New Dessert Shop For South Side

Site of La Michoacana Premium, 1001 W. Historic Mitchell St. Photo taken Nov. 22, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

One Wednesday evening in mid-November, several groups of teenagers, families with small children and a handful of young professionals found themselves together in the colorful and brightly-lit La Michoacana Premium, which recently opened in the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood.

Over the course of a few hours, a steady stream of customers stopped into the storefront to peruse the long glass cases of ice cream flavors and pick out a treat the same temperature as the outside air: cold.

The new snack and dessert shop, 1001 W. Historic Mitchell St., is one of thousands of locations for La Michoacana throughout the U.S. and Mexico. The brand, which was founded in the 1950s and gained massive popularity soon after, has become the subject of plentiful disagreements over the legal use of the La Michoacana name, making it difficult to keep track of just how many of the popular dessert shops have cropped up over time.

Milwaukee alone is home to a handful of locations, mostly sprinkled throughout the South Side. In addition to the stand-alone stops, take a trip to the local taqueria and you’re sure to find a freezer chest full of La Michoacana-branded paletas.

But no matter where you get your fix, La Michoacana is sure to satisfy, with an expansive menu offering sweet, sour, spicy, savory — sometimes all at once — snacks and desserts.

The Mitchell Street location occupies a large, corner storefront that once housed a beauty supply store; the space is now mostly dedicated to rows of freezers, stacks of cones and candies to be sprinkled on top of frozen treats. Behind the counter, shelves are lined with bags of Hot Cheetos, Tostitos, Doritos and duros to be doused in hot sauce and lime juice or turned into “walking tacos,” or “tostilocos” with the addition of ground meat and cheese.

Inside the freezers, guests will find dozens of ice cream and sorbet (or nieve) flavors. Milk-based options include coconut, chocolate, vanilla, bubblegum, oreo and strawberry, to name a few. There’s also water-based, or dairy-free options, available in a variety of fruit flavors including watermelon, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, guava, kiwi, lemon and more.

The shop also serves a variety of paletas, aguas frescas, shakes, smoothies and mangonada, a frozen and blended drink made with mango, chamoy, chili-lime seasoning, lime juice and tamarind.

Like La Michoacana’s lore, the menu is extensive, and may require a few visits to get acquainted. Luckily, it’s easy to find time for a visit. La Michoacana Premium is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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