Helado Taiyaki in Providence serves ice cream, helado in Spanish, with taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped pastry. Photography by Tabitha Pereira.
From old-school pharmacy fizzy drinks to modern takes on ice cream classics, there are shops located across the state for all types of eaters, from the picky to the adventurous. Expand your palate and add these shops to your must-visit list for the summer — you might even find your new go-to spot.
NORTH
Helado Taiyaki
Providence
This one-of-a-kind ice cream shop, right on Providence’s Federal Hill, incorporates foods and flavors from different cultures around the world. Helado Taiyaki combines everyone’s favorite frozen treat — ice cream, known as helado in Spanish — with taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped pastry.
After discovering the Asian delicacy at a shop in New York, owner Linnette Lopez Torres was determined to bring the treat back home.
“There are so many people in Rhode Island that had never heard of taiyaki and we introduced them to it,” says Torres, a self-taught culinary whiz who opened the shop in 2021.
Torres incorporates her Latin heritage and upbringing into the treats by including beloved flavors like guava drizzle and Maria cookie crumbles. If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, look no further than this Japanese-Latin fusion ice cream shop, and don’t forget to add mouthwatering toppings like mini Lucky Charms,
Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles, toasted coconut and Teddy Grahams.
Innovation is always on the menu at Helado Taiyaki. Torres has introduced a “Tuft and Taiyaki” workshop where customers can make their own rugs while eating frosty treats, and learned how to make those cube croissants that took TikTok by storm last year. Her secret to success? “The University of YouTube,” she says with a laugh.
“Anything is possible. Anyone can do anything — you don’t need to go to school. If you put your mind into anything, you’ll learn to do anything.” 102 Dean St., Providence, 699-9537, instagram.com/helado_taiyaki
Kow Kow
Providence
You’ve heard of chicken and waffles. But have you heard of ice cream and waffles?
Two iconic sweet treats are combined into one delectable dessert at Kow Kow, a bubble waffle and ice cream shop named after the Laotian word khao, which means rice but also refers to food in general. Kow Kow’s owner, Vilada Khammahavong, is Laotian and her parents are from the Southeast Asian country.
“I thought it was a fun way to incorporate my culture into my business,” Khammahavong says. “When we’re excited about something, or want to emphasize something in our language, we repeat things twice — that’s where Kow Kow came from.”
Khammahavong discovered bubble waffles as a child during one of her many trips to Boston’s Chinatown with her family. They made it a tradition each month to find their favorite bubble waffle stand, owned by an older woman they affectionately dubbed the “grandma of bubble waffles,” and enjoyed the tasty treat on the way home.
Now, she brings that same joy she experienced as a child to Kow Kow patrons who want a taste of the mouthwatering dessert, with ice cream added, of course. With flavors like Berry Nutty, Cocoa Crazy, Oreo Factory and Graham Canyon, you’ll have to see (and taste) for yourself the allure of this unique dessert.
Kow Kow is also the place to be for summer vibes this season, with a picturesque outdoor patio and live music every Friday night, as well as a night market with wares from local vendors on the last Friday of every month. 120 Ives St., Providence, 273-2989, kowkowfood.com
Tricycle Ice Cream
Providence
When asked by talk show host Stephen Colbert about his favorite sandwich, actor Ryan Gosling had a delicious reply: “ice cream.” We agree, Ryan. Why choose savory when you can choose a sweet sandwich treat?
Tricycle Ice Cream is Rhode Island’s go-to spot for ice cream sandwiches that defy the odds. Starting out ten years ago as a cart peddling around farmers markets and events, the ice cream shop opened a brick-and-mortar location in 2019 and continues to wow its customers with its unique ice cream concoctions.
While most picture an ice cream sandwich as a scoop of vanilla wedged between two chocolate chip cookies or soft chocolate wafers, that’s a rookie menu item for this gourmet spot in Providence. After a trip to Tricycle, the term ice cream sandwich conjures images of macarons, blondie bars, espresso shortbread cookies and even tacos.
There’s no shortage of creative combos: think items like Thai tea ice cream and toasted coconut cookies, red velvet cake batter ice cream sandwiches and fresh mint and chocolate chip ice cream tacos. If you’re craving something lighter, try a sorbet push pop, which comes in fun flavors like mixed berry, pink guava, passionfruit and the sweet and spicy mango con Tajin.
Keep your appetite and napkins at the ready: The shop adds new flavors each week. 70 Battey St., Providence, 741-3549, tricycleicecream.com
EAST
Delekta Pharmacy
Warren
A visit to Delekta Pharmacy is like entering a portal to the past. With antique medicines lining the walls and a soda fountain whirring in the corner, the little shop in Warren feels like an ode to the old days. Although it’s no longer a pharmacy, you can still find healing properties in the old-fashioned soda fountain and the shop’s iconic coffee cabinet drink, made with milk, ice cream, soda and Delekta’s own homemade coffee syrup, crafted from a secret family recipe.
