Entry No. 48 — the Pittsburgh file — filed under: ice cream sandwiches
Leona's Ice Cream
Leona's makes ice cream that is 100% real dairy and 100% lactose-free: a natural enzyme splits the milk sugar into its two component sugars before churning, so the texture stays and the aftermath doesn't. The company is built around the ice cream sandwich rather than the cone — they've developed more than 120 flavor combinations and keep 10 to 15 in rotation at any moment, things like fresh mint chocolate, lavender with honeycomb candy, strawberry rhubarb crumble. The Wilkinsburg address on Penn Avenue is where it gets made; the FAQ is blunt that there is no scoop shop yet. Instead the sandwiches turn up at more than 70 places around the region — White Whale Bookstore, Burgh'ers Brewing in Lawrenceville, Two Frays, PGH Candle, Sobels Obscure Brewing out in Jeannette, and the Giant Eagle Market Districts, which are the ones that also carry pints. Some partners will drown one in espresso and call it an affogato.
→ Three more weird eats & drinks in Pittsburgh — never the same twice
The story
Leona's is a small-batch operation built on one chemical trick and one format decision. The trick is a natural enzyme added to real dairy before churning, which breaks the lactose down into the simpler sugars it's made of. The output is 100% real dairy and 100% lactose-free, and the company's claim is that this changes nothing about flavor, texture or quality — it only moves the aftermath. Worth being precise here, because lactose-free is not dairy-free: this is milk, so it is neither vegan nor safe for a milk-protein allergy.
The format decision is that the unit of sale is the sandwich, not the scoop, which means every flavor is really two things at once — an ice cream named on top of a specific cookie. Banana Bourbon Caramel on Oatmeal Lace. Black Sesame on Salted Tahini Chocolate Chunk. Blueberry on Snickerdoodle. Black Raspberry Ripple on Sugar. They've built more than 120 combinations over the years and keep about ten to fifteen running at once, turning over with the season; the site's own line is that the lineup is “always a surprise.” Dairy and ingredients are local where they can manage it. The cookies carry a trace of lactose from the butter, and nuts move through the same kitchen.
What there isn't is a counter. The Penn Avenue address, 774, is a production kitchen, and the FAQ says so without softening it: no scoop shop yet. So the sandwiches go out into the region instead, onto a published stockist map that runs from Burgh'ers Brewing in Lawrenceville and White Whale Bookstore to PGH Candle, Two Frays, three suburban Giant Eagles and Sobels Obscure Brewing out in Jeannette. Pints reach fewer of those stops than sandwiches do. Shipping happens seasonally around the winter holidays, to selected states, in packaging the company specifies as fully biodegradable.
What it's like
There isn't a visit so much as a hunt. You pick a stockist off the map, drive there, and discover what's in that particular freezer, because different shops carry different flavors and the rotation keeps moving. Call ahead if you're attached to one — “we have three today and one of them is blueberry on snickerdoodle” is the normal answer, not a bad one. White Whale Bookstore is the best version of this, because you can buy a sandwich and a pint in a bookstore and eat it among the paperbacks; at a brewery stop you're eating standing up with a beer you didn't plan on. Do not drive to 774 Penn Avenue expecting a window to order from. And eat it quickly: a sandwich in a paper sleeve has a short career on a Pittsburgh August afternoon.
The move: Skip the kitchen and go where you can sit with it: pick up a pint and a sandwich each at White Whale Bookstore, then spend the money you saved on not-dinner arguing about which paperback the other person has to read.
📍 Before you go Do not drive to 774 Penn Avenue expecting a counter — it's the production kitchen, and the site confirms there's no scoop shop. Flavors rotate weekly and every stockist carries something different, so call the specific shop before you commit. Pints are stocked at fewer places than sandwiches; Giant Eagle Market District is the reliable pint source. Lactose-free is not dairy-free: it's real milk, so it's neither vegan nor safe with a milk-protein allergy. Reach them at (412) 709-5275 or [email protected].
- 📍 Wilkinsburg
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 774 Penn Avenue, Wilkinsburg (Pittsburgh), PA 15221 — production kitchen, not a walk-in counter
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop — Same Wilkinsburg zip code as the kitchen, over on S. Trenton Avenue — a Hoodoo and ADR botanica is the errand that justifies being out here in the first place.
- Trundle Manor — Ten minutes south in Swissvale, and the contrast does the work: an hour among preserved oddities, then something cold and sweet to reset your palate and your nerves.
- Row House Cinema — Burgh'ers Brewing's Lawrenceville taproom is on the stockist list, so collect a sandwich in Lawrenceville and carry it to the single screen on Butler.
More weird in Pittsburgh
Good to know
Can I just go buy it from them directly?
No. There is no scoop shop — the Penn Avenue address is the production kitchen, and the FAQ states it plainly. For wholesale, events or questions, reach them at (412) 709-5275 or [email protected].
Where do I find pints as opposed to sandwiches?
The stockist map flags which stops carry both. Pints show up at the suburban Giant Eagle and Market District stores — Monroeville, North Huntingdon/Irwin, Murrysville — and at White Whale Bookstore. Most other stockists are sandwiches only.
The FAQ says 70+ locations but the map shows far fewer. Which is right?
Treat the map as the operational list and the 70+ figure as the wider wholesale footprint over time. Either way, call the specific shop before you drive — stock and flavor differ store to store.
Is it safe if I'm dairy-allergic or vegan?
No to both. Lactose-free means the milk sugar has been split, not that the milk is gone. Nuts are handled in the same kitchen and the cookies contain a trace of lactose from butter, so cross-contact is possible.
Can I get it shipped, or order it for an event?
Shipping runs seasonally around the winter holidays to selected states, in biodegradable packaging. Catering and events go through the wholesale form and want a minimum two-week lead time.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26