Cupcake
Downtown. 433 King St. 853-8181
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (closed Sun.)
This pretty-in-pink shop, run by an enthusiastic Clemson grad, has set the downtown cupcake world on fire. Well, that’s because they’re the only shop in town that specializes in cupcakes. Numerous varieties line the shelves proffering a delicious wonderland of flavors and textural combinations and a half dozen will get any man out of the doghouse.
Gelateria Modica
Downtown. 41-A George St. 723-1789
Open Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 9 a.m.-11 p.m. (closed Sun.)
This little gelateria and coffee house on George Street serves a steady stream of College of Charleston students and downtown residents with an excellent array of sweets and hot java. If you’re lucky, you can grab a window seat and watch the world roll by — and if you’re not a college student, you’ll wish you were by the time you leave.
Kaminsky’s
Downtown. 78 N. Market St. 853-8270; Mt. Pleasant. 1028 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. 971-7437
Downtown: Open daily 12 p.m.-2 a.m.; Mt. Pleasant: Open daily 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
Horrendous parking makes the Market Street spot a hard place to get to, but if you find yourself in the middle of the tourist glut late on a Saturday night, it’s definitely worth the time to stop in. They sling a full bar alongside the sweets at this coffeehouse-cum-saloon and serve up some fine cakes and pastries by the single serving. We go for the milkshakes, which can be custom tailored in myriad permutations.
Paolo’s Gelato Italiano
Downtown. 41 John St. 577-0099
Open Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
We knew Charleston had arrived when we could actually support two dedicated gelaterias within blocks of each other for food, drink, and fun. Paolo’s quirky little storefront boasts a rotation of over 62 flavors — one for every taste bud imaginable. A savvy promoter with a flair for the dramatic, Paolo owns an additional shop in Atlanta and has appeared a number of times on The Food Network. He also caters and will send a freezer full of gelato to your kid’s next birthday party for the right price.
Sublime
West Ashley. 829-A Savannah Hwy. 225-5463
Mon.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Sun.
Sublime. The name says it all. This wonderful little pastry and cake shop in the Avondale area recently took top honors at the National Pie Contest. They will sell you all types of sweets, from big to small, but they all have two things in common. They are extraordinarily tasty, and they all derive from the citrus tang of limes.
Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream
Mt. Pleasant. 1502 Hwy 17N. 849-3698; North Charleston. 2704 Ashley Phosphate Road. 572-3018; North Charleston. 6554 Rivers Ave. 797-7760; Summerville. 209-A St. James Ave. 553-8833; Summerville. 602 Old Trolley Road. 871-7859; West Ashley. 474 Savannah Hwy. 766-4854
Call individual stores for hours
It’s been around a long time and although the original South Windermere location shut down ages ago, the now expansive chain of Ye Ole Fashioned creameries and sandwich shops still puts out copious amounts of delicious ice cream creations. From the Reese’s Sunday, a decadent amalgamation of ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and nuts, to the Pig’s Trough, our favorite gut-busting banana split — they can satisfy even the largest sweet tooth.
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