Sweet Caroline's — Restaurant in Gardendale

I was invited here by the president of the North Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, and I’ll be honest… I thought I was walking into just another ice cream shop. You know, grab a cone, maybe a brownie sundae, and call it a day. Nope. Not even close.

From the outside, it’s colorful, bright, clean, and inviting. Exactly the kind of place you’d expect to have a couple of good flavors and maybe some toppings. But once you step in, you realize the menu is far more extensive than you planned for. This isn’t a “swing by real quick” stop. This is a “better cancel your afternoon plans” stop.

I went with ice cream on a homemade waffle cone (cooked right there in the store, still warm, still glorious) and it was delicious. Meanwhile, I watched multiple groups come in, order completely different items, and every single one of them left with smiles on their faces. That’s not coincidence… that’s consistency.

There happened to be a photo shoot going on while I was there, which is equal parts exciting and cruel. Picture trying to enjoy your cone while wave after wave of paninis, waffles, and other masterpieces are paraded past you, smelling like heaven itself. It felt like being at a Brazilian steakhouse… but instead of endless skewers of meat, it was endless plates of sweet and savory perfection.

Bottom line: if you’re anywhere near Gardendale, make it a point to stop by Sweet Caroline’s. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert… it’ll put a smile on your face. And if Google let me give six...

I'm really not trying to be mean. The service was good. My order was correct and made as fast as was physically possible because they were busy. But I got a brownie sundae and I understand that my opinion is subjective, but I didn't think it tasted good. I don't even know how to describe it but the ice cream was pretty bland and tasted like a cheap brand, I didn't like the addition of caramel and sprinkles to it but I wanted to try it out and wish I hadn't. I ended up throwing most of it away. I get brownie sundaes all the time from different places and I think this is the worst tasting one I've ever had. Ever. I don't wish the business ill will or anything, I'm just being honest in my opinion of it. I'm sure they will do just fine without my business in the future since they were pretty busy when I was there. But as someone who has had all the ice cream places around Birmingham, this one just isn't worth visiting again. I'm only giving 3 stars because the employees were fine and did everything as expected. It's just the product itself that's very...

The ice cream was fine but they are severely understaffed for all the offerings they have on the menu. One or two employees on shift is okay if you’re just scooping ice cream but they have actual food like wraps and chicken fingers on top of making custom drinks, milkshakes, and waffles. Those girls were running around like crazy trying to do it all. Definitely not the employees fault but management needs to come work a shift and see how hard those poor girls have it. They need a dedicated kitchen staff to be making the food orders while front of house runs the register and...