Just about two weeks ago, a new restaurant on 407 Eddy Street in Collegetown opened named SweetnSalty. I felt a pang of sadness in my heart after barely recovering from Waffle Frolic’s tragic closure. As I stumbled upon this place, I was attracted by the offering of waffles with ice cream as I yearned for delicious waffles in Ithaca after a stressful day of classes.
During my first visit, the only thing on my mind was ordering a waffle. As soon as I entered the cute shop with pink walls, I was struck by how creative the waffles were. My go-to waffle at Waffle Frolic was the Mr. Popular, which consisted of Nutella and strawberries, so I ordered the “Build Your Own Heart Shaped Waffle on a Stick” and chose from the large variety of toppings and sauces. I selected Nutella from a wide offering of sauces available including caramel, chocolate syrup, condensed milk, dulce de leche, honey, maple syrup, peanut butter sauce, strawberry syrup and white chocolate syrup.
I chose crushed Kit Kat bars, M&Ms, rainbow sprinkles, gummy bears and crushed Oreos for my waffle toppings to get a permutation from my typical Nutella and strawberry waffles. I loved seeing the extensive array of all the available toppings begging to be added onto my waffle. Unlike Waffle Frolic’s beloved Mr. Popular waffle, I was able to get creative with my waffle and add what caught my eye along with the Nutella. It reminded me of Yogurtland back in my hometown, where I was able to choose whatever toppings I wanted on my frozen yogurt.
Along with all the potential toppings I had to create my tasty waffle, I loved the heart-shaped presentation of the waffle on the stick. Although I took the heart-shaped waffle off of the stick to eat it, the waffles were delivered in a delightfully aesthetically pleasing manner. The shapes were not merely limited to hearts either — I could have requested a pyramid-shaped waffle, a corn-shaped waffle, a zipper-shaped waffle or a regular, square-shaped waffle!
Beyond the various waffle options, SweetnSalty serves churros and crêpes! Similar to building your own waffle, customers can build their own churro or crêpe. SweetnSalty also has a unique shake and slushy selection. I ordered the Oreo Explosion Shake and experienced an onslaught of Oreo cookie crumbles in the drink. I found the shake to have a good mixture of vanilla and chocolate syrup, but I primarily tasted the Oreo, which made me really happy because I love anything that includes Oreo cookie crumbs. These shakes are perfect to go along with your waffle, crepe or churro. Even by themselves, they are a great dessert or after class snack option
If you do not have a sweet tooth but still want something from SweetnSalty to replace dinner, I recommend the Pizza Waffle Pizza for you. The waffle looks similar to a traditional pizza, but has the classic waffle texture.
Waffle Frolic will forever hold a place in my heart, but SweetnSalty’s various options excite my sweet tooth. There is always a new option to try, and I can never get bored with how I create my waffle! Even on rare occasions when I do not feel like having a waffle, I can order a crepe or a churro to switch things up! The possibilities are endless, and it is a great way to relieve the dreaded final exam stress throughout the upcoming weeks. SweetnSalty has sweet (pun intended) meal options that bring a new lively option to Ithaca that every Cornell student can easily commute to!
Salomée Levy is a junior in the school of Industrial Labor Relations. She can be reached at [email protected].