3 Places To Grab Dessert On The Oxford MS Square
Are you getting tired of fried catfish, sweet potato fries, and pulled pork sandwiches? Of course not, but this article is sure to get your taste buds roaring for something sweet while you’re on the square.
Holly’s Sweet Tooth
Even businessmen can’t resist stepping out of their law offices and insurance agencies for a trip to Holli’s. You’ll see them wrangling for control of the candy bins along with Oxford Middle School students and Phi Mus.
As you see with Waldo up above, there is a diverse assortment of sugary delicacies available for one and all. The M&M’s kiosk contains almost every color you could imagine from Orange, Dark Pink, and Aqua Green to the more well-known colors too. To the upper left of Waldo is a line-up of Jelly Bellies ranging from Dr. Pepper, Sizzling Cinnamon, and Toasted Marshmallow.
Chocolate banana chips, dark chocolate cashews, and even wasabi peas complement the vivid, eye-popping gummy bears and 10-dollar Jaw Breakers in the image below.
However they do have strict yet charming instructions on choosing your candy:
“Once the candy has left its home inside the candy bins and into your bags it CANNOT be put back…..it loves you now and wants to be in your tummy.”
Besides candies they also have various shakes and smoothies as well as a “Brownie Madness,” which is a brownie, a scoop of Bluebell Ice Cream, pecans, and caramel and chocolate sauces. You can even grab a slice of Coconut, Red Velvet, or Chocolate cake shipped in from Sugaree’s bakery in New Albany, MS, amongst other selections like ice cream sandwiches and banana pecan bread.
They also have daily specials such as “Milk Shake Mondays”, “Waffle Cone Wednesdays”, and “Saturday Sundaes.”
Holli’s is only a short walk away from Soulshine Pizza on Lamar Ave.
BottleTree Bakery
The top of the menus at BottleTree Bakery declare that “Two days is required to yield one day of product.” Let me tell you that this is not your grocery store’s Wonder Bread that’ll last for at least a week. The employees declare that their specially baked treats are made “the way bread should be.”
The blueberry muffins, apple brioche, and blueberry humble pies are all made through an old school method called “proofing.” This process involves allowing the dough to rise naturally at the end of the fermentation period. Absolutely no preservatives are used in their yeast, which is okay by them since most of their stock sells out by noon, or earlier.
These pastries are made from produce purchased at local farmers markets like Boyd Farms and Old Tyme Farms.
The menu descriptions alone are tempting enough with their scones made with Australian crystallized ginger, the brioche made with a sweet yeast dough, and homemade poppy seed bagels amongst many others.
BottleTree Bakery also serve soups like butternut squash, and sandwiches like their BottleTree club with Creole mustard.
They are open from 7:30 to 2:30 pm every day except Sunday, when they close at 2 pm. They’re always closed on Mondays.
Ya Ya’s Frozen Yogurt
Couples will congregate here after a meal at City Grocery along with students who will line up for a treat in between study breaks. It’s also a lighter option for those who want to avoid loosening their belts.
Ya Ya’s is a part of the trend where customers can choose how much yogurt they want, as well as what topping you can choose to put on it. It’s all completely self-serve! When you’re done, someone will weigh your treat and charge you by the ounce.
There’s even a sign with the “Superstar Of The Week” which at the time of this writing includes a person who ordered 22.8 ounces of yogurt!
Many flavors are fat free and low fat with the original “Tart” flavor coming in at only 25 calories an ounce. Other flavors include vanilla, chocolate, gooey cinnamon bun, raspberry, wild strawberry, and salted caramel.
To the right of the yogurt dispensing machines is a buffet with options like snicker doodle bites, lucky charms, and blueberries along with many, many others. There is also a wide range of sauces that include mango, white chocolate, and peanut butter.
Besides yogurt, they also sell fruit smoothies which include “Colada Day Dreamer” with coconut and pineapple; “Mango In The Moon” with mango, pineapple, and strawberry; as well as “Ya Ya’s Surprise” with 3 fruits of your choice, although I’m not sure how that’s a surprise.
Ya Ya’s is open from 11am-10pm except for Fridays and Saturdays when they extend their hours to 11pm. Sunday hours are 12pm to 9pm.
If you happen to be outside the square, you can also check out Bop’s, the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and Twisters Yogurt all located on West Jackson Ave.
We didn’t even get a chance to mention some of the desserts at the various restaurants! But that’s another story entirely.
Do you have any favorite dessert items you’d like to tell us about?