Frozen treats—ice cream, gelato, snow cones, and the like—are one of the best things about summer. Here’s where you can chill out with a cold and sweet treat in Chandler, AZ.
Paletas Betty
96 W. Boston St., Chandler
Phone: (480) 779-8080
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
As a child in Michoacán, Mexico, Betty Alatorre de Hong fell in love with paletas, brightly-colored, Popsicle-like treats containing fruit, ground spices, and roasted nuts. When she couldn’t find paletas that satisfied her craving here, she decided to make her own, using recipes passed down by her mother and grandmother. The menu changes daily based on what’s fresh and in season, but expect to find mouthwatering flavors like bananas foster with homemade caramel and anejo rum; watermelon with fresh mint; mango with handmade chile powder; and sweet corn with house-dried raisins. Paletas Betty’s paletas are reasonably priced under $3.
Ice Cream Sammies
135 W. Boston St., Chandler
Phone: (480) 739-9221
Hours: Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The two soccer moms behind Ice Cream Sammies don’t just make the cookies for the ice cream sandwiches served here from scratch or churn ice cream base from a bag; they actually make their own base using fresh, all-natural ingredients, a rarity. On your first visit, order an ice cream sandwich, featuring two warm cookies (mix and match, if you want), your choice of one of 16 ice cream flavors, and a topping. After that, come back for a scoop, cone, sundae, or float. An ice cream sandwich will set you back $4.95, but it’s worth every penny.
Sunny SnoBalls
980 E. Pecos Rd., Chandler
Phone: (480) 786-9582
Hours: Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Forget the stereotypical snow cone, a mound of shaved ice doused with ho-hum flavors. Sunny SnoBalls serves imaginative concoctions, like red velvet cake, sangria, and buttered beer, a favorite with Harry Potter fans. “Stuff” it by adding a scoop of Thrifty ice cream, top it with sweet cream, home-made fluff, and more, or do both. Prices start at $2.50 for a kid’s size and range up to $5 for a large. Add $2 for the “stuffed” option.
Kokomo Frozen Yogurt
3125 S. Alma School Rd., Chandler
Phone: (480) 786-4517
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The yogurt selections at this family-owned yogurt shop may be more limited than at chains, but you’ll find fun, rotating flavors here like buttered popcorn and watermelon in addition to vanilla and chocolate. Grab a bowl, fill it with as much yogurt as you want, and then get creative with the toppings, which include pineapple chunks, candy rocks, Gummy frogs, and chocolate covered marshmallows. Prices vary based on how much your bowl weighs.
Glacier Snow Sweets & Treats
2080 N. Dobson Rd., Chandler
Phone: (602) 758-7669
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday – Saturday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Combine ice cream and snow cones, and you have Taiwanese-style ice, layered ribbons shaved from frozen cylinders of milk. The ice comes in traditional vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry as well as Asian flavors such as black sesame, red bean, and Thai tea. After choosing your flavor, top it with your choice of fruit, candy, cereal, boba, red bean, or other exotic options. Finish with a glaze of condensed milk, milk chocolate, caramel, strawberry sauce, or black sesame. A small without extras is $3.50. Glacier Snow Sweets & Treats also serves flavored and milk teas, smoothies, slushies, and coffee drinks.
Gelato 64
2095 N. Dobson Rd., Chandler
Phone: (480) 726-6472
Hours: Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This artisan shop makes premium gelato in small batches using only the best ingredients such as 100 percent pure extra brute coco powder versus a corn syrup pre-mix. Choose from 48 flavors, 42 of which are staples that are always available. The remaining six options rotate from a list of more than 240 other flavors, such as Snickers and lemon cookie crunch. Expect to pay an average of $4, depending on the size. Gelato 64 also blends gelato shakes and sorbetto smoothies.
Flor de Michoacan
582 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler
Phone: (480) 782-1939
Hours: Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
For authentic Mexican frozen treats, head to Flor de Michoacan, a local favorite where conversations in Spanish are common. In addition to paletas, the brightly-painted store serves ice cream, shaved ice, liquidos (a blended milk and fruit drink), and aguas fresca (a drink of fresh fruit juices and water). The frozen treats on the menu are under $5.
