1 of 2
Strawberry mousse cake from Dalia’s Ice Cream & Bakery (Photo by Justin Chesney)
2 of 2
Assorted pastries at Dalia’s Ice Cream & Bakery (Photo by Justin Chesney)
1. Dalia’s Ice Cream & Bakery
7310 Staples Mill Road
A beloved Henrico ice cream shop, bakery and espresso bar, Dalia’s specializes in grab-and-go pastries and custom cakes and slices. Lavish New York-style cheesecakes in a whirlwind of flavors including Oreo and turtle are top treats. Seasonal desserts such as strawberry tres leches and Rosca de Reyes (a Three Kings’ Day yeast ring) are eagerly anticipated year-round.
Minilandia Dulceria Y Neveria Michoacana’s Chesterfield location (Photo by Ash Daniel)
2. Minilandia Dulceria Y Neveria Michoacana
4062 Crockett St.
This is one of three Minilandia outposts, concentrating on savory snacks, pinatas, ice cream and candy. Its sibling spot in Chesterfield, inside a flea market on Route 1, is the go-to for roasted nuts and mangonada — that’s mango sorbet and fresh mango drizzled with spicy chamoy. The Hull Street location is a paleta home base, stocked with dozens of homemade ice pops.
3. Docê Churros
1412 Starling Drive, Suite D
Docê Churros’ specialty is dessert snacking. The storefront is the face of a family-run catering business built around crispy, sugar-dusted churros stuffed with dulce de leche or chocolate and begging for a coffee dunk. You’ll also find salgados — empanada-like Brazilian croquettes stuffed with meat and cheese — a savory complement to Doce’s vanilla milkshake, spun and topped with a churro.
4. Casa Karamelo Ice Cream & Coffee
10022 Robious Road
With heart-squeezing decor and claw games, the carnivalesque shop charms young’uns. Giant, colorful ice pop replicas hang outside while ice-cream-cone-shaped furniture brightens the inside seating area. Creamy paletas and dozens of Mexican ice cream flavors including Tiger’s Blood — a blend of coconut, strawberry and watermelon — fill the freezers.
5. La Palma Bakery & Latino Market
9941 Hull St.
This Hull Street grocery greets visitors with aromas of freshly baked sweet bread and cinnamon that waft to the parking lot. Trays of just-out-of-the-oven concha rounds and filling ham-and-cheese rolls beckon the working lunchtime crowd, while hunky tres leches cake and jiggly, caramel-drizzled flan are ready to jump into your cart to carry home. Peep the frozen treats from local paletería La Michoacana on the way out the door.
