Confection Perfection
Gilbert sweet shops will make you swoon
Some psychologists think there is a link between a sweet tooth and a sweet personality. We won’t sugarcoat the good news: Gilbert, like a great hot fudge sundae, is loaded with options to satisfy your cravings. So feel free to indulge. Even sweeter? All of these businesses offer ways to enjoy their treats with safe social practices. Visit each businesses’ website for details.
ample traditional and not-so-traditional Spanish churros at Dulce Churro Café. The owners attended churro school (yep, that’s a thing) in Spain, and then returned home to set up shop in Gilbert. Patrons can watch the process of churros being made as you might on the streets of Spain, Mexico, or South America. After the dough is fried (in a variety of shapes, including the traditional loop), get creative with a variety of dips, glazes, fillings, and toppings. They even make a churro ice-cream sandwich. Get their app to order your churro to go.
Udder Delights—whose made-from-scratch ice cream is self-described as “life changing”—uses fresh, local ingredients (you can even tour their dairy farm) and no food coloring or unpronounceable ingredients. Can’t decide? Sampling is encouraged—no fewer than three as a rule. Year-round flavors include favorites like butter pecan and strawberry (locally sourced, of course), while inventive monthly flavors might include avocado, flan, or even Peeps (around Easter). The cherry on top? The shop also sells fresh butter, farmer cheese, and milk.
ounded in London, England, The Great Gadsby Bakery is now located all the way across the pond in the 66-acre Gilbert Town Square shopping center. The bakery offers a wide variety of European-inspired goods made from scratch daily, including cookies, super popular cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, pies, macarons, cake slices, brownies, eclairs, tarts, and homemade Pop-Tarts (you read that right). They even offer savories such as Cornish pasties and sausage rolls. Choosing is tough. So why try? Fill a box with an assortment of goodies to take home.
For an old-school ice-cream parlor experience, head to Petersen’s Ice Cream & Café in the vibrant downtown Heritage District. Enter and savor the aroma of fresh-baked waffle cones, then choose from classic flavors or fun ones like banana pudding and carrot cake. Originating in Chicago in the early 1900s, Petersen’s caters to chocolate lovers with their Chicago Pothole flavor, combining chocolate ice cream, fudge, and brownies—a perfect chocolate trifecta. If you order a sundae, skip the spoon and scoop with housemade waffle chips instead.
wo miles north of the Heritage District, indulge your sweet tooth with a stop at Toasted Mallow. In addition to their 35-plus flavors of French-inspired gourmet marshmallows offered throughout the year, you’ll find handmade mallow pies—two fresh-baked cookies stuffed with marshmallow and drenched in Belgian chocolate. (Yes, please!) No time to go camping? Order gourmet s’mores and enjoy perfectly toasted marshmallows with your choice of toppings—for take-out, curbside pick-up, or through several delivery apps. They also serve up milkshakes, such as the Cookie Monster, and Costa Rican cold-brewed coffee.
If you’re in the mood for a neighborhood joint, visit family-owned Rise Up Bakery, whose goal is creating baked goods that look as good as they taste. In addition to pecan sticky buns and fresh-baked bread, brownies, and bars, as well as scones, turnovers, cakes, and more, Rise Up also offers sandwiches. Starting with fresh-baked bread, add premium meats, cheeses, veggies, and spreads for a lunch you won’t soon forget. Favorites include the Spicy Turkey and the Londoner, featuring London broil roast beef with Vermont yellow cheddar.
