so before we went back to pick up TC,
we headed over to the third location of Tocumbo Ice Cream...
which is right in the shadow of the Coronado Bridge. This shopping complex, anchored by Northgate Market opened in 2013 but we never got around to visiting until today.
Awesome mural this.
Tocumbo is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Their economy is based mainly on ice cream shops and even have a monument in the shape of a paleta (seen at the end of this post)! There are two other Tocumbo locations (called Neveria Tocumbo) in San Diego; Chula Vista and in Chollas View. The Barrio Logan location is the third. They have a wide variety of house made ice creams (both water and cream based), paletas (both water and cream based) and other types of snacks like tostilocos, fruit cups, chamoy based fruit drinks, etc).
So many good flavors to choose from but it was paletas we wanted today.
And here they are...I liked how the Bubu Lub candies are decorating the inside display (you can get those candies at any Mexican market or even any Walmart in Chula Vista, for cheap!).
Look at the strawberry at the bottom of the paleta.
Our paleta choices - chili mango and pistachio.
While my chili mango may have looked pretty for the blog, tastewise, it was okay for a few bites but became overkill after that. I would have enjoyed mine more if I got a less spicy flavor. Sadly, I did not finish my paleta.
The name of this shopping complex is Mercado del Barrio (Neighborhood Market).
Lovely mosaic art...
Across the way, Northgate supermarket. We have several down south in CV so we didn't bother going in. Plus, we had to pick up the teen who was waiting for us...
Cool video of the paleta sculpture in Tocumbo, Michoacan, Mexico:
The paletas here are nearly $2; to compare, they are $1.65/$1.75 (water/cream) at Oasis Ice Cream (which is also handmade; their late owner, Mr. Andrade was also from Michoacan). I think that Viva Pops (the "gourmet"/hipster ice cream pop place in Normal Heights) is going for $3 now. In the 'hoods down here, paletas are less than $2, maybe $1.25 to $1.50 max (and cheaper if you buy in bulk).
Articles:
"The ice cream man cometh to Barrio Logan" San Diego Free Press, May 2013 (This is a very nice write up by Brent E. Beltran; he explains a lot of the background history of this local ice cream chain)
"The secret cool of Barrio Logan" Discover SD, September 2014
"Eat your fruit!" SD Reader, August 2013
and more recently, Darlene's write up on Zagat San Diego, "Seven reasons why Barrio Logan will be the next San Diego hotspot" February23, 2016
The first two articles chronicle the burgeoning arts district as well as a crop of new condos/apartment buildings as well as businesses marking their mark in revitalizing this historic neighborhood.
More info on Mercado del Barrio:
www.sheaproperties.com
+ this article, "Mercado del Barrio update one year later" SD Union-Tribune, April 2014
Previous visits to other locations:
Market Street
December 2012 (it's across the street from Asia Cafe)
Chula Vista
August 2013 (links my first post as well)
Tocumbo Ice Cream
1900 Main St. 188-A
San Diego, CA 92113
(619) 230-0391
www.tocumboicecream.com +their fb page & reviews from that four lettered site
It's nice to have a lot of different business in close proximity with each other. This is definitely a plus for the residents who finally have a big name grocery store that caters to their needs. We have a Northgate on the west side of CV and also in the Otay Mesa area. If you haven't been in Northgate before, check it out - it's like the Disneyland of Mexican food and products in there and then some! I hope to check out this location for a future post and try some food from their in house eatery.
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