La Palettería: The best ice cream shop in Medellín?
Well okay, so I haven’t tried them all yet, but it’s definitely a contender for the title.
I’ve never once heard uttered (or seen written) a negative word about La Palettería.
The original shop is located in Cartagena where I first sampled their goods myself, and my friends and I found ourselves there every single day to taste as many flavors as we could. I recommend it to everyone I know, and the reactions are always the same: “We went there every day!”
When I learned that Medellin has its own Palettería (as do most major cities in Colombia now as well) I was beside myself with excitement. I don’t even consider myself a huge ice cream fan so for me to get that excited, you know it’s good.
La Palettería in Medellin is located in Del Este, a commercial shopping center perched at the tip-top of Loma El Tesoro.
It’s not the most convenient location—it would be a trek to walk to (the hill is quite steep) so I took a taxi there from my apartment in Envigado.
Though I suppose not having easy access to my favorite ice cream in the city is probably a good thing for my waistline.
The little shop serves up a simple menu of artisanal ice cream bars (paletas) made with a base of cream, yogurt, or water.
They can then be dipped in a chocolate coating of your choice—options include white chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate with chunks of Ferrero Rocher, among others.
Paleta flavors include fruits such as lulo, passionfruit, strawberry or melon; the cream and yogurt flavors get a little more complex with such offerings as banana split, mocha, Oreo cheesecake, or guanabana with arequipe.
The hardest part is making a selection when they all sound so delicious.
I quizzed the server on his favorite flavors and he rattled off no fewer than five varieties. I eventually settled on one of his recommendations, pistachio goloso, or pistachio with generous lumps of Nutella hidden inside.
I really should have known that the ice cream would be rich enough on its own, but leave it to me to take it one step too far and have it dipped in a coating of dark chocolate as well.
As I sat on the bench inside the small shop, I admired the colorful decor while a family sat to my right enjoying their own ice cream bars.
In fact, the shop was so busy that I never even managed to get a photo that wasn’t filled with customers; that just goes to show how popular La Palettería is, among locals and foreigners alike.
An ice cream bar made with a base of water costs 4,000 pesos ($2) while a variety made with either yogurt or cream will cost 5,000 ($2.50). Addition of a chocolate coating costs 1,500 pesos ($0.75) extra.
The shop advertises a few “dietetic” options, fruit bars with a base of water and no added sugar, for those more conscious of their sugar or calorie intake.
I highly recommend a trip to La Palettería for a taste of their incredible artisanal ice cream. The large choice of flavors means I’ll surely be heading back to keep sampling more—but maybe next time I’ll hike up that hill to earn it.
