Yeni's Palarte Mexican Ice Cream — Restaurant in Peoria Heights

Review Date: March 3rd, 2020

Who gets ice cream in the winter? Seriously.

Apparently a lot of people do… including myself and my friend. We actually attempted to come here the week before but their business hours updated but hadn’t been fully rolled out yet. Luckily, my friend was able to find out their new times and we set our course for a different day.

The winter weather in the Central Illinois region is breaking and spring is just around the corner. what a better way to get your mindset on spring than with some ice cream. We stopped in on a sunny but windy afternoon and were greeted by a friendly cashier. She offered us samples of any of their many ice cream flavors. I quickly looked over their options and zoomed in on the Coffee flavor. My friend tried a few samples before settling on Pecan. We got one scoop a piece and had them served in waffle cones. (Waffle/sugar cones are the best, by far, in my ice cream opinion.)

The total for our one-scoop two ice creams was around $7.75. A bit higher than I expected but the scoops were big and I was ready for some Mexican-style coffee ice cream. We popped a seat at the front of the store and conversed while watching the foot and car traffic zip by. My friend loved her ice cream and wanted to get more before we left. I thought mine was pretty good. Not too heavy on the coffee flavor but also not overwhelming at the same time. They had about 20 flavors to choose from so I would be willing to go back and try some more out. They had a dairy-free strawberry flavor that caught my attention after I ordered.

As for the interior, it was bright and warm as many Mexican places tend to be. They had 4 metal chairs at the front of the store to sit at. That is where Maria and I sat. Along the wall where you order are 4 more chairs to sit and enjoy your sugary sweets. If the weather is in your favor, you also have the option of sitting outside on some benches and chairs available.

At the time of us ordering, the two TVs behind the cashier were off. After a new cashier came in to relieve the one that took care of us, we noticed the TVs were on. Upon looking that over, we noticed they offered more than just ice cream. The menu had a bunch of cultural-appropriate options that a small ice cream place like this can whip up for you. I didn’t get a good photo of the menu, so I can’t share with you what the menu items are… but if/when I go back, I will make sure to fix that mistake.

All-in-all, it was a nice scoop of coffee on a nice but windy day in Peoria. Next time you are in the mood for some sweets, skip the national places and try some hidden gems. You might find some new favorites by...

This is the best ice cream in all of Peoria! Perfect for dessert. Unique and delicious flavors, kind staff, clean store, easy parking, and plenty of options on the menu! I know there are people who have noted that some employees can be uptight about the number of samples a customer gets, but I’ve never seen this happen to someone who wasn’t abusing it. The Daily Scoop down the street doesn’t let you sample at all for what it’s worth. The only thing I don’t care for are the gambling machines because they take up space to sit and eat, but I understand that small businesses need to do what they can to survive.

A note about the prices: this is high quality, fresh ice cream. It is NOT Dairy Queen or hotdog stand ice cream. I will happily pay $7 for a healthy sized single scoop of gourmet ice cream that you cannot find anywhere else in central Illinois. If you want to pay DQ prices (which is $6 for a mini blizzard) and get powdered milk and water mixed in a machine, you probably should avoid small local business that sell real, bespoke ice cream. Don’t leave a negative review because you want champagne on a beer budget.

We will be back again, and again, and again! Keep up...

I wanted to like it, because I love going to Mexican Ice Cream shops and this felt like that authentic vibe from what I saw online

Walked in and the inside was probably 4x hotter than it was outside, in an ice cream place…

The menu is a logistical train wreck, I’m sorry, it is just horribly unorganized with no pricing listed

That made it even more of a shock when 3 single scoops cost me $29!? along with a suggested 20% tip. Transparently, I changed that down and left a dollar for the polite employee, but I’m simply not leaving 20% for a non sit-down service where I’m already being price gouged at the base cost before considering a tip. The business needs to display their pricing more clearly so customers know what they’re getting themselves into - and/or they had better be paying those employees very well

At these prices, I’d also expect to be able to sit down inside without being accosted by gambling machines and a broken a/c unit

I really wanted to like it here and I am sorry I couldn’t leave a more...