LocoPops — Restaurant in Durham

LocoPops is more than delicious paletas - it's also a small store featuring local products and a moderately priced wine selection.

First, the paletas - I tried the Mexican chocolate and the lemon curd. Both were great - super creamy and smooth textures. The Mexican chocolate wasn't too sweet, my concern when it's not dark chocolate, and the spices were complimentary and balanced. The lemon curd tasted like lemon curd - there were bits of lemon zest peppered throughout.

They offer other frozen treats that I didn't try - ice cream sandwiches, ice cream, and other items. But if they're as good as the paletas, then they're worth a try.

The other half of the store has food for before the ice cream - if you're an adult and follow those rules. Local products ranging from pasta, to bread, meats, and the like. Not all of the items are local - condiments, tinned fish, wines, and others.

It's worth noting the wine selection - they work with a local distributor to pick wines at a certain price point. Most everything I saw was between $15-25 - I appreciate a place that works to keep a selection affordable. It ranged from whites to reds, some naturally fermented, and from all over the world - Italy, France, and Germany were some that I noticed. The bottles also had nice hanging tags that described the wine and what would be nice to pair with it.

This was a great find on...

10/10 every time, for everything at Loco Pops. This most recent time, I got the sorbet because it had some heat to it, which I love. My cousin got a popsicle and was in love with the fact that they give drip trays, because we all know how hot it is, so no matter how quick you eat that popsicle, NC heat is going to melt it some. The menu as always had lots of options that were all good, whether new or classics, and of course, vegan options as well, which I love.

The store has so many cute things, and so many local items, support local business. We got some stickers, but I was eyeing the puzzles for the next time I go, because they had so many unique ones I've never seen before. If you're looking for a unique gift, a local gift, or just a little treat yourself moment, locopops can help. They also have so many cute and funny cards! I love stationary, so this made me happy and I'll be sure to be getting some in the future.

If you can't make it to the shop, remember that the durham bulls stadium has a locopops, that's usually when I get them, but wanted to show my cousin around Durham.

You'll always leave happy after...

I love popsicles. Maybe even more than ice cream. It's refreshing and it isn't too heavy. The best thing about Locopops is that it isn't too sweet (probably because it's not loaded with sugar).

I tried the mango chile because I wanted to try something different. I've never even had actual mangos with chile but thanks to this locopop, I might start. It had a refreshing sweet mango flavor with a bit of tartness, and the little bit of chili (already incorporated inside, as opposed to sprinkled on the outside) gave it a nice kick.

Because one is just not enough, I also had the java chip. It was like iced coffee on a stick. Creamy, but not overly so. Strong coffee flavor, but not enough to give you jitters. It was just perfect.

For $2.50 a pop, it's not bad at all. If this shop was in NYC, one of these would cost at least $5 so it's nice to get a good bang for your buck down here.

Tip - get a loyalty punch card and if you buy 10 pops, you'll get the...