VAMPIRE PENGUIN (115 Hickory St., 706-449-7140): Go to The Mark – a giant student housing complex that is next door but not part of downtown – when you are neither a resident nor a UGA student. be intimidating. Where to park? How to walk Am I allowed to be in this secluded world at all?
That said, the first place I really want to go to the concrete canyons for my money is Vampire Penguin, a shaved ice franchise from Sacramento with locations scattered all over the United States. , with the same sentiment as me, this is your place. They both made the same type of planed ice where the base is flavored before freezing, often combined with some type of dairy product, and then shaved at high speed into a fluffy mound that looks more like snow than a snow cone. Instead of sprinkling a handful of ice chips with a syrupy, artificially flavored goo that makes you feel thirsty, you feel refreshed with Vampire Penguin.
Which doesn’t mean the kids won’t like it. Vampire Penguin is more geared towards the American palate than SunO, with extras like Fruity Pebbles, brownie bites, and Sour Xploderz. The base ranges from chocolate, vanilla and strawberries to green tea, coffee and coconut, with a blend of many fruity flavors. If you build your own dessert, you can choose two snows and two toppings, or you can write down your decision – making your brain for something else and picking one of your pre-selected combinations. Among the latter are Cotton Candy (snow candy, watermelon snow, Fruity Pebbles, whipped cream, cherry), Twix (chocolate snow, graham crumble, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce) and Mexican Mellon (watermelon snow, mango popping ) boba, Taijin, real watermelon and chamoy). The latter was by far my favorite as it is geared towards the palate that is interested in more than regular sugar and my kids refused to eat it. Do you prefer melting snow? The store also offers “potions” that include whipped cream, sprinkles, broad beans, and the like. They’re too sweet for me, but you can drink the sugar rather than eat it (or let it melt in your mouth).
The atmosphere is cute and surprisingly quirky given the company’s origins. Parking is confirmed for a maximum of two hours by scanning the QR code. There are no outside seating, but you can get takeaway food. Prices range from $ 4.99 to $ 8.99, depending on how large a serving you want (a small one is pretty adequate) and how many things you want on it. Vampire Penguin is open from noon until 21:00. Tuesday to Sunday.
CRUMBL COOKIES (196 Alps Rd., 706-389-5894): On the other hand, this franchise, newly opened in the former Menchie space in Beechwood, is not my cup of tea. Famous for its huge cookie sizes, the fact that some flavors change weekly and are owned by Mormons (no coffee flavors, closed on Sundays), Crumbl has nice branding and staff who shout, “Welcome to Crumbl!” with impressive enthusiasm as you walk in the door. If you don’t want to be harassed by the positives, you can order a cookie delivery. At almost $ 4 apiece, that’s more tea biscuits in terms of size and texture than a proper crispy biscuit. I understand people who like chewing moist cookies, but these are so thick and soft that it often feels like biting into a roll of sugar cookie dough. Maybe that’s your thing! I don’t mind a bite of cake here and there, but I really don’t want to eat a fist-sized portion of it. My anonymous friend reported that after tasting marijuana and getting very excited about this new cookie place, they were also disappointed, which could be more a knock than my opinion.
Classic milk chocolate is always on the menu and is the best option. The rocky nature of its exterior makes some areas a bit crunchy. On the other hand, if there is a peanut butter cookie on the menu, be prepared to have a sip of hot, wet peanut butter. Some cookies are served hot and some chilled, and the quality control is impressive, but the cookies themselves can be a bit indistinguishable in taste, especially if they have a sugar base. Crumbl Cream, which is ice cream mixed with crumble and other ingredients and sold half a liter each, is slightly better, with a high butterfat content.
If you’re looking for aesthetics first and foremost, you’ll be delighted: lovingly decorated cookies, lovely pastel pink boxes, cool social media. There is covered seating outside and there is no seating inside. The store is open from 8:00 to 22:00. Monday to Thursday and Friday and Saturday midnight.
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