As always, really good Mexican style ice cream in a non-descript, empty strip mall in Madison's west side. All about bringing back memories, we went out of our way to go back to one of my daughter's favorite ice cream places while growing up. We frequented La Michoacana soon after it opened, loving the observation that it seemed to start out slow, but became a lot more busy as the word got out. It was the first Michaoacana that we frequented. Since then, we've visited others in SoCal, but there really is something about a first, especially if infused with nostalgia. I loved getting their goat's milk caramel ice cream, and as my daughter observed, we couldn't find this flavor anywhere else since we moved away. They still have it (though they call it toffee now). Prices have gone up (of course) and is actually comparable to the chain ice cream shops across town. As always, the workers are super friendly. Two scoops is $6.13 in a cup, and I got the mentioned toffee ice cream made with goat's milk. For me, it is still very good: very creamy with a very rich caramel flavor. My daughter said hers wasn't as good as she remembered, and she is pretty good about things like that so it must be different (which makes sense since they changed the name). read more

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Huge variety of ice cream flavors including unique flavors like tequila or eggnog. I love their take on a walking taco. Service is always super nice and allowed me to try samples before committing to a flavor. Very clean space, a little outdated maybe but that's typical for The WhiteHouse Shoppes area, not really the businesses fault. Cutest fruit bars too. Probably one of my favorite little hidden gems. read more

La Michoacana - Strawberry kiwi fruit bar - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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There were a lot of varieties of unique ice cream and popsicle flavors. I loved their ice cream the most. I went for 3 flavors - strawberry cream, pine nut and gansito. All were really good and creamy. They are known for their posicles. So I went for a mango cream popsicle. It was ok. There was some food items in the menu as well, but I didn't try any. There was plenty of parking available. read more

La Michoacana - Strawberry cream, gansito and pine nut - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The ice cream and popsicles are amazing!!! The strawberry and cream is my go to! I crave it often! I have always been interested in trying some of the other menu items but never have. The ice cream is smooth with so much flavor! You can also tell they put fresh ingredients into each batch they make. We went as a family a few days ago and try the cookie ice cream, it was blue so totally Cookie Monster vibes. We really enjoyed it, I didn't share my strawberries and cream! They also have so many popsicles flavors!!! Unique flavor and encourage you to try them because you never know, you may just find your new favorite flavor! Like I did with the strawberries and cream! read more

La Michoacana - Cookie Ice Cream and Strawberries and cream Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Best ice cream in Madison. I was reluctant to try this place but I'm so glad I did. Huge menu with tons of options, emphasis on fresh fruit and delicious ice cream. This is what I've been searching for read more

A great ice cream spot with unique flavors for both soft serve and ice pops. They had everything from Neapolitan to Guava to tequila flavors. A variety of Hispanic desserts and snacks to choose from. It was pretty busy inside but quick service. If you're looking for a quick and unique dessert be sure to stop by :) Tip: Be sure to bring cash as there's a hefty card charge! read more

La Michoacana - Ferro roche - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place has an excellent selection of ice cream and popsicles. They also have a great list of savory and spicy treats! If you're looking for savory, try an elote! Yum! If you, like me, enjoy your sweet with a little spicy, I highly recommend the Mangonada! With mango ice sorbet, slices of fresh mango and the tangy flavors Tajín and chamoy... there's nothing quite like it to beat the summer heat! Even the straw that comes with it is delicious. La Michoacana is located in a strip mall on Madison's West side. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but is definitely not to be passed up! read more

La Michoacana - A mangonada... yum! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Love this ice cream place. The choice of flavors is always exciting. Service is always friendly!

Delicious popsicles! I LOVE this place. They use quality ingredients to make quality pops. There are so many unique popsicle flavors! (Goats milk caramel for example) What I like to do is go to the Mexican restaurant across the street (Los Gemelos), and get dessert here afterwards. 5 stars! read more

I will stan this place until the day I die!!! The people are so friendly, and when they found out I took Spanish in high school, they good humoredly chatted with me and let me practice my broken Spanish lol. They have passion fruit popsicles!!! Real pulp and seeds. The mangolladas also have ample fruit. They close at 9 and are doing great with plastic screens and employees all wearing masks I spent over 40 dollars at this place in a week. It's that good. They have unique flavors like tequila and eggnog and soursop and tamarind but also normal ones like strawberries and creme, mango, Oreo etc. They use real fruit and you can taste the fruit bits in it too. Also best horchata I've ever had in my life and I live next to Mexico. Get the goat milk toffee ice cream thank me later read more

