Swirlee’s Sweets: East Athens welcomes newest ice cream shop
Following the closure of Cool World Ice Cream Shop in the fall of 2024, retail space on 1040 Gaines School Rd remained empty until Swirlee’s Sweets & Frozen Treats of Athens opened up on Feb. 2.
The shop carries Hershey’s Creamery Company products. Being one of the only carriers in Athens, Swirlee’s offers the Eastside a unique flavor palette. In addition, the sweet shop also offers Ashby’s Sterling Ice cream, a premium ice cream brand most famously known for its unique flavors such as “Michigan Pothole” ice-cream, a chocolate ice cream with fudge stripes and chocolate cups.
Swirlee’s provides a large menu, consisting of 50 ice cream flavors, milkshakes, brownie sundaes, banana splits and ice cream nachos. All purchases include a variety of complimentary toppings, presented in a topping bar made up of an assortment of sweet and savory candies and snacks. They also offer a selection of sodas.
Swirlee’s advertises its unique menu pricing of sizes and cones as opposed to flavors. Prices range from their Kiddie cups, priced at $3.99, to the large size, priced at $8.99. They also have specific prices for cones, with cake cones and sugar cones being $2.99, and waffle cones or bowls being $4.99.
Although Swirlee’s offers a wide selection of menu items, the store still offers a variety of classics and basics. These include vanilla bean, strawberry cheesecake, praline pecan, double chocolate, cookies and cream and more.
SWEET STRAWBERRY:
Two scoops of the strawberry cheesecake flavor are presented in a waffle cone. The waffle cone adds a special addition to any flavor but compliments the strawberry cheesecake especially well, the texture crossover of the cheesecake bites combined with the cone makes for a crunchy yet pleasant experience.
Photo by Julianna Robledo-Briseno.
BEAUTIFUL BROWNIE:
The brownie sundae is displayed in the classic checkered red and white basket. Being made with ice cream, a brownie, and whipped cream causes there to be plenty of delicious flavors for the customers to taste.
Photo by Julianna Robledo-Briseno.
VANILLA VIBES:
A small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream is presented in Swirlee’s kiddie cup size. The classic flavor makes a wonderful addition to any menu but especially pairs well with any dessert on the restaurant’s menu.
Photo by Julianna Robledo-Briseno.
SWIRLEE SWEETS REVIEWS
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
The strawberry cheesecake flavor blends cheesecake ice cream as the base mixed in with strawberry sauce and cheesecake bites. The shop’s take on the flavor has an artificial taste that leans more towards raspberry flavoring. The cheesecake bites not only clash with the chemical taste but also add a soggy and displeasing texture to the ice cream.
COOKIES & CREAM MILKSHAKE
The milkshake is another flavor option based item, made up of the ice cream flavor of choice, milk and whipped cream. Although lacking an original taste, the milkshake does make for the restaurant’s best drink item with an incredibly smooth texture. The otherwise classic flavor makes for a delicious milk- shake and should definitely be a go-to option for any customer making the flavor selection for the milkshake.
PARLINE PECAN
The praline pecan flavor is made up of butter vanilla ice cream as the base, swirled in with caramel, praline pecans and an underlying but overpowering sea salt flavor that completely takes away from the intended nutty taste. The ice cream makes for an unpleasant experience.
MAJESTIC MILKY WAY
Majestic milky way consists of milk chocolate ice cream as a base, caramel fudge ribbon and chocolate flakes. The base provides a complementing flavor to the caramel syrup’s smoothness as opposed to the clashing flavor and unpleasant texture of the chocolate flakes.
BROWNIE SUNDAE
Served and presented in a paper basket, the brownie sundae is a single medium sized brownie topped with a scoop of ice cream of the customer’s choice and whipped cream. The brownie is served warm but not fresh, although its temperature pairs well with the ice cream as well as smoothing out the crumbli- ness of the brownie.
VANILLA BEAN
The vanilla bean flavor offers the store a basic to rely on as well as providing customers a safe option to go with when selecting flavors for option-based sweet treats. Although it’s nothing new, Swirlee’s take on the vanilla flavor strays away from a vanilla bean and towards a milkier taste with a smoother texture, pairing well with the store’s brownie sundae.
