Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor - A Pittsburgh Landmark

When was the last time you bought a single scoop of premium ice cream for just $2.11? Or a gigantic, decadent Turtle Sundae - with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, caramel and fudge sauce, pecans, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry, for only $4.75? Or tried a scoop of vanilla ice cream doused in thick, rich hot fudge sauce, and a handful of chopped pecans, for less than the cost of a fast food milk shake?

Locally-made Reinhold’s ice cream is what draws most people to  Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor, located in an Art Deco building near the edge of Pittsburgh’s famed Strip District. In fact, it's been a destination for lovers of old-fashioned soda fountain fare for decades.

The family-owned Klavon's actually began as a soda fountain drugstore, in 1925. You'll sit amidst mahogany shelves full of 1920s medicine bottles, a plethora of penny candy, and a marble soda fountain that transport you back in time from the moment you take a seat beside the stained glass windows full of 'Christmas' lights.

Order a tall, frosty ice cream soda, a phosphate, or the long-time Pittsburgh favorite – Large Pecan Balls. These baseball-sized scoops of vanilla ice cream arrive covered in pecans and smothered with customer’s choice of chocolate, hot fudge or hot caramel topping plus a large dollop of whipped cream.

And there's no need to leave non-ice cream fans at home. They can chow down on a gyro or souvlaki sandwich, or savor a bowl of sirloin beef vegetable soup. But, for the best of both worlds, enjoy your lunch plus ice cream, and then take a nice long walk through the neighborhood. It's an easy bet that Klavon's will quickly become a favorite place to treat yourself. 

Pittsburgh's Primanti Bros.

There's more than one Primanti Bros. restaurant in the Pittsburgh, PA area. But for a true taste of this legendary joint, belly up to the wood-topped counter at their original location, in 'the Burgh's' equally legendary Strip District - several downtown blocks packed with longtime food vendors, wholesalers, and restaurants. A wall-spanning mural just inside the front entrance features caricatures of local celebrities from Mr. Rogers to Pittsburgh Pirate, Roberto Clemente. You can also grab a booth in the back room and chow down.

 

In 2007, the James Beard Awards declared the Primanti Bros. signature sandwich - which originated in the 1930s - an ‘American Classic.'  This hefty combo starts with customer’s choice of meat, from split and flattened kolbassi (kielbasa) to a huge pile of turkey or corned beef, and then adds melted cheese, a mountain of fries with some nicely browned skin, a mound of vinegar-based, coleslaw, and bright red tomato, layered between thick slices of Italian bread. Even the breakfast special has the same toppings.

Sweet and savory, mellow and tangy, soft and crunchy, Primanti Bros. sandwiches come wrapped in waxed paper just as they always have. Visitors who aren't in the mood for a sandwich might try Smallman Street Fries, another hearty meal served on a bed of chili with just the right heat, smothered with melted cheese, tiny bacon bits, and a large dollop of sour cream.

For a side of history with your sandwich, stop by Primanti Bros. in The Strip. Just don’t ask for coleslaw on the side.