La Michoacana - Eggnog and strawberries and creme - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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This place is a treasure. It's a little slice of heaven. Especially in summer! The chamoy mango treat with taijin-covered straw "un mangonado," i believe they call it, is a MUST-TRY. if you are lactose-intolerant or vegan...they have water based icecreams and paletas/popsicles! Let's keep these folks in business, people! read more

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The flavours of your ice cream are delish but the quality of your utensils are bad quality. The prices are higher than other ice cream shops. read more

La Michoacana - One of my kids have a tongue laceration because of your terrible ice cream spoons. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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C'mon Madison. Stop giving 5 star reviews out of political correctness. This is the dairy state; no one needs this crap "ice cream". The only reason I'm giving 3 stars instead of 2 is because I didn't try the popsicles, which is what the restaurant is supposedly known for. I had the cookies and cream. While the cookie potion was fresh, the ice cream itself was way too sweet, and seemed overchurned. It wasn't good. There are plenty options for ice cream that deserve five stars; giving high marks for this renders the whole point of Yelp useless. read more

The selection here is amazing! The fruits are fresh, the snacks are delicious. Huge variety on their menu. Went with a group of 5 and we all ordered something different. Everything was awesome. 10 out of 10 will come again!! read more

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This place kept coming up on my Yelp feed, so I had to check it out. I also didn't read any reviews before coming, (ironic that I am writing one now) so I was expecting your standard ice cream shop, but was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a Mexican ice cream place. I got the Oreo ice cream in a waffle cup. It tasted like off-brand Oreos, but nonetheless, still great. It was very creamy and milky. The waffle cup was likely bought and not made in house, but it's only an extra 25 cents, so no complaints there. One scoop is $2.89, which is very very reasonable. I'll have to come back to try more things! read more

La Michoacana - [ Popsicles ] - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Three words: Queso ice cream. Yes, really. The ice cream here is so. effing. GOOD. If you're a total dairy cow like me, get the 3 Marias - a triple-flavored sundae with 3 scrumtrelescent creamy-churned delights of your choice. Share if you're a generous person. I'll eat the whole darn thing for dinner while I stare my significant other in the eye, daring him to ask for a bite. There are MANY flavors to choose from. Be sure you try the queso. Again, yes, really. There are other fun sweet options, too. My first brush with the greatness that is La Michoacana was at a Yelp event where the ice cream bars were served. There must've been 30 (or more!) different kinds! Vegan? Go home. You're not worthy. Takeaway: Go here for dinner. Ice cream is dinner. Dairy. Nuts on top for protein. A little fruit to get your plants in. Go home happy and settle in with Netflix until you wake up out of your wonderful dairy-induced stupor. You're welcome. read more

La Michoacana - 3 Marias: heaven in a bowl! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Stopped here once with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream. Came a second time but it was closed due to remodeling. Called one day to see if they were open and they said yes. Since I only come for the ice cream (they do offer snacks and at one time groceries), I asked if they still had ice cream and the person said no. I was devastated! Decided to come in and see what changed, and lo and behold they still had ice cream! I cried and cried until I could finally order what I wanted, which was the most delicious coconut ice cream that I could find on the west side (coupled with the cafe ice cream). Stop by, bring the kids, and make everyone's day great again! read more

La Michoacana - Cafe and coconut ice cream! The best! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Good collection of icecream flavor's . Very likeable by kids , had great fun. The vibe is very upbeat.

