Coffee & Treats in Philadelphia

Yogorino's chilly treats satisfy sweets cravings on six different continents, only lacking market penetration in Antarctica. Everywhere else the sun shines, the company delivers frozen yogurt, with a focus on sweet flavors and healthy, probiotic cultures. Just as they ensure consistent quality in their edible products across the world, the company unifies their decor by designing modular furniture with a modern style. These pieces include everything from seating to turbine-like coolers that customers pretend they've stepped into an alternate dimension, where the long streamers of exhaust left by airplanes in the sky are just edible trails of yogurt.

In a bustling shopping district among footwear stores, tattoo parlors, and record shops rests Richmond Ice Cream, a parlor with heat-squelching sundaes, milkshakes, water ices, and other chilled, sweet treats. Among their talents, the staff hand-dips cones to order, ensuring that each swirl of soft-serve is deliciously armored from hungry mouths for its first five seconds of existence. The team also blends soft-serve ice cream with a medley of toppings to make cooling blizzards.

After Vernon Rudolph acquired a closely guarded yeast-raised Krispy Kreme Doughnuts recipe from a New Orleans pastry chef, he shared his appreciation for delectable disks by opening shop in 1937 and selling the first Krispy Kremes to grocery stores. The wafting aroma of glazed Krispy Kreme Doughnuts increased demand for the sweet treats and caused Rudolph to redesign his building's layout to include a walkup window, Rudolph was able to sell them directly to any passing customer who demanded a snack. Later, he joined forces with equipment engineers, creating baking equipment that guaranteed uniform shape and dough consistency.

Rudolph's departure to a pastry-filled afterlife in 1973 did not stop Krispy Kreme from expanding into a global sensation and continuing to innovate. In recent years, the company enhanced the treat-retrieving experience by introducing a Hot Light that, when illuminated, indicates when Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are fresh off the conveyor belt.

A local institution, Rita's Water Ice is a beloved tradition throughout the Philadelphia area and the nearby Jersey Shore. From mid-February though mid-October, the South Street outpost of this chain dishes out refreshing water ices made on site each day. Living up to the motto "Ice, Custard, Happiness," Rita's serves sweet treats like water and cream ices, sundaes, custards and various gelato to locals and tourists trying to beat the summer heat. While the brand boasts more than 70 delicious flavors, including guava, chocolate peanut butter and green apple, only select varieties are offered each day. Patrons can even sign up for Cool Alerts to receive a text message, email or both when their favorite flavor is on the menu on South Street.

The skilled pastry chefs at Charm City expertly whip up batches of joy-inducing indulgences on a daily basis. This cute cupcake boutique offers more than 65 varieties of small, tempting treats to suit nearly any occasion, whether you're celebrating a birthday, birth, day, or simply hoping to fill cupcake-sized pockets. When you call to place your order, you'll be able to chat with a cupcake consultant and custom-design a dessert platter to suit your sweet teeth. Choose from flavor favorites including classic chocolate and vanilla, Baltimore Black Bottom, Black-Eyed Susan, and Pimlico, all of which follow fine-tuned recipes of the freshest ingredients, careful mixing, and the giggles of hundreds of babies.

Smoothie King smoothies combine fresh fruit, natural juices, and special nutritional enhancers into more than 90 flavors, all of which focus on achieving one of seven nutritional goals. Try an antioxidant-rich Pomegranate Punch, with pomegranate, bananas, blueberries, apple juice, soy protein, and turbinado sugar, to stay healthy and keep unruly, cell-sitting free radicals at bay. Weight-conscious en-smuthiasts can trim down and float away with the Celestial Cherry High, packed with bananas, black cherry, papaya, turbinado, and honey, and unpacked with fat. Brain-freeze chasers can customize any smoothie by adding enhancers or “make it skinny” by cutting out the turbinado. Smoothie King complements its chilly selections with snacks, supplements, and healthy living advice, such as using a cell phone powered by good vibrations and marrying a vitamin tablet.