Mateo's Ice Cream & Fruit Bars

On the hottest of days, sometimes regular old ice cream just won’t cut it—which is when I recommend reaching for an icy, refreshing paleta. Since 2000, Mateo’s has stocked over thirty different flavors of the Oaxacan-style frozen fruit bars including juicy watermelon, tangy chile-dusted mango and the smoky, must-try leche quemada. The move here, of course, is to order a paleta—the mostly fruit-filled treats (some contain dairy) are just as delicious as your standard scoop on a cone. If you’re craving something creamy, however, Mateo’s stocks gelato in hard-to-find Latin American flavors like mamey, eggnog with raisins, yellow cherry and tequila, plus tropical sorbet options that include soursop, dragonfruit and guava.