Good to know about this location in the capital city, but Wisconsinites should know that there are also two locations in Milwaukee, 1224 S. Cesar Chavez and 3142 S. 13th. They are both the best places for interesting frozen confections not well known to typical Midwesterners. The many unique flavors, all made from Wisconsin milk, and the other unique Mexican treats will keep you coming back again and again. read more

Amaaaaazing popsicles and such a huge selection of flavors. This is the perfect place to stop by if you're craving something fruity and sweet, but you might want more than just ice cream. La Michocana makes incredible desserts and has an enormous variety to fulfill the taste of anyone who stops by. My favorites are fresas con crema, mango, arroz con leche, and mangohelada. Totally worth a visit! read more

La Michoacana fits all the economics of good eats -- high quality treats at low prices. While it may seem ballsy to open an ice cream shop in Madison, this paleteria is in a league of its own. The ice cream recipe (which I guess includes corn starch and evaporated milk) is thankfully less sweet and less drippy than the more commonly found varieties that use heavy cream or eggs. The milk or water based paletas are also no joke and come in dozens of colors and flavors. In case you need some salt to balance all the sweet, there are savory snacks like chicharrones waiting to be drizzled with Valentina's. They also sell elote, which gets packed with cheese and a generous dash of cayenne. The corn itself was a bit soggy, but there was no skimping on queso, and where else in Madison can I get elote? I recommend the pistachio paleta to cool your lips if they catch fire from the elote. If that's not enough, the tequila-flavored icecream was like eating rum raisin but more tequila and without the raisins. The arroz con leche pop was good too, if you like the idea of horchata in solid form. Next on my list are the agua frescas and mangoneada, a mango ice cream smoothie with ribbons of tangy sauce and a red chili straw that every other customer ordered. Service can be a bit slow when the lines are long, usually weekend evenings, when it's quite popular with families and teens. Despite the few flaws, the good outweigh the bad, making La Michoacana my official favorite stop for 2014 summer treats. read more

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This is the best quality ice cream I've had in a long time. There are some places where you waver between a 4 star and 5 star, but not this place. They deserve that 5 man. The creamy texture of their ice cream is unreal. With each bite I took, I kept thinking I was feasting on gelato. It was that dense and full-bodied. The distinguishing factor between ice cream and gelato for me is the mouth feel. While ice cream will melt rather quickly once it settles on the tongue, gelato takes its time in dissolving. Swiping your spoon across gelato will result in a beautifully sticky stretchy strand, whereas ice cream is harder and will readily detach from the mass.While La Michoacana certainly claims they make and sell ice cream, the similarity to gelato in terms of texture is striking and delicious. Aside from texture, the flavors at La Michoacana really had me going. In addition to the more traditional chocolate, vanilla, oreo, and coffee ice cream options, they offer tamarind, pine nut, eggnog with raisins, and the two I went for: goat milk toffee and tequila. Both of the flavors I ordered were serious winners. As I was eating my cup of goodness, I was already planning my next trip back, thinking of all the friends I have to bring so they can experience La Michoacana. The goat's milk or Cajeta ice cream was the color of a light chocolate, yet it tasted like caramel. I love caramel, but attempts at caramel ice cream are oftentimes too sweet. This Cajeta was perfect. It delivered that caramel flavor without tasting too sugary. They also nailed it with the tequila ice cream. If you're going to say something is tequila flavored, you better taste that tequila and with this ice cream, you taste it. The flavor is pronounced and proud, and in a good way. Thus in terms of its crazy awesome, gelato-like texture and its smashing flavor, the ice cream at La Michoacana is seriously impressive. Like I said, I'm planning that next trip back because I'm already craving more goat's milk and tequila. read more

La Michoacana - tequila ice cream on top of cajeta (caramelized goat's milk) ice cream - heaven in a cup - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Time to bump my rating of La Michoacana up to four stars. They have become more user-friendly since my previous visit: There are now labels on the tubs of ice cream and prices are now posted in the store. What hasn't changed are the unique, delightful flavors served up from this strip mall location on Odana Road, which range from the traditional (chocolate and vanilla) to the unconventional (pinecone seed, gansito - a.k.a. Mexican Twinkie, tequila, yes, TEQUILA!) La Michoacana also sells vegan friendly water-based ice creams in a variety of fruit flavors (lime, strawberry, tamarind, pineapple, etc.) I opted for the Cajeta, a caramelized goat's milk ice cream, which I enjoyed a great deal. Unlike many other caramel ice creams, this one is not cloyingly sweet, since the tang of the goat's milk helps balance out the sweetness of this offering. However, it still offers plenty of satisfying natural, caramel flavor. The texture of the Cajeta was uneven: most of the time it had a texture somewhere between traditional American ice cream and Italian gelato, but there were occasional icy patches and some graininess. Even with those textural problems, it was very satisfying. My daughter boldly stated that this was the best Oreo ice cream she ever had. I had a small taste and agreed it was exceptional. The cost of two massive waffle comes was $6. This much product at any of the local froyo places would be at least $8. If you are looking for a change of place to your ice cream routine, I highly recommend a trip to La Michoacana. read more

