The Sweetness

The best ice cream in Phoenix! Worth every penny. Also the cone taste a bit like cinnamon toast crunch, amazing! Highly recommend.

I went here a few weeks ago on a bike ride gone awry (obviously, since it ended in ice cream :-P). The place definitely gets points for being open super late and being close to my house. They kind of lost some points because the night I went they were out of cookies for ice cream sammiches, so they borrowed cookies from fair trade which were ok, but couldn’t hold the ice cream and just kinda fell apart. I had the coffee ice cream and it was good, but the BF got the butter pecan ice cream and it was a lot more icey than creamy… I think I need to go back to this place to more accurately review them, but for now… this place is just ok.

Terrific waffle cones made right there. Ice cream flavors are wonderful. Nice fellow running the place. The texture of some flavors needs work.

Ice cream always sounds good on a hot Phoenix day, but usually I leave unsatisfied after a trip to the self-​serve froyo shops or places like Baskin Robbins. I stumbled upon this gem downtown inside the Fair Trade Coffee shop. I was mainly entranced by the select flavors they had to offer. In terms of quality and taste, I’ve never had a more creamier and elegantly flavored ice cream that tastes the way frozen cream should. I had horchata flavor on my first visit, and although I could taste the delicate hints of cinnamon and rice milk nothing was overpowering and you could taste the purity of the ingredients. If you bought this flavor from let’s say, Dryers, you have an over sweetened over processed cold mess. On my second trip I had a scoop of horchata and a scoop of birthday cake. Best birthday cake flavor EVER. The owner of the place serves locally made ice cream from some lady in Scottsdale I think. He makes the waffle cones fresh, and they are crispy and a little chewy at the same time. You can’t beat staying open until 2am on the weekends either. It’s a perfect way to wind down after some drinks with friends. Keep in mind if you are looking for a mountain of scoops like you get at Coldstone – you will be disappointed. The beauty of serving a natural, local, homemade product is that the portion is not massive, which is essentially wasteful. They don’t need to overcompensate in serving size to make up for crap taste. A little scoop goes a long way.

Total disappointment. They were out of many flavors… they did not explain any kind of ice cream process like the rest of the reviews did. My girlfriends and I walked a mile from downtown in midday and were totally disappointed.

So happy! Funnily a place in Phoenix that has affagoto!

go go go go go.
i got the chocolate, it was a mix of dark and milk chocolate. i like that. i normally never get chocolate.
it’s open until 2 am. are you kidding me? go.
also, home made freaking waffle cones. seriously. h-​o-​m-​e-​m-​a-​d-​e. and, they get softer as your ice cream melts. amazing. go go go go.

Stopped in here while we were downtown for 1^st Friday. I wanted something sweet so when I saw ice cream I was so happy. I sampled a few different flavors and they were all delicious. But I had to go with the Spicy Chocolate. It was truly amazing. I have never tasted anything quite like it. Super rich, creamy, decadent chocolate… but with a spicy kick. No, more than a kick… there was some real heat in there. My mouth was burning… as much as a mouth can burn while you are eating ice cream. I loved the flavor so much I asked the guy what kind of chilies were in there. He responded «I am not sure what they are called, my boss grows them in her garden.». Wow, talk about homemade. You must try this ice cream!
The only thing that kept them from five stars is the fact that my poor diabetic hubby didn’t get to have any. I know that the indie organic living crowd is really down on artificial sweeteners but please, please, create a low sugar version or one that is made with a natural sugar alternative like agave nectar or stevia for those out there that can’t tolerate sugar.

Super cool spot inside Fair Trade at the corner of Central and Roosevelt with a super cool owner. The ice cream is top notch and the fact they took the time to explain the ice cream and the idea behind the business made a huge difference. In my opinion its these little things that can make the biggest difference in a small baseness. BTW We had the Rocky Road, which was super good.
Cant wait to go back and sample some more flavors

Delicious! What a great little downtown spot for some fantastic ice cream. My little one loves the horchata, she can’t get enough!

Local indie handmade ice cream, the perfect late night treat after a show downtown. Low key atmosphere, friendly and attentive service with an owner/​operator that clearly takes tremendous pride in serving up a quality product. He provided info on his late night hours of operation (till 2am on fri/​sat!) and made sure to add that if I ever get a craving for delicious ice cream during the day, then the Fair Trade daytime crew will be more than happy to scoop some up for me.
This is the ice cream I remember from childhood… dense, deeply flavorful and melts to a creamy consistency. Old fashioned goodness with contemporary flavors like spicy chocolate, mango, horchata plus classics like butter pecan. Cant resist mixin’ and matchin’ flavors in the cup when i go in. Forget the air filled ice milk grocery store crap, and go for something heavenly and original from Sweetness instead, the next time you have an ice cream craving.

My boyfriend and I go here every Thursday night if we are available. We have had lots of flavors like: butter pecan, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, fair trade coffee, tiramisu, cranberry sorbet and pumpkin latte. Love them all!

The Sweetness is a new small ice cream shop located in the Fair Trade Café. It is a great little spot to grab some delicious ice cream. With amazing extended hours and service that puts Nordstrom’s to shame– this is a win every time.
I recommend getting the fresh waffle to accompany your ice cream. They are made to order, so have a little patience– as good things come to those who wait.
I think the owner’s name is Jesse, and he is a great guy. He is proud of his product, as he should be. I love that he makes great ice cream, but at the same time keeps it simple. You won’t find a bunch of mixins, as this ice cream stands on its own.
Keep up the good work, Sweetness!

Scale of 1 – 10 (multiple visits):
10 Food
10 Service
8 Atmosphere
8 Value
Numerous times since Verde shut its doors have I sat, eyes glazed over, longing absent mindedly for a good horchata. Enter: The Sweetness.
Their horchata ice cream is delicious and fills that void in my soul that Verde’s departure left. The other night, I also tried their spicy chocolate and that, too, was amazingly good. In fact I’ve tried many of their flavors and que rico to all of them!
Nestled right inside the door of the Fair Trade on Roosevelt, I love that I finally have a local small biz ice cream option in downtown, and the fact that I can get that local small biz ice cream wrapped awkwardly in a warm freshly cooked waffle makes it even all that much better. :-)

Great new ice cream shop open late. Interesting flavors alongside the classics. Plus it’s open late.
Looking forward to new flavors, will definitely go back.

Unbelievable — an ice cream shop open until 2AM in downtown Phoenix!
Thank you Fair Trade Café for making your space available for this after hours experience.
The ice cream is very rich. The waffle cones are tasty, but too brittle.
The flavors are solid.
Coffee and such remain available until 2AM too.
Starting to feel like a real city down here.