sweet. The red velvet tasted like chocolate cake but melted very quickly. I ended up with vanilla and oreos which was just ok. The vanilla wasn’t as creamy and vanilla-​y as I like. The oreo chunks were huge, if you’re into that. It was cheap and the service was friendly, but don’t be expecting any fancy flavors or more natural ones.
It was nice to have tried though.

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream shares asphalt with A&W and Long John Silvers, and a Burlington Coat Factory (a company that was once prosecuted for selling coats made from dog). But don’t let the suburbs of West Mifflin get you down! If you’re after tip-​top mounds of frozen cream and sugar, make the 15 minute drive, order double-​scoops, and get ready to be wowed, right in your mouth.
Here’s what we liked most: Homemade ice cream, made on site. 30+ flavors. Inexpensive (heck, you can get a four-​scoop sampler for under five bucks). Deadly portions. Over 1,000 places to park! Outside seating with 10 or more benches, each with a better view of a busy street or parking lot.
Here’s what we liked least: The location; it’s so bad, it’s almost good. The countenance of the counter gals (all emoticons, and all frowns). Deadly portions (no, seriously, this really could kill you). Banana Fosters ice cream tasted (at least to us) artificially flavored (this might hold true for some of their fruit flavors). Unfortunately, they’ll also charge you 15 cents for a cup if you get a cone (and if you get a double scoop in a waffle, you WILL want to buy a cup).