La Michoacana - The Cajeta ice cream (caramelized goat's milk) is one of my favorite flavors at La Michoacana - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Outstanding ice cream shop! My friends and I come here all the time to grab a good, light snack. Offers a wide range of snack items and ice cream/sorbet flavors, such as mango, cookies and cream, and pina colada. I usually get the small magonada (~$5 for a small). It comes with mango sorbet, a sweet and tangy sauce, and a candy chili stick. It has an extremely unique taste (some of my friends love it, some of my other friends don't care for it too much); however, I would definitely give it a try. It's one of my favorites! The mango sorbet is the best part because it has real mango chunks in the sorbet which makes it sweet and tangy. I also would recommend the Mexican corn they have (~$4). Comes with sweet corn kernels, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and chill. Another unique item they have, but so good! The workers are very friendly and the environment is nice and cozy. Even though the pricing is a little higher than other ice cream places, it's definitely worth it. I can't get anything close to the mango sorbet besides this place! You have to check this place out! read more

It's great that this shop is thriving and always busy when we visit. Families and friends gather here to enjoy homemade goodness. Prices have gone up since they've opened, but my support for them is steady. We love the various flavors of paletas and the mangonadas. Oh the mangonadas! Just thinking about it throws me back to that one hot day when we stopped there, ordered some goodies and continued with our back to school shopping. I walked all around Office Max and Kohl's drinking that spicy, sweet chamuy filled drink. I know others around me were having mangonada-envy. Our kids call this spot the "secret place" cause as parents, we'd only come with one kid at a time to take in the place and get some good one-on-one time. As you walk in, line up along the freezers containing the soft serve ice-cream, or if you have an inkling of Spanish, read the signs and you can figure out where you need to order. There's usually two people taking orders. Cash or card is accepted. read more

How have I never visited this place before? I feel as if I always drive past it and it is such an unassuming little shop from the outside. The five stars comes from the sheer size of the menu and options this shop has. When you walk in, you see bright colors immediately and rows and rows of ice cream bars, in a variety of different flavors. They boast a hot menu of everything from tamales to elotes. They also have a very extensive ice cream section and sorbet section. I tried a variety of things. Their ice cream bars are $2 each and everything else is also pretty reasonable. Their banana ice cream bar was extremely tasty and I thought the pistachio ice cream was extremely rich and creamy. A friend had fresh coconut which I did not enjoy that much and I wasn't a huge fan of their sorbets (tried lime and the classic mango/tamarind). I feel like this is a personal preference though, so I definitely am still giving 5 stars. Will definitely stop by sometime again. read more

Amazing ! You will not be let down with the ice cream. It is a must to try. Very very clean friendly and helpful staff. I will be coming back to La Michoacana. Keep up the great work ! read more

I love Mexican food, especially Mexican ice cream, so I love this place! It's a unique, one of a kind gem that I am so happy to have stumbled upon. The menu is vast in ice cream flavors and various snacks. It's a nice place to hang out with friends, family or kids. There is ample seating, the staff is great and there is a $5 credit limit. read more

La Michoacana - small Mangoneadas. Enough to share with 2-3 people. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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This place is totally cool- a very different vibe from other Madison area ice cream shops. They had some pretty funky Mexico-inspired flavors; I wished I could get a scoop of each one! I had the cheese and strawberry ice creams... Weird combo you'd think, but it was yummy besides the fact that it didn't settle that well with my stomach. Glad I tried this place though! Maybe will be back to practice my Spanish and try a paleta. read more

La Michoacana - Lots of choices AND they let you taste them first - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This post made With the new "Lick-a-vision" app...just lock the photo and you'll get a taste. A-MAZING ON A STICK!!! Really cool place to get great homemade ice cream and popsicles!!! Goat Cheese and Salted Caramel?! AWESOME!!! read more

La Michoacana - Pix don't do the flavors justice...just Like your screen - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I love this place, order the pecan flavored yogurt parfait, they make it with fresh fruit, granola and honey and it might be the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. read more

So many fun flavors such as tequila, guanabana, tamarind, etc. I got the pistachio ice cream which had little nut pieces and was delicious.

