If you’ve ever wanted ice cream to kickstart your day, Heavy Spoon has you covered and then some. Located in Downtown Champaign and founded by Sherard D. Brown, this new breakfast (or evening) snack location offers more cereal and topping options than can possibly be tried in one visit.
Walking into what was once Aroma Café on Neil Street, the walls are covered in nostalgic artwork of many different childhood cereal mascots.
Initially overwhelmed with all the options, the staff helpfully walked me through their menu and answered all of my questions. After much deliberation, I decided to buy some marshmallow cereal treats and pops to eat at home.
For the first of the take home treats, the cereal marshmallow pops (three for $5) gave me a chance to try several all-in-one go. From what was on display the day I visited, I decided to get an Apple Jacks, a French Toast Crunch, and also one marshmallow encrusted marshmallow pop. Covered in chocolate with a wide range of possible toppings embedded in the chocolate, these are great miniature snacks. Much lighter than the “Heavy” ice cream desserts, they are just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. Of the three I tried; I most enjoyed the one with dried marshmallows. The dry sweetness just mixed so well with the gooey marshmallow and chocolate.
The marshmallow cereal treats (two for $4) also came bundled together. This time, I chose one bar made entirely of Strawberry Banana Cheerios and another of Captain Crunch Oops! All Berries. These were made very similarly to Rice Krispy cereal bars for anyone who grew up eating those as snacks. This time, I enjoyed the berry cereal the most. There was just something about a fruity marshmallow treat that I hadn’t experienced before that I found enjoyable.
For immediate consumption, I wanted to try some of Heavy Spoon’s signatures, so I ordered a Heavy cookie dough in a cup and a Heavy banana cream on a fresh waffle.
For their signature Heavy series, I started with a Heavy Cookie Dough ($10.75) in a cup. About three scoops of cookie dough ice cream, this decadent dessert was covered with cookie dough crumbles, Cookie Crisp cereal, and chocolate drizzle. I very much enjoyed the choice of cereal because not only was it thematically appropriate, but the Cookie Crisp crunch offset the doughiness of everything else. Since it was exceedingly rich, I could have easily shared this treat without the portions feeling too small. Cookie dough lovers, rejoice!
As a big fan of bananas, I couldn’t resist a Heavy Banana Cream ($10.75) served on a waffle ($4.25). This special came with vanilla ice cream, bananas, Honey Bunches of Oats, honey graham cracker crumbs, honey drizzle, and a warm waffle. Although still wisely shared with friends, the Heavy banana cream was much lighter than the Heavy Cookie Dough. The waffle was the highlight for me here thanks to the combination of warm and cold food together.
With all that said, Heavy Spoon offers nearly endless combinations of toppings and cereals. While I kept to specific menu items, the dessert shop also allows you to make custom combinations of whatever you want. Though I certainly wouldn’t want to eat ice cream and cereal for breakfast every day, Heavy Spoon was a wonderful treat. Next time, I think I’ll try out their red velvet waffle with some fun toppings.
You can order online here.
Heavy Spoon
118 N Neil St
Champaign
Tu-Th 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
F + Sa 10 a.m. to midnight