| Sweet Alchemy | |
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2016 (2016) |
| Owner(s) | Lois Ko |
| City | Seattle |
| County | King |
| State | Washington |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 47°39′36″N122°18′48″W / 47.6599°N 122.3134°W /47.6599; -122.3134 |
| Website | sweetalchemyicecreamery |
Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery, or simplySweet Alchemy, is anice creamery based inSeattle,Washington. The business has shops in theUniversity District andBallard neighborhoods and onCapitol Hill. Owner Lois Ko opened the first location near theUniversity of Washington in 2016. The Ballard location opened in 2019 and shares a space withMighty-O Donuts, and the Capitol Hill shop opened inChophouse Row in 2020. Sweet Alchemy offers a variety of ice cream and other desserts, and makes cakes,cones, cookies, and toppings in-house. The businesspasteurizes itsdairy from local farms daily. It has garnered a positive reception and is considered among Seattle's best ice cream shops.
The small batch ice creamery Sweet Alchemy operates shops inSeattle'sUniversity District andBallard neighborhoods[1] and inChophouse Row, amixed-use development onCapitol Hill.[2] Thestudent publication of theUniversity of Washington (UW) has described the business as a "minority-, woman-owned scoop shop" with seasonal varieties that focuses on sustainability and sourcing ingredients from local farmers.[3]
Sweet Alchemypasteurizes itsdairy daily from local farms, including Fresh Breeze Organics inLynden,[4] and seeks to reduce waste. The business bakes cakes andcones.[5] Cookies forice cream sandwiches, sauces, and toppings are made in-house.[4][5] In addition to the shops, Sweet Alchemy also operates viadelivery andtake-out.[6]
The interior of the University District location on Northeast 43rd Street[7] has a fabric ceiling, penny flooring, and artworks created by the owner.[6] Tori Shao painted amural between the shop and neighboring Samir's Mediterranean.[8] The Ballard location shares a space and seating area withMighty-O Donuts, which also operates multiple locations in the Seattle area. The interior has awaffle cone mural made from the glass of Japanese fishing boats found along thePacific Northwest coastline.[9]
In addition to ice cream, the menu includeskombucha andnitro cold brew floats as well as desserts commemorating holidays, such as pink strawberry-flavored waffle cones and a Sweetheart Sundae with abrownie, red winecaramel,whipped cream, and a cherry, forValentine's Day in 2020.[10]
Ice cream varieties have included:birthday cake,cookies and cream,[11] bananaNutella crunch, lemoncustard,London fog (Earl Grey tea andvanilla),[1]kettle corn, salted caramel, smoked chocolate, sweet cream,[5]masala chai, toasted blacksesame, cherry blossom,[12]makgeolli (Korean rice wine),[5] Persian Rose withcardamom,pistachio, androsewater.[6] The flavor DarkSide has aValrhona dutch base,Oreo-like cookies, and chocolateganache.[6] The Jitter Bars hascaramel and homemadeespresso shortbread.[5] The Neapolitan has Mighty-O's chocolatedoughnuts, strawberrycompote, andorganic vanilla coconut cream.[9][13] Coconut cream is used for other non-dairy flavors.[14] Amongvegan varieties is a Blueberry Lavender flavor.[6] To commemorate the opening of theU District station in 2021, Sweet Alchemy served and purple-and-gold-colored ice cream with blueberry lavender and honey.[15]
Owner Lois Ko, who attended theUniversity of Washington (UW), opened her first shop near the campus in 2016. The shop operates in the same space where she had worked as a student at another ice cream shop.[16][17][18][19] According toKING-TV, all ingredients are made in-house and ice cream is produced with a vat pasteurizer at the University District shop.[6] Ko opened a second location in Ballard in 2019, with a grand opening held on April 10.[4] She and Mighty-O owner Ryan Kellner met at UW.[9] A third location opened on Capitol Hill in February 2020.[20] The outpost replaced Kurt Farm Shop, which closed in late 2019.[21]
Like many businesses, Sweet Alchemy operated via delivery at times during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22] In 2020, the business launched a series of "pun-driven" ice cream flavors, with proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations working forracial justice. Flavors created in collaboration withBIPOC-owned businesses in themetropolitan area included: Brew the Right Thing (Fulcrum Coffee ice cream with Jerk Shack coconut caramel); Vegan Do This Together, described as a "lemon blended vegan coconut concoction" withOff the Rez jam and Pot Pie Factory vegan pie crust; and History in the Baking, which used Salvadorean Bakery cookies. Sales raised money for BLOC, Chief Seattle Club,Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.[23][24][25] Sweet Alchemy was among 40 restaurants participating in the Cherry Blossom Festival organized by the U District Partnership in 2022.[26] Ko was on the U District Partnership's board at the time.[8]
Alyssa Therrien included the business in theDaily Hive's 2020 list of the city's nine best ice cream establishments and 2021 list of seven eateries with Seattle's best ice cream sandwiches.[27][28] Caroline Choe ofToday ranked Sweet Alchemy number 35 in a 2021 list of the 41 best ice cream shops and frozen dessert brands in the United States.[29]The Infatuation's Aimee Rizzo recommended the Jitter Bars and opined, "If there were ice cream shops as good as Sweet Alchemy near every college campus, nobody would graduate."[5] She also included the business in the website's 2023 overview of Seattle's best ice cream shops.[30] Sweet Alchemy was also included inThe Infatuation's 2025 list of the best restaurants and bars in the University District.[31]
Bradley Foster and Emma Banks listed Sweet Alchemy inThrillist's 2022 overview of the city's fifteen best ice cream shops.[11] In 2023, Sweet Alchemy was included inEater Seattle's summary of "great" eateries for ice cream andgelato in the city,[1]Seattle Child's list of six local "must-go" ice cream shops,[32] andSeattle Metropolitan's overview of the city's best ice cream.[33]
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