You know what’s so great about being an adult? No, not the mortgages, or the 401(k) plans, or hearing your favorite band from high school on the oldies station. Nope, the greatest thing about being an adult is that you can eat as much candy as you want, and no one can tell you no!
I don’t know, man. It’s a bleak world out there right now, and sometimes, you just need something sweet to get you through the day. Something sweet… like CANDY!
So, here you go. Here’s where to get all of the candy that your heart desires. Eat those feelings. Pretend to be a kid again. If someone tells you not to eat so much candy, laugh in their face and buy more candy to eat. Candy is good. Candy is safe. Candy is what we need to get through some things, you guys.
20 Old-School Candy Shops That Will Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth in Pittsburgh
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop
The Strip District
Whether you’re looking for classic favorites (hello, Necco wafers) or new treats (like Guava & Mango Chile Nerds), Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop in the Strip District is the place to find it. They recently expanded their storefront to include an ice cream parlor, and are now offering even more delicious candy creations, including their own gourmet chocolates. Plus, they have one of the best selections of soda pops in town, offering everything from Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray to New York Seltzer.
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop (2124 Penn Avenue)
The Chocolate Moose
Squirrel Hill
The Chocolate Moose offers a selection of fine, artisan chocolates for candy fans who want something a little extra special. You’ll find decadent chocolate bars (like Cacao Sampaka 91% Dark Chocolate), handmade truffles from Moonstruck and LUX, and adult-friendly confections, like chocolate-covered blueberries, gummy peach rings, and just about every flavor of Jelly Belly jellybeans ever made.
The Chocolate Moose (5830 Forbes Avenue)
Yetter’s Candies
Millvale
Yetter’s Candies in Millvale have been using the same candy recipe since 1950… so you know that it’s going to be good. The family-run business makes all of their own candy on-site, including best-sellers like their chocolate-covered nut clusters, chocolate-covered potato chips and their famous chocolate-covered cherries. The shop also features an old-time soda fountain, serving up Ashby Sterling ice cream from Michigan.
Yetter’s Candies (504 Grant Avenue)
Gene & Boots Candies
Perryopolis
In business since 1930 (when two high school friends rented out a space near a theater in Charleroi to sell popcorn and peanuts), Gene and Boots Candies has stayed in the Madigan family for three generations. The shop makes their own chocolate and hand-dipped candies, specializing in chocolate lollipops, chocolate nut clusters, and fudge. There are three locations in the Pittsburgh area, one in Charleroi, one in Greensburg, and one in Perryopolis.
Gene and Boots Candies (2939 Pittsburgh Rd., Perryopolis)
Sarris Candies
Canonsburg
Travel about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh to find one of the best chocolate shops in the country. Sarris Candies sell everything from boxed chocolate to meltaway bars (and don’t miss their famous chocolate-covered pretzels), all in a brightly-colored, candy-coated wonderland in Canonsburg, PA. Sarris is known for their giant meltaway eggs that come out every Easter, and a massive gingerbread house that takes up the shop around Christmas. Plus, they also serve some of the best ice cream sundaes around.
Sarris Candies (511 Adams Avenue, Canonsburg)
Rocket Fizz
Homestead
Rocket Fizz has tons of gourmet and novelty sodas to try (Jelly Belly Strawberry Jam, anyone), along with loads of sugary offerings, from classic treats like Sugar Babies to out-of-the-box candies, like Gummy Fried Eggs, Pink Lemonade Gumballs and Cotton Candy Bacon. No matter how often you visit (either their Homestead location, or their Robinson Township shop), you’ll always find something new and unique to try.
Rocket Fizz (255 W. Bridge Street, Homestead)
Eureka Chocolate & Gifts
Shadyside
This tiny shop in Shadyside is one of the sweetest hidden gems in town. Since 1994, Eureka has been selling decadent, hand-painted chocolates and truffles, in flavors like Strawberry Fields Forever, with white chocolate ganache, strawberries and vanilla, Mochaccino, with coffee, hazelnut and Tahitian vanilla, and True Love, with cinnamon ganache. Each piece is a work of art, and makes a truly fabulous gift.
Eureka Chocolate & Gifts (735 Copeland Street, Ste 1)
Sinful Sweets Chocolate Company
Downtown
If you’re looking for what’s new and what’s next in the chocolate world, you’ve come to the right place. Sinful Sweets Chocolate Company’s downtown shop not only has homemade chocolate that’s topped with seasonal additions, from candy corn to crushed candy canes, they also serve up fresh-baked cookies, cupcakes, truffles and jars of edible cookie dough.
Sinful Sweets Chocolate Company (901 Penn Avenue)
Village Candy
Sewickley
Village Candy is a candy lovers’ dream! The Sewickley sweet shop has all of your favorite candies and pops from childhood, along with brand-new novelty items (butter lollipops should be on your bucket list), plus gummies, candy bars, Pixy Stix and an M&M wall with every color available for bulk purchasing.
Village Candy (344 Beaver St, Sewickley)
Townsend’s Sweet Shoppe
West View
This tiny shop in West View offers a selection of homemade, hand-dipped chocolates (with no emulsifiers, stabilizers or flavorings added), plus creamy, from-scratch fudge and homemade made-to-order pies, too. The shop specializes in seasonal treats, with chocolate-covered strawberries a best-seller around Valentine’s Day, and Cream Eggs leading the charge around Easter.
