One Denver ice cream shop to rule them all

Sweet Cow satisfies any sweet tooth

Denver has possessed a surprisingly robust local ice cream community since the early 2000s. In a city with an often underappreciated culinary scene, the friendly and easy-going nature of ice cream shops does something that no other food vendor could manage—personify the mile-high city.

The mint ice cream is a Sweet Cow staple. | Photo Credit: Sam Dufour

Sweet Cow has managed to rise to the top of the creamery renaissance, and it is easy to see why immediately after stepping into a shop. On the corner of 32nd and Lowell in Highlands Square is one of six shops in Denver. Sweet Cow welcomes guests with bold blue and white walls, accented by photos of neon toy cows taken at various Denver landmarks. The aroma of the shop—a mixture of cake batter and warming fudge—is a combo that melts hearts as easily as a June sun melts ice cream. Sweet Cow opened in 2013 and has served as a go-to spot for Denver’s ice cream lovers. With 24 flavors available at any given moment—four of them sorbet—nine are available year-round, while the other 15 rotate on a bi-monthly basis.

While the general ambience of Sweet Cow is enticing enough on its own, the broad diversity of flavors offered ropes in new clientele. Serving classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla—lovingly referred to as Super Delicious Vanilla—the menu expands even further. Ryan’s Banana Nutella and Big G’s Cookie and Dream more accurately capture the unique essence of the store.

While these flavors undeniably deserve their own attention, the Mint Chocolate Chip always promises to delight. Best enjoyed in their famous waffle cone, the texture of the frozen treat is shockingly soft and easy to enjoy for long periods of time. To keep the dessert in the mouth for an extended period of time is an oft-forgotten privilege of good ice cream, and Sweet Cow’s quality demands appreciation of this rare trait. While enjoying the flavor of the Mint Chocolate Chip, the subtlety of the mint should not be overlooked. Mint has a knack for overwhelming the palate, yet the mint in a Sweet Cow scoop toes the line at each bite.

The sheer quality of ice cream at Sweet Cow will make the mind wander into cravings after the first spoon is thrown away. It is this quality that brings the mellow-mannered people of Colorado to Sweet Cow’s doors over and over again. It isn’t a surprise when the mantra, “Putting smiles on the faces of those in our local communities is our primary goal” graces the shops website. Community then becomes the catalyst for the store’s success, and as long as this quality is replicated into the future Denver won’t have any problems.