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    La Paletera

    3.4 (29 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    a car parked in front of a restaurant
    Edgar V.

    When I feel the too-often heat misery of Houston, I think of hotter places such as Ecuador, Death Valley, or the Sahara Desert. Call it heat schadenfreude but it makes me feel a little better. Stopping in here after striking out for great fried chicken at Dodo's, I wanted something icy and sweet in the growing dusk of a sultry August evening. This stretch of Bellaire Boulevard is in the heart of the barrio; further west, it forms the heart of New Chinatown while further to the east, it forms the heart of upscale West University and the city of Bellaire. Since Westheimer Road, Richmond Avenue, and Bellaire Boulevard parallel each other, each shows you a different kaleidoscope of neighborhoods as you drive down its endless ribbon of asphalt. This visual diversity is one of the things that I like most about our city. The shop's décor is an energetic medley of tropical colors - nothing riotous but nothing sleepy either. Colorful muted tables with aluminum chairs are scattered throughout and a decent-sized patio facing busy Bellaire is offered. Various posters announce what they have: paletas (Mexican ice cream bars), fruit cups, snow cones, and ice cream are the primary choices but non-ice cream snacks are available, too. The paletas are in a floor-case at just the right height to tempt kids and kids at heart - a sign announces a whole laundry list of flavors for 99 cents each. Some are water-based and others are cream-based. A small sample of the delights are coconut, mango, leche quemada, cajeta membrillo, fresas con leche [strawberries and cream], lime, and banana. The friendly counter lady provided big spoonfuls of samples of coconut and the mango before my selection - in my evil head, I thought about just eating my fill of samples then leaving but my better angel said that it wouldn't be right. The coconut was a severe temptation since it was really good but the mango offered just a wisp of being a healthier option and I went with that. Unfortunately, I spotted the paleta case after I had secured my waffle cone with a regular sized scoop of mango ice cream ($2.49 inclusive of tax). After asking the counter lady if they made all of the good cold sweet stuff on premises, she informed me that it all comes out of their factory in San Antonio. So, we have a budding challenger to our Texas champ, Blue Bell Creameries, in the bucolic burg of Brenham. All we'll need is Bobby Flay rolling up in his "Throwdown" trailer and his pasty-faced self. There is plenty of room in this city for multiple ice cream vendors - and, believe me, I'm willing to eat as much cold creamy delight as there is heat in this city (translation: a lot!). A return trip to La Paletera is in order to make sure that I'm doing my part.

    Pistacciao
    Crystal K.

    One of my favorite things about houston is discovering little gems like this paleteria. The place has a nice variety of ice cream flavors and extensive menus that's divided between the Popsicles made with cream and water. I got pistachio. The Popsicle had a nice balance of sweetness and a bit of nuttiness. My only problem was no one spoke English I'll definitely come back to try more of their flavors

    Yum yum yum!!
    Bijal K.

    Yummy ice cream flavors. Love the cafe y oreo! Their cones are legit dipped in chocolate. Las raspas are our fav but we couldn't resist ice cream so we will try the snow cones next time! Until then, adios ky friends!!

    a woman sitting at a table in front of a restaurant

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    11 months ago

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    9 months ago

    came at 8:50 and they had closed the doors already. they always close 10-15 minutes before closing time.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I wish they could have regular horchata every week ): it's so bomb not everyone likes strawberry horchata /:

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The ice cream is decent but the best are the mango mangoneadas omg sooo good employees aren't nice though.

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    9 years ago

    The staff didn't speak much English besides that hurdle the ice cream was amazing rich not too sweet and just right.

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Great place for some Mexican treats. The service was great, and the atmosphere was calm. Ill definitely be coming back here.

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Always very tasty and good quality. The fresa con horchata is amazing and I always add Chile and lime on my number 24.

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    12 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    Review Highlights - La Paletera

    The fresas con crema are great too.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Coco Crepes, Waffles & Coffee - Midtown

    Coco Crepes, Waffles & Coffee - Midtown

    3.8
    (791 reviews)
    7.0 mi
    $$

    Coco's is located in Midtown downtown Houston. Consequently, Yelpers should not be surprised the…read moreparking is mostly in paid lots, just like in every major city in the US--Cocos does not deserve to lose a star for this as in some reviews that brought down their average. You may order online, in shop through a tablet, or with a person at the register. We used the register because we did not see the tablet and did not want to order ahead online. The ladies who helped us on our visit were very nice. You get a number and they call it when your made to order food is ready. We did not have to wait long. There was medium to low noisy ambiance. It was deserted when we arrived, but they have relatively loud background music. While we were eating it got pretty crowded. Mostly a lot of young people in the middle of the day on a Monday. The inside is small, seating both inside and outside are limited and close together. One lady was studying with her laptop, but there are no plugs. The breakfast sandwich is customizable. We got it on a croissant and with sausage. The eggs had a unique texture and the sandwich a unique flavor that we could not place, but both were very tasty. We also wanted a crepe, but we split the sandwich and it was sufficient. We also got a small mocha and a decaf, both were ok to good. We would definitely come back again and recommend that you give them a try for a crepe or sandwich. It is sad that a few Yelpers brought down their average to 3.8 stars due to petty and unjustified complaints such as having to pay for parking downtown. Other complaints are not the business' fault such as periodic homelessness--it is a downtown area in the US, other cities have far worse homelessness than Midtown Houston and we saw none on this visit. Additionally, complaints about takeout orders are mostly petty. Takeout is never as good as eating at the restaurant and so customers should adjust their expectations rather than dock the business stars. Nearly every recent Yelp review for this who ate at the restaurant gave 4-5 stars for food quality and customer service. Like most of the restaurants in this area it is a pretentious yuppy style place with specialized food. Although not usually our type of place (we like down to earth hole in the wall places with good food or taco truck type restaurants), Coco's is a solid 4 star restaurant for the type of place they are and they offered a 5 star experience on our visit. Again, recommend you give them a try if you are in the mood for crepes or sandwiches.

    New to the area and this was my first experience!! Food was delicious and service was great…read more Seating both inside and out but keep in mind it's a small environment. I had the smoked salmon panini and the peach lemonade both so good! I can't wait to go back and try the crepes

    Photos
    Seating area near the counter
    Seating area near the counter
    Strawberry Nutella crepe
    Strawberry Nutella crepe
    Midtown come to life

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    Midtown come to life

    La Paletera - desserts - Updated July 2026

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