Townsend’s Sweet Shoppe (1369 Center Avenue)
Pollak’s Candies
Etna
Since 1948, Pollak’s Candies has been making homemade chocolate and candies in Etna, offering a variety of chocolates, truffles, fudge, peanut brittle, and seasonal treats, like cream eggs, giant chocolate Easter bunnies, and ‘Irish Potatoes,’ a must-have St. Patrick’s Day confection.
Pollak’s Candies (352 Butler Street)
The Flying Squirrel
Carnegie
You’ll take a trip down memory lane when you walk into The Flying Squirrel in Carnegie. Though the shop is primarily known for vintage toys and ice cream, they also offer classic penny candy like pickle gumballs and zomie mints, plus seasonal treats, like Coffee Candy Canes, Pumpkin Spice Caramels, Tabasco Spicy Chocolates and chocolate-covered pickles.
The Flying Squirrel (241 E. Main Street, Carnegie)
Luehm Candy Company
Irwin
Looking to buy candy in bulk? Here’s your place. The Luehm Candy Company sells wholesale candy to stores all over Western Pennsylvania, and also provides candy for personal events, like weddings (can you say candy buffet?). They have pretty much every kind of candy you could possibly want, from sour gummies and penny treats to chocolate bars and lollipops. Basically, if it’s something sweet, it’s in their warehouse somewhere.
Luehm Candy Company (46 Buttermilk Hollow Rd. S, Irwin)
My Favorite Sweet Shoppe
Bridgeville
Homemade chocolates? Check. Specialty truffles? Check. Gourmet apples? Check. Candy gummies? Check. My Favorite Sweet Shoppe in Bridgeville pretty much has every kind of candy confection you could ever want. Their milk and dark chocolate treats are legendary (we recommend their Cake Batter Truffles, Caramel-filled Chocolate Oreos, and Peanut Butter & Fluff Pretzels!), and they also make fudge in-house, too.
My Favorite Sweet Shoppe (1597 Washington Pike, Bridgeville)
Esther’s Sweet Shop
Carrick
This tiny shop in the Carrick section of Pittsburgh has been around since 1973, when Esther and Karl Wolfson went into the candy business. Today, the shop is run by Esther’s son Robert, who still uses the same family recipe to make all of the chocolates. They’re also known for their hard tack candies, which come in a variety of flavors, and are a holiday favorite.
Esther’s Sweet Shop (1814 Brownsville Road)
Katie’s Kandy
Downtown
With four locations, Katie’s Kandy has taken over downtown Pittsburgh. And thank goodness for that! As a “haven for nostalgic candy,” Katie’s Kandy offers old-school favorites like Goo Goo Clusters, Gold Rock Candy, Choward’s Mints and more. You’ll find an endless selection of sweets in bins, and lots of hard-to-find novelty products (like Fortune Bubble Gum!), too.
Katie’s Kandy (various locations)
Mon Aimee Chocolat
Strip District
With a dark chocolate section that can’t be beat, Mon Aimee Chocolat is the perfect place to go if you really, truly, seriously love good chocolate. They carry savory chocolates, truffles, dipped specialties, barks, and chocolate bars from every corner of the globe, from Belgium and France to Venezuela and Mexico.
Mon Aimee Chocolat (2101 Penn Avenue)
S&S Candy & Cigar Company
South Side
Established in 1965, S&S Candy & Cigar Company is a retail and wholesale business that specializes in providing candy for special events and bulk orders. Head to their shop to pick out everything you need to make your party, wedding or celebration extra sweet, like gumballs in assorted shimmery colors, super-specific gummy candies (think Army Guys Gummies, Gummy Butterflies, and Gummy Burgers), and rock candy. Plus, they also have a huge array of traditional candy offerings, too.
S&S Candy & Cigar Company (2025 E. Carson Street)
Betsy Ann Chocolates
West View
Pittsburgh institution Betsy Ann Chocolates is known for one thing – their seriously amazing chocolates. Fans of Betsy Ann’s love their ‘American Original Truffles,’ which come in six “distinctively American flavors,” like Chocolate Chunk, Macadamia Coconut and Pecan Caramel. At the shop you’ll also find classic chocolate assortments in milk and dark chocolate, truffled fudge, and their best-selling Cordial Strawberries.
Betsy Ann Chocolates (322 Perry Highway)
Dorothy’s Candies
White Oak
For over 65 years, Dorthy’s Candies has been creating hand-crafted pure Swiss chocolates, “kissed with just the right hint of vanilla,” that are completely tempered by hand, giving each piece a unique texture and taste. Specialties include cherry cordials, coconut clusters, Slovakian Plums, Buckeyes, and seasonal creations, like chocolate ‘turkey legs’ and pumpkin truffles.
Dorothy’s Candies (1228 Long Run Road, White Oak)
Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Yetters candies are our favorite!! We had the pleasure of watching how the homemade goodies are made right in the back of the store. It’s well worth the trip. Great folks that own the place.
Ballinger’s in Zeli.
I only go to Yetters Candies when I visit Pittsburgh. The chocolate covered Potato Chips are to die for…..along with everything else. You have to try 1 of everything that they make, it’s Heaven.