Just a few yards away from the busy thoroughfare of Forbes Avenue in the heart of Oakland sits Dave& Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream. This cash-only Atwood Street landmark has delighted sweet tooth’s of all ages with delicious frozen treats for decades. Any Pittsburgher looking for a taste of summer even in the harshest of winters knows that Dave & Andy’s is the place to be.
Dave &Andy’s was founded by friends Andy Hardie and Dave Tuttle in 1983. Hardie and Tuttle had recently graduated from college and were looking to start a business together. Inspired by legendary Boston-area ice cream shops like Steve’s Ice Cream, one of the first ice cream parlor to have “add-ins” on their menu, Hardie and Tuttle opened Dave & Andy’s in Oakland. Their creation has been a Pittsburgh mainstay ever since. Tuttle left the business in the early 1990s and since then Hardie has been the sole owner of the store.
Walking into Dave & Andy’s is like entering a world outside of the hustle and bustle of everyday Oakland life. The smell of freshly made waffle cones hits you immediately as it wafts through the air of the colorful shop. Just beyond the entrance sit the massive coolers filled with dozens of homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors. Only five flavors are available every day: chocolate,vanilla, cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, and birthday cake. Every flavor is made fresh daily and besides those main stays one never knows that the shop will be offering that day. On the wall behind the coolers is a huge chalkboard menu featuring the day’s flavors and prices for cones, cups, sundaes,and shakes.
Until my most recent visit I normally ordered a waffle cone at Dave & Andy’s. It serves as the perfect holder for the rich frozen dairy treat inside. The crunch always provides a perfect balance to the smooth and melty ice cream. At the bottom of every waffle cone is an M & M to prevent the ice cream from dripping out, something I have never seen anywhere else. This ingenious idea is just another reason why nothing beats an outing to Dave & Andy’s.
Even though I love the waffle cones, I decided to try something new during my visit:a hot fudge sundae. Coming in at $5.55, Dave & Andy’s sundaes are pricier than their cups and cones. After a stressful week, though, my girlfriend and I decided to splurge and try the concoctions. Before choosing my toppings, I needed to pick my flavors. I went for a chocolaty combination of chocolate and cookies and cream. To add even more rich goodness, I had it all topped with hot fudge and whipped cream (cherries are okay but not my favorite, so my girlfriend got mine instead).
The sundae did not disappoint. The thick hot fudge melted the top level of the ice cream ever so slightly and created the perfect contrast in textures between the runny top and firm center. The chocolate and cookies and cream combination was the right choice for a chocoholic like me. The whipped cream was light and airy yet rich and creamy at the same time, creating a symphony of dessert deliciousness in my mouth. The sundae was well worth the cost and left me satisfied for hours.
Dave & Andy’s is an Oakland tradition, and for good reason. The ice cream is homemade and fresh. The smell of waffle cones coming out of the waffle maker radiates through the air. The atmosphere is colorful, fun, and low-key. A visit to Dave & Andy’s is a must for any ice cream fan and the perfect place to feel like a kid again.
Panther Eats 