Having grown up in Jefferson Hills, I have been to Al's Cone Zone more times than I can remember. It is a classic, reasonably priced establishment that is beloved by locals and visitors alike. Al's is located on State Route 885 in Jefferson Hills, just to the right of the entrance to 885 Park and Baseball Fields. The building is a bright blue, and covered with fun paintings of ice cream and other items they sell. So, you definitely will not miss it. It is a seasonal operation that usually runs from sometime in March to sometime in October. There is a ton of parking here. You will find some spots in front of the windows. Due to no fault of Al's, I personally find these a little difficult to get in and out of, just with the nature of 885 as a road. To the right of the building, there is a large parking lot, with spaces much easier to get in and out of. Al's purchased this parcel a few years ago, and made it into an expanded lot. There is a walkway leading to the building right from this lot. This visit in particular was this past September. I was in the area eating dinner, so I decided to stop by Al's for dessert on the way back. I arrived around 8:50 PM, and they closed at 9:00, so naturally there was not much of a wait at this time. The store is a classic outdoor ice cream stand. Meaning that you walk up and order at the windows, and there is no indoor seating. However, there are plenty of benches and picnic tables on either side of the building. Depending on the time of day that you visit, these might be full, so next best thing would be to tailgate at your car! I have tried a large amount of the menu here over the years, and there are a lot of great items. The Tornadoes are huge, and there are so many toppings available to mix in. Cones and dishes are gigantic, regardless of the size. I like the Ice Cream Sandwiches, particularly the ones with either the Chocolate Chip Cookie or the Peanut Butter Cookie. Milkshakes are tasty as well. In the fall, they will have Pumpkin Ice Cream, and tend to have other specials throughout the spring and summer. I have personally never tried the food items, but I imagine they are good! On this visit, I kept it rather simple with a Small Vanilla Cake Cone with Cherry Dip. As I said, the cones are very generous, so I normally stick to a small size. This one was a little porous and uniquely shaped, but that does not matter so long as it tastes good. It definitely did! The person who waited on me was friendly and quick. I understand it can be annoying to have customers so close to closing time, but I appreciated their demeanor and service on this day. The value here is pretty great. Most of the items are soft-serve, so naturally it will be less than hand-scooped ice cream. My cone was under $5, and that included getting the add-on of dip. Al's has always been a crazy good value, and I believe they still are. In the past few years, they also started to take cards. So, no reason not to stop by! Some bonus aspects of Al's are that they will give you a free Pup Cup with your purchase. My dog loves ice cream, so I take advantage of this often. Also, they offer a Punch Card if you ask for one when placing your order. So, if you buy 10 items, you will get one free once you present the card. I have always been a fan of Al's, and now try to stop by whenever I can. I do not live as close anymore, but it is still worth it to come by every once in a while for some delicious treats. The owner is very kind, as well as all of the staff. The product is good, and there really is something for everyone here. Plus, the atmosphere and overall value really bring it over the top. If you find yourself in the Jefferson Hills/Clairton/West Mifflin area anytime soon, make sure to stop by Al's! read more

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A great spot to grab ice cream in Jefferson Hills. I love the Dole Whip they have here and the serving sizes of their ice cream is plentiful. Hint: order a junior size if you don't want a lot of ice cream. A small at this place is more like a medium. The service was fast and workers were friendly. Will be coming back. read more

Great prices, good soft serve. They also have dole whip and some snack food. The line can get long but the service is also very quick. Benches and picnic tables are around to sit on. Parking is easy. read more

Al's Cone Zone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clairton, Pennsylvania

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Everything was good from the ice cream to the staff!!! 100 out of five stars you broke the star scale!!! I'm definitely coming back again. Don't you forget it Al!!!! read more

Al's Cone Zone - The best milkshake I've ever had!!!! Is what's in this photo!!!! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clairton, Pennsylvania

They're not lying about the portion sizes here - you definitely are getting your money's worth. We stopped by about 30 minutes before closing on Wednesday evening and there were ample parking spots available despite a decent sized line. We settled on a junior pomegranate dole whip, small mint oreo tornado, and a junior vanilla cone. Everything was super tasty and ready immediately after ordering. read more

Al's Cone Zone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clairton, Pennsylvania

Best ice cream shop in Pittsburgh. Huge milkshakes for reasonable prices. They don't skimp on the ice cream. Their tornadoes are also great. Get them with extra toppings. The turtle sundae is also great; the caramel they use is amazing. read more

Al's is always a great choice! The ice cream is delicious and the owner and employees are always very kind and helpful. The portions are HUGE and definitely a good value. read more

This is a great little ice cream stand located on Rt 885 in Jefferson Hills. The small cone is humungous. You get a great value at this place and there is plenty of parking. The line can be a little long if you come here at dusk, but such is life. Who can be sad waiting in line for ice cream? No one. Pro tip: DOLE WHIP read more

