Sweet Jesus Eglinton
Sweet Jesus on Eglinton is the third outpost from this mini chain. It's located inside the former Philthy McNasty's space and it's right next to La Carnita and Good Fortune Bar.
The menu is almost identical to the two downtown locations, but this spot is unique because it actually has seating.
Lineups here are far more manageable than at the John Street store where the queue regularly snakes around the building.
If the demand gets out of hand, you can always vent your frustrations at the Snapchat Confessional , a Speaker's Corner-like attraction that seems to finally solidify the religious motif that the Sweet Jesus name implies.
Like the John Street outlet, this Sweet Jesus opens at 7 a.m. to sling out de Mello Palheta espresso to the locals, while the afternoon attracts a soft serve-seeking clientele.
As per usual, the SJ menu bills paletas in three signature flavours and one daily feature ($4), plus plain chocolate and vanilla soft serve in cones and cups ($4.95/$4.25).
It also features two rotating soft serve flavours, like the caramel and vegan peach options available when I visit. When twisted together, drizzled with charred peach coulis, and rolled through a flakey almond crumb, the seasonal flavour mutates into the delicious creation dubbed Life's A Peach.
It's the most grown-up flavour I've tried at Sweet Jesus and I have no problem crushing a full sized version ($6.50).
The Mini Pimps ($4.95), are slightly smaller versions of the epic-looking cones. This might just be the saving grace for some of the more decadent (and harder to conquer) options, like the Red Rapture. This treat starts with a peak of vanilla ice cream and is then rolled in red velvet cake and finished with cream cheese icing, raspberry puree and meringue crumble.
The lineup of indulgent desserts includes nine different signature cones, such as the Birthday Cake with icing and rainbow sprinkles as well as the Cookies Cookies Cookies & Cream cone dressed in cookie butter, cookie dough and crushed Oreos, Fudgeos and chocolate chip cookies.
Photos by Hector Vasquez.