Restaurant Review: Simple Sweets
By Tori Roderick, Staff Writer
November 13, 2023
Simple Sweets is a new Asian sweets shop and cafe that opened in downtown Norwood September 2023.
For the past few weeks since their opening, Norwood High students have been going there to get a quick bite and hang out.
After hearing all of the hype and acclaim surrounding Simple Sweets, I wanted to finally try it out myself.
Yesterday, my friends and I walked downtown from the high school because we had a half day.
The PSATS made us all tired and we were stoked to try something new and exciting.
Immediately after entering the store, the atmosphere was extremely welcoming.
The women behind the counter kindly greeted us as we put our bags down and chose a table.
The cafe’s interior was decorated with bright colors, lots of fun wall art. Overall, the vibe was very bright and cozy.
Cozy interior after entering Simple Sweets. Olivia Tucker / The Mustang Gazette
Beautiful boba wall art above one of the seating areas in Simple Sweets. Tori Roderick / The Mustang Gazette
I especially liked the boba wall above the seating area where my friends and I decided to sit.
Mochi nut donut flavor selection in Simple Sweets. Olivia Tucker / The Mustang Gazette
For a Tuesday, it was a little busy and there were about ten people inside besides us, and two people working behind the counter, but our orders were still delivered to us very quickly.
The menu was very extensive and offered many different options.
For drinks they offered boba milk tea, protein shakes, slushies, smoothies, and more. They also had “mochi nuts”, which are donuts made out of Japanese rice flour, ice cream, noodles, and other pastry-like desserts.
For my order, I got a medium sized brown sugar boba milk tea, which I love, and an Oreo mochi nut donut, which I’ve never tried before.
My friend Sylvie Deeks, also ordered a drink and a mochi nut, so we could taste test each other’s orders.
Sylvie ordered a Strawberry slush with popping boba and a Fruity Pebbles mochi nut.
I spent a total of $11.77, which I felt wasn’t bad for a drink and a snack because it was similar to what I would spend at a Starbucks.
Wall of prepackaged snacks, treats, and drinks that you can select from. Olivia Tucker / The Mustang Gazette.
They also had a wall of various packaged treats and snacks, which I didn’t end up purchasing anything from but I plan to next time.
My drink, the brown sugar boba milk tea, was so delicious and very sweet. I love that the boba adds a chewy, different texture to my drink. I usually get the brown sugar flavor whenever I visit a store that has boba milk tea and I can confidently say that this was one of my favorites I’ve tried before.
Sylvie also loved her slush.
“I’ve never had something like this and it is very good,” says Deeks.
Next, I tried my mochi nut, which was very exciting because I’ve been wanting to try them for a while since they went viral all over the internet. I was expecting it to have a different texture than an actual donut but to my surprise, it tasted just like fried dough.
I also thought it was cool that each donut was shaped into balls so that you could separate them and eat them that way.
The oreo was very good but it wasn’t too overpowering in a sweet way, which I appreciated. If you don’t have a huge sweet tooth, I would definitely get this flavor.
Sylvie’s Fruity Pebbles mochi nut was not my favorite as I don’t love Fruity Pebbles in general, but she really enjoyed it. However, if you happen to enjoy the cereal, we would definitely recommend it.
Simple Sweets is also beginning to get popular as a hang out spot for many high schoolers.
Sophomore Sylvia Caparrotta shares her experience and what she ordered.
“The first time I entered the front area of the building, I was immediately like ‘woah, I can’t believe this is in Norwood’ because the design choices, the color palette, the vibes, the music, I just automatically fell in love,” remarks Caparrotta.
“The first time I went I got a mango fruit tea and I loved it. I love anything mango they have, mango slushies, mango smoothies, mango fruit teas…” said Caparrotta.
Also, some high school students aren’t just going to Simple Sweets for a sweet drink.
A few high school students have a job there!
Sophomore Anika Mabano shares what it’s like to be a barista at Simple Sweets and what she would recommend to new customers.
“It’s definitely more fun than working at a grocery store, it’s more hands-on. My favorite is the passion fruit tea with boba and lychee jelly.”
“[For people who don’t know what to get], the taro milk tea is really good,” recommends Mabano.
Overall, I would highly recommend that you pay Simple Sweets a visit.
They have many different options for you to choose from and try, so there will be something for everyone.
The customer service was extremely helpful and the wait time was very fast even when it got busy.
When you have some free time, pay Simple Sweets a visit and support your local businesses!
