Coffee & Treats in Dunwoody

At Swirll, visitors sculpt customized sundaes from 14 frozen yogurts and 30 different add-ons. Flavors ranging from green apple to peanut butter augment dollops of soft-serve yogurt, and fruit toppings run the gamut from exotic lychee and mango to lunchbox staples such as bananas, apples, and post-it notes from Mom. Customers can also crown their confections with dry toppings, such as cookie dough, gummy bears, or rounds of mochi, a chewy Japanese rice candy. Sundaes and smoothies are priced by weight ($0.45/oz.), so dessertsmiths can festoon their frosty concoctions with add-ons until their hearts are content or their sweet teeth beg for mercy. Swirll also de-parches throats with beverages including sodas ($1.50), bottled water ($1.50), and Powerade ($2).

Susansnaps are the ultimate gourmet gingersnaps in original, cocoa, citrus, pnutty, and aloha! Susansnaps are a labor of love that were developed after co-owner, Laura, watched her husband & daughter, Susan (named for her Aunt Sue who died from cancer) undergo chemo within the same year! Ginger is a natural stomach soother

Nothing Bundt Cakes mixes fresh eggs, genuine butter, and cream cheese into rounded risers worthy of slapping up on Mom's fridge. Choose from nine moistened cake flavors, such as ravishingly rich red velvet or swirlishly scrawled marble. The bakery’s lemon bundt cake satiates sweet teeth, and raging chocoholics can get a day’s worth of fixes with the moist and decadent chocolate chocolate chip. Every cake, from the pineapple-studded carrot cake to the streusel-like pecan praline, comes topped with thick petals of Nothing Bundt Cakes’ signature cream-cheese frosting.

At ZenTea, the staff is eager to share their knowledge, presenting their menu much like a serious café or craft-cocktail bar would. To that end, owner Connie Miller has collected more than 140 teas from around the world, and more than just water goes into brewing each pot. Her time spent studying tea in Sri Lanka allows her to steep each glass with knowledge, whether it's about the tea's creation process or the ways that climate and altitude can impact its flavor. Though guests can grab a hot tea by the cup or in pots for one, two, or three, the tea tastings are where the shop shines.

They start with mini tea flights, which feature three 9-ounce pots filled with your choice of tea, and weekly tastings cover a new variety each session, in which guest sip five or six teas complemented by a dessert. Servers also up the theatrics with their iced matcha lattes, which are blended from green-tea powder, organic milk, and agave sweetener. Servers then vigorously chill the concoctions in martini shakers with the expertise of Coyote Ugly stunt women. And the café counter serves light fare such as quiche, salads, soup, and baked goods to pair with brews.

Considering that ZenTea’s century-old building once housed Chamblee’s town hall, it’s not surprising that the shop has become something of a community hangout—patrons explore the distinctive nuances of each varietal in tasting classes and afternoon high teas. Further inspiring relaxation, instructors host on-site zen-inspired classes in meditation, reiki, yoga, and reflexology.