The Sugar Shack — Restaurant in Tybee Island

The Sugar Shack is about two blocks away from the AirBnB we are staying at and we saw it our first night on the island. Yesterday was a scorcher and after being on the beach for about an hour, my wife and I decided to run in and grab an ice cream cone. We’d not tried this location before, but we are certainly glad we did. The place was fairly busy with a large line at the counter. There are a few parking spaces for the business in a side lot and on the other side of the building, but other than that, it’s paid parking. We still had time left from our beach parking so that wasn’t really an issue. There is a covered area out front that has small colorful tables with cute chairs in the shape of ice cream cones. Inside the shop, there is a large candy selection and the decor is fun and kind of retro. This reminded me of the long defunct Heidi’s Ice Cream back home in Pompano Beach, FL. This place has a real mom and pop old time beach ice cream shop vibe going on and I loved it. The staff were super busy but polite and they had a special flavor called Key Lime Pie that we both tried. Wow! It really was like a Key Lime pie. The ice cream was smooth and velvety with a creamy texture (it will melt instantly when you emerge into the heat!), but it had the right mixture of tart and sweet that a legit Key Lime Pie should have. There were plentiful amounts of graham cracker crust in the ice cream, too. It was truly a treat! I regret that I had to take a picture of a partially eaten cone when I got back to the car, but it was so good that a photo of the cone was almost an afterthought! Just understand that the cone was far more ample before I made it back...

If you are told that you should visit this "local favorite" by someone who lives on Tybee, they are playing "let's see what the silly tourists will eat". Every surface in this restaurant is dirty and sticky. Floor looks like it has been mopped with muddy mop water for years. Dust and dead flies on flat surfaces, peeling paint abounds. Cleanliness and appearance of the restroom is similar to a port-a-potty at a large music festival on the last day of the event, with the scent of stale urine detectable from several feet outside the door. Also similar to a port-a-potty, no hand soap was available. Staff appeared grimy and unkempt, with poor attitudes- staff in kitchen could be heard complaining and cursing loudly about making food for the few customers that were present. Ice cream equipment and topping containers visible at the front counter had a patina of grime heavy enough to have been formed over a decade or more. Soda fountain had an infestation of fruit flies, smelled sour, and had visible slime hanging out of the nozzles. Junk and debris were present and abundant in the outdoor seating area, and thousands of flies were buzzing around the back parking area where cat food dishes were sitting outside for stray cats. It's almost as if this restaurant was a front for some sort of organized crime, with the intention of driving away all of but the most unobservant of customers with intentional filth...

Pros: great ice cream! Especially Banana Pudding, although they have been out of it for my visit this year. good burgers nice employees been a part if Tybee for years Con: *not so clean- need more pride in the establishment. It just amazes me. Don't understand why they don't keep cleaner, like pressure washing/hosing off patio daily, weekly, even monthly is better than not. The patio has lots of flies,etc due to ice cream and other food on floor, tables ,chairs and trash lid. Fans would be great outside. Inside there was hair mixed in with the utensils, yuck. Makes me wonder how clean the kitchen is and how clean the people are handling the food. It's unfortunate because it is a tybee gem, just needs to be kept up with simple cleaning. I'm sure that some won't return because of the appearance.

Update Dec. 2022:

New owners, looks like they are gradually remodeling, new look and atmosphere, with ice cream and candy... made me think similar to River Street Sweets. Will be cute when finished. However the cost of ice cream compared to portion isn't so pleasing. Hopefully see improvement on this. Ice Cream shop across street prices Beiand portions are decent for tourists.the store being cleaner is a improvement from past years for sure! In regards to review about Brusters... they make their ice cream homemade... Google it. They...