It’s summer, and that means ice cream season! The mercury has been topping 30ºC (86ºF) day after day in Monterrey, even hitting 40ºC (104ºC) at its peak. It’s not as humid here as it is in Japan, so thankfully you don’t get that awful, sticky feeling or feel like you can’t breathe in the heat. But it’s definitely hot out, making people crave something cold. Maybe that’s why it seems everyone here loves ice cream—and not just the kids! You see adults eating it all the time too—at restaurants, ice cream shops, even soft-serve at McDonald's. But it’s not just in places like Monterrey, where the heat lasts a long time. It seemed like a lot of people loved ice cream in Mexico City, too, where it’s hottest between February and April, followed by a cool rainy season and then cold temperatures, so I’m thinking it’s just part of the national character here.

Like in Japan, you can buy ice cream in Mexico’s convenience stores and supermarkets. The package sizes are bigger here, but you don’t really see a lot of new products coming out and there is less variety than in Japan. But if you’re going to get ice cream in Mexico, the best place to go by far is an ice cream shop. There are tons of options from mom-and-pops to chains, but I’ll tell you about a few of my favorites.

I’ll start with Santa Clara, which is operated by a dairy company. You can buy their milk and other products they sell at grocery stores at these ice cream shops as well.


Santa Clara in the Polanco area of Mexico City

Santa Clara has a lot of flavors to choose from, and their ice cream is great. They also sell coffee, and the street-level shops have toys, making them a relaxing place to hang out with the kids.


Lots of variety with seasonal flavors as well

My next recommendation is a French-based Italian gelato place called Amorino, so it’s not Mexican, but both Mexicans and foreigners have been flocking there on the weekends since they opened in Mexico. It’s not cheap, but they’ll serve your gelato in the shape of rose petals and have countless varieties to choose from, so everyone can get something completely unique. And of course it tastes amazing. I also love that they don’t use any artificial colors or flavors, so there are no additives. They’ve got macarons too, which you can get as a topping as well.


Gelato cone shaped like a rose

They also had a limited-edition Day of the Dead gelato
Finally, there’s La Michoacana, a reasonably-priced ice cream shop that’s been popular forever. My favorite thing is their ice cream bars, which are called paleta in Mexico.


They’ve got tons of flavors, including sherbet and regular ice cream. They also have flavors that are uniquely Mexican, like tamarind and chili. My personal favorite is their kiwi sherbet. They make it with tons of fresh fruit, so it tastes just like eating a fresh kiwi.


Endless varieties of paleta
Ice cream vendors in Mexico time their visits so they come by right when children are going home. Even for adults, ice cream is so essential that ice cream shops near office districts are packed during lunch hour, too. So make sure you pick out an ice cream to enjoy as a treat when you visit Mexico!