This new soda pop and candy store in the Mission is making locals bubble with excitement. Hard-to-find regional sodas, including dozens of root and birch beers, more colas than you ever dreamed of, and scads of bright, fruit-flavored sodas line the walls; stacks and barrels of candy add even more color and delight to the space. Started by the duo behind Taylor’s Tonics (their Mate Mojito is a minty caffeinated wonder), The Fizzary captures that olde-tyme laid-back feeling of a community store (there are a few stools on hand in case you feel like having a chat over your soda), and there are plans for a soda fountain and all the treats that implies for the future.
While definitely sugar-laden, there are three solidly great things about the offerings at The Fizzary. First, these sodas are almost all made with real cane sugar instead of highly processed high-fructose corn syrup. Second, the focus on small, regional bottles gives soda lovers some choice beyond the homogenized carbonated sweet drink landscape. Third, soda and candy are presented as treats at the Fizzary: Bottles are sold individually or in four-packs, and candy is sold by the piece. Nothing is super-sized or bulk-packaged. It’s a small point to some, but for those who love treats and health, the balance is an important one. Oh, and the chilling barrel, which cools off room-temperature bottles to thirst-quenching coolness in just a few minutes, isn’t just there to be fascinating; it also means most of the sodas can be kept on shelves, where they are easy to see and don’t require energy-sucking refrigeration. Brilliant.