Ok love this little gem in Pleasant Hills/Jefferson hills area.. so yummy and the staff is fast and friendly! Tonight I got a med waffle cone twist and a free treat for my pup and it cost $3.35! The cone was huge!!! The ice cream is very creamy and love how they put the dog bone in the bowl .. treat an top of treat! If you want something really good... ask for the Phil tornado - that's my sisters fav (she introduced us to Al's).. they also carry Dole whips which my niece is addicted to - tonight was mango! They are open till 9 pm ... only comment is -at night- if you didn't know it was here .. you could easily drive by it and that would be a shame :( read more

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I can't believe I went my whole life without even knowing about this place until last year. The ice cream is phenomenal. It's not your average self-serve. It's rich, creamy, and so flavorful. The portions - goodness gracious. It's probably the only time I can ever order a small and it's still more than enough. Very wide selection of options including Dole whip!!! read more

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Best ice cream ever! I wonderful service. Always have ice cream left over for another day. Nice seating area to enjoy the ice cream.

Ice cream is so good and amazing but if you really like ice cream I would by the large ice cream and everyone was so nice and polite and I do recommend this place read more

Awesome local place to get ice cream! You can't miss the place with its bright blue paint and the parking lot full of cars. They have all different types of ice cream forms: milkshakes, twisters, scoops, and sundaes, all in your favorite flavors. I ordered the mint oreo twister and it was delicious! The vanilla ice cream was perfectly mixed with the mint syrup and crushed oreo pieces, so every bite had sweet flavor. On top they added even more large pieces of oreo for a nice crunchy treat. The size of the small is actually quite big, so you get a lot for your money too. Outside they have picnic tables to sit and enjoy your ice cream and the weather. Definitely a great place to stop at on a hot summer day! read more

Al's Cone Zone - Mint Oreo Twister - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Clairton, Pennsylvania

Best place for cones! Yummy ice cream & huge!!! Even give doggy bowls of ice cream! Friendly staff too - frequent customers cause they're the best! read more

Went there and had to wait over 10 minutes for my order. Turns out they forgot to make half of it. The girl on the register with the dark hair was however very professional. read more

great service came out within 10 seconds recommend the chocolate cookie dough blizzard 5 stars

Dropped by Al's for an afternoon treat and it was really good! We had a small twist cone with crunch coat, large hot fudge extra thick milkshake, and a pup cup. The small cones could easily be a medium or large at some other ice cream shoppes and can definitely fill you up. The shake was good but could have been a bit thicker. No complaints though and our pup enjoyed her treat too. Great local place to try for a good treat and a decent price! read more

How's zone has been a favorite for years. They're sundaes their shakes are always very generous and good prices. How's cone zone is like one of those old Time ice cream stands you used to go to as a kid. read more

Amazing, fun, happy ice cream! Huge cookie sandwiches, creamy twists, and such nice people!

If you're looking for some tasty soft serve, and enjoy paying a small price for a very, very large quantity...then this is the place for you! Super friendly workers, and great, cheap frozen treats... can't get any better! read more

Stopped here recently after having heard great things. The ice cream itself is very good. It had a creamy rich flavor. It also did not melt right away despite it being a hot day. I went with a cookie dough blizzard, or whatever they call them at Al's. I never thought I would say a place used too much cookie dough, but it really was overwhelming. The cookie dough was delicious, but there was so much that I barely tasted the ice cream. A little less of the cookie dough and it would have been perfect. Will definitely be back. read more

We stopped at Yolis for some pizza and drove past Al's cone zone. I've heard about it for awhile from friends and family, we just haven't ever been near it. We went for ice cream after pizza and now I understand the hype! Our group got a salty caramel sundae, a twist cone with rainbow sprinkles, a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles, a lime dole whip, a tornado with Reese's and chocolate covered pretzels and a Vanilla cone with cherry dip. The first thing we noticed was the gigantic portions. Everyone always says large portions, but they aren't really that big.... these are truly huge. We got junior sized of most items and genuinely would be considered a large anywhere else. The next thing we noticed was how tasty the ice cream was. Like great flavor, super creamy and just delicious. The next thing we noticed was how cheap it was. Our order was only $18. Which is crazy reasonable considering the quantity we got. Just as important as the ice cream was the service. They really have it down to a science. Everyone was friendly, patient and diligently working to provide quick customer service with accurate orders. They were all working so hard. While we are rarely in the area, we will make it a point to stop every time that we are! read more

Probably the best ice cream shop I have ever been to hands down. Nothing has ever topped it. Prices are amazing, portion sizes are insane, crazy variety of frozen treats, and the taste-- absolutely the best. A bit off of the beaten path, but it is entirely worth heading to. read more

Best ice cream and Dole Whip! Why go to Disney when you can go there!?!!! Huge servings and friendly service. The best in the 'Burgh!

