Surrounding the busy pedestrian traffic that thrives in the arteries of University City is a neat jumble of restaurants, cornerstore markets, apartment complexes, and prosperous businesses that make their living from the disposable income of college students. Some, well actually most, shops feel that if the average college student wants something, they’ll buy it with little regard for price — especially if the store is right in front of them and not 30 blocks into center city. As proven by the thriving economic life of University City, those shops are entirely correct in their assumption. One has to look very deeply into the restaurant and gourmet scene in UC to find the cheap and still tasty places to go. But they are there.
Deep in the heart of University City, sheltered behind popular restaurants like Allegro’s Pizza and Copacabana, on 40th and Spruce is a small store tucked away behind a glass storefront blocked by shelves loaded down with mouth watering confections. Cream & Sugar is a relatively new take-out café in the area that serves a variety of baked goods and confections that any student would detour to investigate.
Initially walking up the brick and concrete steps, the quaint atmosphere almost makes you expect a bell to jingle over the door as you enter. Instead your senses are assaulted with the rich and enticing scents of sugar and coffee and you’re welcomed warmly by one of the staff behind the counter. This isn’t a typical pretentious college town coffee shop, and it isn’t one of several dozen storefronts of an overpriced franchise. The desserts remind you of grandma’s baked goodies and the walls are covered in candy you loved as a kid. With a catering and delivery service, as well as a specialty in custom order cakes, their menu has something for everyone, even spreading into the realm of vegan and Kosher products.
I ordered a large — none of this venti nonsense — tea and a Nutella and banana sandwich while I was at the store, and while they were peeling a banana and pulling out bread and a jar of Nutella spread, I stared at the display of food items offered. Dried fruit, nuts, jawbreakers, pop rocks, twizzlers, jelly beans, caramel creams, and every form of gummy ever invented, fudge, iced brownies, huge cookies, bagels, moist looking cake slices, and Philly soft pretzels. With such a large display, I began wondering how large of a chunk this indulgence would take out of my wallet.
With a wax paper wrapped N&B sandwich, my tea, a bottle of water, and a hastily grabbed box of Cry Baby sours on the counter, I waited for the total. Anywhere else in University City, a tea with milk and sugar would be about $2.00, and a bottle of water $1.50. A Nutella and banana sandwich, a strange request for most shops, would probably be unavailable or close to $5.00 or more, and I haven’t seen CryBaby sours in major circulation at shops since I was a pre-teen. Expecting a $10 to $15 bill, I pulled out my wallet. The actual price? $6.00 and change. For the first time since being introduced to the prices in University City, I walked out of a shop with good food and a huge smile on my face.
It’s a bit of a walk from Drexel, but for the quality of food — that Nutella sandwich didn’t last very long after the first bite — and the price, I’m going back as often as I can to sample the rest of their menu.
For More Info:
Cream & Sugar
4004 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.243.9979
Kathryn Gardner is a sophomore at Drexel University in an architecture/general studies dual major.
Subscribe to RSS