If you're looking for some yummy, different flavors of ice cream or sorbet, this place is for you! I had the tequila ice cream, and it tasted exactly like a margarita. My husband had goat's milk toffee, which he enjoyed as well. Along with many Mexican flavors, you'll find typical styles like chocolate and Oreo. read more

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I had the small mangonada. Pricey but it does have chopped fresh mangos and it's delicious. read more

La Michoacana - Mangonada - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The lady behind the counter made me wait 5 minutes with folks behind me in line because her family came in and she walked outside to talk to them. She was the only person working there at the time, so everyone had to wait for her to finish her (loud and angry) discussion with her family before getting served. That was irritating, but normally I try not to fault somewhere for bad service since it probably isn't a typical experience. The selection here is huge and I have no doubt that there was something I could have chosen that I would have liked. Instead, I chose a mango popsicle. Normally I've never met anything mango or popsicle that I've not liked, but here we have an exception. The flavor was off. I think they used mangos that were overripe and a piece of that rotten flavor made it into the popsicle. The chunks of mango they included were also all wrong, They picked the stringy, husk-like parts of the mango close to the pit, rather than the creamy, smooth parts of the fruit meat that make up most of the mango. The result was a popsicle that looked furry as you ate it because half the fibers would be trapped inside the popsicle. Combine bad service with bad product and you get a bad experience. read more

We eat a lot of ice cream and we're looking for a new place to check out when we came upon this place. I loved every flavor I tried and there were so many choices. We tried the popsicles which was a hit and even a mangolada which will be my go to...for anyone that has had fresh ice creams this is the place to go. I.e. if you have had ice cream from Mexico or India, you'll know what I mean! Definitely check this place out! And to top it all off, this is the most reasonably priced ice cream shop I've gone to in Madison! read more

I've been here twice now and each time the place has been fairly busy. Service is always friendly, though there can be a bit of a language barrier depending on who's working. It's always been very quick, too. I've admittedly only tried a 2 flavors - mexican chocolate and their cheese flavor. Both are outstanding. I know the cheese flavor sounds weird, but it's so good! The perfect mix of savory and sweet. Note, if you don't like cottage cheese you might not like the texture of this ice cream. It's not super smooth like what you would get at McDonalds. read more

3.5 stars. The flavors of the tamarindo ice cream and mango creamsicle were great, but wasn't wowed by the texture or the ambiance of the store. Also, sampling is limited to three flavors. Service was decent but I don't know if I'll be back in the near future. read more

La Michoacana - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I love watching the food network and cooking channel. One of my favorite shows - Unique Sweets was on and they were featuring ice cream/popsicles. By the end of the show we were researching places in Madison that sold Paletas (Mexican ice cold deliciousness on a stick) and this gem popped up. Never mind the -4F weather, this place was open and we were going to try it. Located in a strip mall, the interior was big with a few tables and benches. The menu was pretty extensive - you can choose from ice cream/sorbets hard scooped or paletas that are milk based or fruit juice based. My 3 yr old got bubble gum paleta - it was bright pink and blue and tasted exactly like bubble gum. I got the fruit based mango with chili. This tasted exactly like the cut raw mango of my childhood off the streets of Bombay - served with chili powder and salt. It wasn't sweet - which I loved. The chili sections wasn't exactly spicy it was a sweet/sour/tangy taste kind of like tamarind. It was love at first bite/lick. We will definitely be back with friends/family. Maybe when it's a little bit warmer next time. read more

La Michoacana - Mango with chili - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Over the past three years, Yelp has come to be our trusted guide when looking for things to eat. For the first time, however, we were let down. It wasn't the ice cream so much (we did not get to try it!), but rather the service. We walked into the establishment, and there were only two parties ahead of us. We took that opportunity to check out all the different flavors, and one of the servers behind the counter acknowledged us, saying she would be with us in a moment. Just as it appeared to be our turn, a large party of latinos came in, and they were waited on immediately, and ahead of us. Then came another, and guess what...so were they. I asked my wife who is also Latino what she thought, and she said let's leave, so we did. Once outside, she expressed disgust, saying, "That kind of behavior only creates problems for my people." read more