I heard about this ice cream place from someone who lives in the Jefferson Hills area. They recommended the ice cream sandwich made with homemade cookies. I was going to be in the area so we decided to stop by. It's a little blue building that has different pictures of ice cream painted on it. It is a walk up establishment. On the side there are several picnic tables with umbrellas. I ordered the peanut butter cookie sandwich. The cookies are thin but they pack a lot of flavor. You can smell the peanut butter when you start unwrapping the sandwich cookie. Somehow the copies are soft but yet a little crisp because they have been frozen. There is vanilla soft serve between the cookies. It is a large ice cream treat. I'm going to have to do some extra time on the treadmill. I will be going back to try the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Every day is a good day for ice cream! read more

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More ice cream than you can handle lol great place to visit if you really enjoy your ice cream

Love the milkshakes. My favorite was the peach but they took that away, so now I get the blueberry milkshake which is beyond amazing. Great prices too. They are very generous with sizes! read more

Best ice cream, service and value around! The ice cream is delicious as well as the variety of toppings and our new favorite Dole Whip flavors. We also can't go home without getting some dog dishes as well! The entire family Als! read more

If you find a better place,where the people are nicer,and the ice cream is better then you must have died and gone to heaven YEAH ITS THAT GOOD read more

The ice cream is amazing and you can't beat the prices! The soft pretzel and cheese hit the spot!

Excellent pricing and great selection and customer service! The young staff behind the counter works quickly and efficiently as a team to get the orders out when they are busy. read more

Truly not summer until you visit Al's when you are from Jefferson Hills! This is one of the finest things to happen to J. Hills, and I always make a point to go on each summer visit back to PGH. I traditionally only order their twist soft-serve, and man, it never disappoints. Despite being "just" your traditional soft-serve, there is something about the creaminess of Al's ice cream, the small and independent set-up, and the generous servings that makes Al's stand out. For just under $2, you get a huge cone that is labeled a "small" but wayyy larger (in a good way!) than what the mind would think. Pro tip: if you want to save a little cash and feel mildly better about your order, you can order the "junior" cone which is essentially the same size as a small (maybe centimeters shorter, but non-significant) but does cost a tiny bit less. I usually go for the junior, and it is plenty enough to satisfy my ice cream craving! They do have offerings beyond the typical soft-serve, but I don't know if I can break my loyalty. One nice offering is the Dole Whip option, which is dairy-free and still very delicious, so good for those with dairy intolerance/allergies. Before you go, just know that Al's is a walk-up stand, so no place to site indoors, but they have 4 tables outside with umbrellas and benches, so can definitely make an evening out of it by sitting and chatting, while enjoying delicious ice cream, with your fellow frozen treat lovers. A summer must-do when finding yourself in the South Hills of PGH - thank you for bringing a little bit of summertime joy to Jefferson Hills, Al's! read more

Such a hidden gem of an ice cream place. They have great soft serve cones and the sizes are huge. This place always has line all summer long. read more

WOW. Only $2 for a cone of ice cream that is as tall as my hand is long. More than enough for my husband and I to share. Service is a little slow - there were about six people ahead of us and only one girl working the window, but the generous portion made it better. We'll be stopping here regularly. They offer ice cream, yogurt, sundaes, tornadoes (similar to DQ blizzards), blue bunny ice creams on a stick, mango dole whip, ice cream sandwiches, and note. Delicious! read more

Family favorite been going here forever!! Portions are huge so order small and enjoy the soft serve ice cream at a great price!!

Al's is Awesome! If you have an Ice Cream craving... visit Al's!!! PROS: Convenient Location Great Prices Generous Portioins Al is always present and in his Hawaiian Shirt! :) CONS: Parking is tight when its busy Not open late enough, I think they close @ 9 or 10 (even on the weekends--I'll find out an update @ some point) Buggy @ night (not Al's fault, though) ;) They also take special requests, so just be nice about asking! :) TIP: There's a "Frequent Al's Card", just ask for it. If you get so many punches, you get a free cone. read more

Al's is the best! They are located above 885 Park, off Rt.51 South. Definitely worth stopping by if you're local, or making a special trip if you're in the area! I highly recommend the "tornado", a mixture of soft serve and whatever candy bits, chocolate, sprinkles, or cookie pieces your heart desires! If you ask nicely, they'll blend up a custom creation just for you. They also offer tornados in a "mini" size, not on the menu but it's half the size of a small and costs $2.50. It is also worth noting that they serve "dole whip" a non-dairy ice cream alternative for those with lactose sensitivities. Sometimes their closing time is inconsistent and depends largely on the weather...my suggestion is to give them a call or check their Facebook page before making a night-time trip. The owner and workers are super friendly, accommodating, and ready to serve you some tasty frozen treats! read more

The best place where quality doesn't get sacrificed for quantity. And you can't beat the price, staff, or atmosphere. A staple of 15025 and 15236 hands down read more

I can't say enough about this place other than delish, best ice cream ever and very nice. I highly recommend Hawaiian & Chocolate Pretzel hurricanes but then again you can't go wrong with anything you get there! read more

By far the BEST place to get ice cream in the south hills area. The ice cream is excellent and their prices are very reasonable!