Got a sweet tooth? Chomp into our picks for the best spots to fulfill your sugary craving.
Best of the Valley Hall of Fame
Class of 2024
Sweet Republic
Investment bankers turned churn masters Helen Yung (pictured left) and Jan Wichayanuparp (right) met in New York City and bonded over their shared interest in fine dining. Their journey led them to Arizona, where they launched Sweet Republic in 2008 – arguably the Valley’s first true craft ice cream shop, with a strong emphasis on local ingredients, “from Arizona milk to fresh mint from local farms,” Yung says. In short order, Sweet Republic enchanted Valley ice cream lovers and BOV voters alike. Now with four Valley locations, the company won its first Best Ice Cream/Gelato Readers’ Pick in 2016 and has maintained a lock on the category, winning eight of nine years. As a result of the yearly wins, Wichayanuparp says, “We have an extra swagger as we walk into the churn room.” They continue to innovate. Weekly “fierce flavor meetings” generate offbeat offerings such as coconut cashew curry and dill pickle, and the partners’ love for Arizona shines through their work.
Best Place to Get Your Daily Calcium Intake
Milk Run
At this bubble tea staple and scoop shop, Thai tea, matcha and taro aren’t just classic milk tea flavors – they’re also frozen treats. Mercifully, you don’t have to choose between bubble tea and ice cream: Get a milk tea float, which features a scoop of homemade ice cream swimming in a milk tea of your choice. 1702 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-795-1863, milkrunboba.com
Best Vegan Treats
Nami
This organic eatery’s house specialty is the Blizzard-like tSoynami, made with Nami’s homemade vegan soy soft-serve. You add your favorite ingredients – e.g. cake, cookies, chocolate chunks, peanut butter – to make a full-on dessert. Nami also offers a full menu of vegan treats (we love the soy- and gluten-free vegan doughnuts) and even brews its own house-roasted organic coffee. 2014 N. Seventh St., Phoenix, 602-258-6264, tsoynami.com
Best Custom Cakes
Sugar and Lace Bakery
Petit fours, pecan sticky buns, cannoli, zucchini bread, chocolate-dipped marshmallows on a stick – Sugar and Lace owner and veteran baker Vanessa Stiegmann can customize any confection for any occasion. But her true artistry shines in her personalized cakes, which she can make sans soy, dairy, nuts, gluten or sugar with custom messages and an array of flavors and fillings, from red velvet to pink Champagne. 15414 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, 480-287-6102, @sugarandlacebakery
Best Popsicle Stand
Pop Stand at Rise Uptown Hotel
Someone must have overheard us whining about how much we’d love a local popsicle stand where some of the treats contain bourbon, because Pop Stand is open for business at Rise Uptown Hotel. You can cool off with boozy popsicles of piña colada, whiskey sour, or cucumber gin and tonic, and the kids can dig Hawaiian Punch, pumpkin pie or horchata-flavored frozen treats. 400 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 480-536-8900, riseuptownhotel.com/eat-drink/pop-stand
Best Tacos with that Shake
PHX Eats Tacos & Shakes
Good tacos are sublime. A good milkshake is glorious. The two are not normally imagined in tandem. But this pleasant lunch nook can make you reconsider the possibilities. The richness of its hearty taco plates is complemented, not overwhelmed, by the sweet richness of its slurp-worthy dairy bombs. 4801 E. Washington St., Phoenix, 602-899-6613, phxeatstacos.com
Best Cheesecake
The G.O.A.T. Cheese Cheesecake at Lovecraft Ale House
Known for its Sunday-only fried chicken feasts, thoughtful plant-based menu and refusal to take back dishes that are “too spicy,” this North Phoenix New Mexican joint has mastered the savory stuff, it’s safe to say. But it’s the signature cheesecake’s whipped goat cheese, fresh rosemary, lavender-honey drizzle and gingersnap crust that keeps us coming back for seconds. 3128 E. Cactus Rd., Phoenix, 602-237-5046, lovecraftphx.com
