Soda Shoppe Cafe

Exactly what Mount Pleasant needed! This is a lovely hometown café to grab lunch or drinks with a friend or breakfast after church on Sunday. I had long wished for a place in town just to meet up with friends without having to order a whole meal, and this is the answer! Service is slow and the décor is a bit lacking, but I still love this adorable shoppe and its friendly staff. The drink selection is fantastic, and I enjoy the chicken salad croissant for lunch. My favorite item is the amaretto latte. A few of the items are a little on the pricey side, but I haven’t minded.
Also love that the owners have hometown pride and used elements from Candyland and other old locales in the furnishings. Also of note is the BYOB painting sessions once a month, which I have yet to attend but sound interesting.
As a student, I do find it disappointing that there is not reliable free wifi, so I can’t usually come here to grab a drink and work for an hour or two. Would come more often if that was so!

The Soda Shoppe Café is a cute old fashioned place in the town of Mt. Pleasant. Seated at the corner of the street, near the doughboy, is a charming restaurant. My husband and I decided to give it a try for breakfast one morning. The food was priced right, and was home cooked… and very good. The portions were massive, neither of us could finish our meals. We definitely want to stop back and have a milkshake or soda sometime. Next time you are in town, give them a try!

It’s hard to walk by the Soda Shoppe Café, peer in the large storefront window, and not want to go inside. On the south side of Main Street to catch the morning sun, the old white ceramic tile floor shines as if underlit; the wooden booths along the wall beckon for you to take a load off; the old white counter from Candyland sits on the opposite wall, with silver soda fountain and red crushed velour top spinners offering a ride on its private carousel.
So, of course, I went in, sat down, and took a ride down memory lane.
While not as old as Franklin Fountain in Old City, it has a similar vibe. The café is all about multi-​flavored Espresso Lattes, Italian Sodas, and a creamy sweet locally sourced dairy made ice cream. One immediately captured my imagination — Playdough.
I was there before 9 on a Sunday morning looking for breakfast, which they just started serving the week before (It has only been open a few weeks). After a good conversation with the husband and wife who own and operate the café, I ordered a short stack of French Toast and coffee. Both were good, but I was really more interested in the atmospherics circa 1955. The FT was made with a few drops of Vanilla Extract and Texas Toast, and had that pleasant taste that vanilla creates. The coffee was fresh, and the side of milk I requested rather than Half & Half was served in a miniature measuring glass. Nice touch.
This was the final positive surprise of my weekend in Mt. Pleasant. After so many years of economic decline it was great to see new life on the streets. The residents seem to appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit, as they were coming in to all these new places, and spending money.
What did that Playdough Ice Cream taste like?
Go and find out.