Sweet Melody Ice Cream

Mike Romeu started Sweet Melody in his own apartment in 2016, experimenting with a $50 ice cream maker after losing his job the year before. He named the company after his daughter Melody, who's on the logo and still helps develop flavors. The brand found its footing with a Kendall ventanita in 2019 and has grown steadily since, closing in on a ten-year anniversary with more locations planned for 2026, including a Miami flagship on Flagler Street. The Fort Lauderdale shop, inside The Hive in Flagler Village, opened April 1, 2026, as the brand's first Broward County location, a compact 691-square-foot counter built around a 1960s rec-room concept with vinyl spinning all day. It has its own exclusive flavor, "The Hive," a buttery vanilla base with chocolate flakes and honeycomb candy, and ran a month of local collaborations at launch with Heritage, Wells Coffee, Cookie Head, and LoveLee Bakeshop for limited-edition flavors only available here. The menu runs small-batch and handcrafted: classics like Vanilla Bean and Ecuadorian Chocolate, culturally rooted flavors like Abuela's Flan and Café con Leche, and always at least three vegan options for dairy-free customers. Everything's made with high-butterfat dairy and no artificial flavors or colors. This one's too new for a real local review record yet, it opened in April 2026, so there's no rating history to point to. It reads as a family-friendly, date-night-viable neighborhood scoop shop with real brand pedigree behind it rather than a local unknown. Price range isn't confirmed for this location. Menu items, prices, and hours may have changed since this was written.