The building operated as a pharmacy as far back as the 1800s, and it’s been a part of the Delekta family since the 1940s, passing down through the generations, with Eric Delekta as its current owner. Eric’s grandfather acquired the business, and over the years his father and aunt worked as pharmacists, and Eric eventually took over in 1988. His favorite part? The customers. With regulars visiting the shop every day and multiple times a week, Delekta Pharmacy is a gathering place for locals to connect over a tasty beverage or an ice cream cone.
The shop offers cabinets, milkshakes, ice cream floats and fountain sodas, all in classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip, orange sherbet and, of course — the Rhode Island favorite — coffee.
The shop also stocks a wide assortment of trinkets and collectibles like greeting cards, jewelry, handbags, toys (for the kids and the pups!), puzzles, T-shirts and more. 496 Main St., Warren, 245-5921, instagram.com/delektaswarren
SOUTH
Green Line Apothecary
Wakefield and Providence
If you want to feel good (mind, body and soul), take a trip to Green Line Apothecary for all your self-care necessities. Need an over-the-counter remedy? Stroll the aisles for medicine. Picking up a prescription? Head to the pharmacy in the back. And of course, if you have a hankering for something sweet, look no further than the apothecary’s old-fashioned soda fountain with a robust menu of mouthwatering beverages and treats.
“We’re in the feel-good business,” says Ken Procaccianti, co-founder, president and chief operating officer at Green Line Apothecary.
In addition to classic treats like coffee ice cream and a lime rickey, Green Line Apothecary recently started offering a food menu with items like tomato soup and a pressed cheese melt. Photography by Tabitha Pereira.
The apothecary is teeming with feel-good products and services, from the treats at the front counter to prescription deliveries and homeopathic remedies like ginger candies. You’ll also find first-aid necessities, skin and hair care products, bug repellent (perfect for these summer months!) and package-free soaps and shampoo bars. To keep the feel-good vibes going, take home a carton (or two) of the homemade Green Line Apothecary ice cream that comes in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint chip, coffee, birthday cake and vegan options.
The shop also owns a rentable mobile ice cream cart called “Clara’s Cart,” packed with homemade ice cream flavors, floats and vintage soda fountain-inspired popsicles. It’s a hit at local festivals and events.
And what goes well with all that ice cream? Comfort food, of course. The apothecary also offers diner classics like chicken soup, grilled cheese and tomato soup, kale salad with an apple cider vinaigrette and more. Pair your comfort food classics with soda fountain seltzer beverages that include wellness ingredients like elderberry, turmeric and ashwagandha — all naturally occurring products said to have healing properties. 245 Main St., Wakefield, 360-3300; 905 North Main St., Providence, 633-8100, greenlineapothecary.com
Battle of the Brands: Frozen Lemonade Edition
We Rhode Islanders take our frozen lemonade seriously. Well, as seriously as you can take something fruity and delicious. Whether you’re a Mr. Lemon fan or a die-hard for Del’s, the competition is fierce when it comes to these two frozen lemonade juggernauts.
Currently celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, Mr. Lemon operates out of one location and sells a wide variety of creative frozen beverages, with flavors like root beer, tutti-fruitti, “Rooty-Snooty-Beer,” (which is a lemon/watermelon/root beer combination), and of course, the classic lemon. (Sadly, the matriarch who led Mr. Lemon for many years — Eileen Rao, lovingly known as Mama Lemon — passed away in December 2023. Her children are now running the iconic shop.)
While many Rhode Islanders make the drive to get a taste of Mr. Lemon’s legendary flavors, Del’s is usually just a block away. Heading home from soccer practice? There’s probably a Del’s location nearby. Gearing up for a long day at the beach? You bet there will be a cart at the coast where you can enjoy a cool refreshment. While Mr. Lemon offers funky flavor varieties, Del’s offers convenience.
There’s even an unofficial catchphrase associated with Del’s that’s shared across members of the Ocean State at the start of summer — “My first Del’s of the season!” — usually an Instagram caption accompanied by a photo proudly posing with the iconic yellow-and-green striped cup. Del’s flavors include lemon (complete with lemon chunks that add extra bursts of flavor), watermelon, cherry, blueberry and more.
The consensus? You can never go wrong with fruity, ice-cold drinks on a hot day. And wherever you’re headed this summer, whether you’re making the drive to Mr. Lemon for a one-of-a-kind frozen treat or stopping on your way home to curb your frozen lemonade craving at a Del’s near you, you’ll be covered when you need a sweet treat.