The fall equinox is on September 22. So, give or take, we have about two months left of summer. And it's been a hot one. Luckily, we'll see a slight drop below 90 for the next few days - a momentary respite.
But after that ... it's back to the sweltering.
So, besides staying hydrated, staying out of the midday sun and staying propped up next to the AC, what else can we do?
Have some ice cream! Of course!
We asked a few Denverites where they go for an ice cold treat. Here's what y'all said:
Paleteria Zacatecas
3548 Morrison Rd.
Manuel Aragon is generally a paleta fan. But for him, the paletas at Paleteria Zacatecas in Westwood are next level.
"There's a lot of different companies in town that make and sell their own paleta but this place is very natural," Aragon said. "A lot of times with popsicles or ice cream, the flavors get diluted because they are too sweet and artificial. But with their flavors ... it legitimately like eating a cold mango with tajin on it."
Paletas are Mexico's version of a popsicle - except bastante mejor. They're either water or cream based and typically created with fresh pureed fruit. With some of the flavors, like Aragon's favorite mango with tajin, there'll be chunks of fruit mixed in as well.
"It won't give you a headache from being too sweet," Aragon said.
Aragon said he discovered Zacatecas randomly while filming a music video last year. He'd always purchased the treat from the paleteros pushing the cart on the street - a classic sight in Latin America - but he never realized they came from a shop.
Until the music video.
Aragon was filming in Westwood and had the idea to include a paletero in the video as one of the characters throughout the story. He asked the local paleteros on Morrison Road who they work for and they pointed to Zacatecas, which is closer to the Alameda side of Morrison.
"For ages I've been buying paletas from the neighborhood and never thought about their physical location," Aragon laughed.
Aragon's not the only one, according to Zacatecas' manager and part-owner Arturo Correa.
"A lot of people assume that we don't sell to the public," Correa said. "They see the blue carts and they assume it's for carts only but word spreads around."
Correa's grandfather started the business around 1995. He came to Denver looking for a business idea and at first opened a restaurant but that didn't take off. Then he noticed that there wasn't any ice cream in Denver.
"We were the first ice cream carts in Colorado," Correa said. "My grandfather started it with three of his sons. We started with a few carts and the business took off."
Correa said with the heat, their top-sellers are lime, arroz con leche, strawberry covered with chocolate and coconut shaving, and the spicy mango.
Correa said at one point Zacatecas had about 100 carts roaming the Denver area. His grandfather and father were one of them. Since then, his grandfather has passed and the number of paleteros has dwindled. Correa said it's due to some of the older guys either retiring or passing away from old age, having been with Zacatecas since the beginning.
Aragon has noticed a decrease in paleteros as well, especially as the Northside and west Denver continue to experience gentrification and displacement.
"In the Northside it was something you could see on a regular basis. Just someone walking down the street selling paletas," Aragon said. "But a lot of the Mexican shops and stores have either been displaced, closed or moved out of the neighborhood."
"It makes me sad," Aragon said. "Then occasionally there's [a paleta man] walking through the neighborhood and you're like 'Ah okay. We're not gone yet.'"
No, they aren't and Correa is hoping it stays that way.
He said Zacatecas is always looking to grow and one way they'll start doing that is through more social media marketing and maybe even getting into Grubhub. Correa said the paleteros pick their own routes, so check for them at parks, construction sites and by schools. Or stop into their physical locations on Morrison and at 5660 W Colfax Avenue.
Aragon said he hopes to see more paleteros roaming the streets of the Northside and he hopes that the new neighbors accept them.
"There's space for a paleta man to exist in spaces that are gentrified," Aragon said. "But it would have to coincide with a decrease in hostility from new neighborhoods. Like the neighbors, they need to see it as an act of joy if they don't understand...I enjoy some of the new things about Denver but for a lot of us, especially with historic places like the Northside or Westwood, this change is really love/hate."
Mutiny Information Café, Ti Café
South Broadway
While ice cream is certainly Liz Otero's thing, the true pleasure is iced coffee.
"Recently with it being so hot all day and all night, I'm not emotionally ready for ice cream at 10 in the morning." Otero said. "But I still want something that makes me feel nice and good."
"It's more of a treat and the destination instead of oh, god the alarm went off and I need caffeine."
Otero has lived in the Baker, South Broadway, West Wash Park area since 2009 and she said that section of Broadway "has so much good stuff for the summer."
There's Sweet Action, which has been around also since 2009, but for the sweet, chilled elixir, Otero heads to either Mutiny Information Café or Ti Cafe.
Depends on the vibe.
Otero said Mutiny sells iced coffee with coffee ice cubes, so the drink is never watered down. Ti on the other hand sells strong Vietnamese iced coffee that "is next level," according to Otero.
"Ti Cafe has been really killing it," Otero said. "If I drink a whole one, I don't touch the ground for the rest of the day. If I want just iced coffee, iced coffee I go to Mutiny, plus if you're there you may get to see the bookstore cat Bigge and he's like the coolest. But with Ti Cafe, it's super concentrated, slow drip, really thick coffee itself."
Otero said Mutiny, Ti, Sweet Action and even Moxie Eatery and other places on Broadway are neighborhood staples and it's why she's lived in the area for so long.
"You know the people," Otero said. "You see the same people at brunch at Sputnik's that you see at happy hour at Dougherty's. They are all so important to the area."
Sweet Sweetz
2325 E. 28th Ave
Teresa Traxler Densmore has lived in the Skyland neighborhood for about five years and she noticed that there weren't many ice cream shops around. Until Sweet Sweetz arrived.
"This neighborhood doesn't have a ton of eateries," Densmore said. "We have a three-year-old son and this is the perfect place to take him. We can walk there and it's been a life saver. Being stuck inside all day with all the heat, it's been great to be able to take my son somewhere fun, close, family-friendly and somewhere tasty."
Sweets Sweetz is a Black-owned business run by Lodene Turner along with her daughter, Erin, and her sister, Bobby. They sell a variety of Blue Bell Ice Cream along with some other tasty snacks.
Densmore discovered Sweet Sweetz through their pies and chocolate-covered strawberries.
Sweet Sweetz is located near the corner of York and 28th, a block that Densmore said has seen a lot of turnover.
"There are a lot of empty storefronts on that little block," Densmore said. "When we found out an ice cream shop was coming we thought, this is exactly what our little neighborhood needs. They opened up shortly before the pandemic and it's really great to see them still doing well."
Densmore said Sweet Sweetz is a great neighbor to the area. They host parties and family days. They recently had a Fourth of July event where they brought in food trucks.
"They're really just doing things to build connections in the community," Densmore said. "I just want them to continue providing the community with a safe gathering space. I want them to become a staple for our neighborhood."
Looking for more go-to ice cream places? Check out our reader recommendation's below. If we forgot your favorite, let us know at [email protected]! We'll continue to update this list.
Liks Ice Cream
2039 E 13th Ave
Reader recommendation: Irish stout or Jack Daniels
Little Man Ice Cream Company
Multiple Locations
Neveria la Mexicana
3444, 7506 E 36th Ave
We heard the mangonada or banana nutella flavors are great!
Nuggs Ice Cream
5135 E Colfax Ave.
Zangy. Lemon. Crunch. Cookie. Enough said? No? How about ice cream tacos? Nuggs has been serving the South Park Hill neighborhood for eight years.
Scoops
1426 E. 22nd Ave
Try the lemon flavor. Or the champagne sorbet float.
