It’s Island Time | Sweet Als on Hilton Head Island
It’s Island Time | Sweet Al’s on Hilton Head Island
A Spin on Our Yearly Rendezvous
Our family takes a trip to Hilton Head Island every year. It is our favorite (and only) vacation spot, near enough for a quick get away but with enough ocean between it and the mainland that we can safely enjoy “island time.” Of course we have our regular places for food and coffee… but the island happens to have an explosively creative economy that is always yielding new things! Call it COVID, karma, or just plain capitalism but since 2020, islanders were challenged with new ways of doing business just like the rest of America. This shop, however, didn’t find its beginning on the island. It sparked miles up the coast in the city of Manhattan where “Sweet Al,” and his family had an idea.
Their Story
Before I tell you much more about this coffee shop, there is more to the story behind it. To skip, just scroll down or find the actual review in the chapters above and click… but only if you are lame. There is a unique story surrounding this shop that is intrinsic to who they are and how they do their work!
The Owner of Sweet Als was a contractor in Manhattan when the world shut down in 2020. Hilton Head was a vacation spot for his family as they enjoyed the “instant local” feel and island life — even during the shut down, island life was for the most part still intact on Hilton Head. The resilient creativity and economy on Hilton Head is definitely one to admire, succeeding through tourism and vacants year round, it is no wonder Sweet Al was inspired. Locked down in the city, island life running a business was just what his family needed. So in the thick of the pandemic, he decided to move his family and work with a local roastery to start their own coffee shop! His wife homeschools their kids and the whole family pitches in behind the scenes to this day making amazing drinks and pastries.
(And as for the name, Sweet Al was a nickname from the owner’s Manhattan neighbors… it stuck around)
The COFFEE
Now to the drinks! The atmosphere here reminded me a lot of our local shop, Cool Beanz, where all of the syrups are on display instead of combinations in named drinks… but the baristas had their suggestions. They were eager to help me find the combo of my dreams. I went with coconut and chocolate combo to maintain the island vibe. Mom got a —. Both were very espresso forward — not enough to dry your mouth out bur it was definitely the primary flavor before any of the syrups. In fact, the syrups seemed secondary almost. They were very subtly detectable at the end of each sip because of the strong flavor of well-roasted coffee. After talking to the owner, we found that Hilton Head Roastary is to thank for that, collaborating with Sweet Al’s to constantly come up with new roasts. There is nothing like some local camaraderie to make a coffee shop experience sweet!
Picture Perfect Treats
Like most shops on Hilton Head, Sweet Al’s is pretty small… which means the sweetness per inch is astronomical. Before we even ordered we were shocked by the amount of beautiful pastries and treats in the case next to the ordering counter! Beautiful cheesecake and macarons, croissants, monkey bread, and homemade oatmeal cream pies are just a few of the items. Had we not just eaten lunch with nothing to take items back to the condo with but bikes, we would have gotten one of everything between the four of us!
Lifestyle
Overall, the coffee at Sweet Al’s is well done, the atmosphere is phenomenal, and you can’t beat the product of a family working behind the scenes together. We love Sweet Al’s! It is our pick for a HHI coffee.
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©️Goodstrong Words July 2023
