Mexican gourmet ice pops shop opens soon in Johnson County with nearly 2 dozen flavors

A new area franchisee for The Paleta Bar is opening the chain’s first area location later this month in Overland Park.

The shop, at 8025 Metcalf Ave., will serve Mexican gourmet ice pop treats. Customers will first select a paleta flavor from nearly 20 choices including avocado, bubblegum, coffee, hazelnut crunch, Oreo and strawberry cream cheese.

Then they choose a dip: dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, or powdered chile and chamoy.

Toppings include pecans, coconut, Cocoa Pebbles and M&M’s. In the fourth step they can add a fruit such as strawberries, bananas or pineapple.

The Paleta Bar offers popular and signature paletas such as the Almond Joy (an almond paleta with dark chocolate dip and coconut topping). It also will have fruit cups, agua frescas, shakes, beef jerky, fresh corn in a cup (with butter, cheese, mayo and chili powder) and family packs.

Five members of the Quezada family relocated from New Mexico to Shawnee to open the shop. If it goes well, they plan more area locations.

They might compete against locally owned Palacana, which serves paletas, ice cream and other treats in six area locations.

The Paleta Bar was founded in Albuquerque in 2016 and currently has 35 locations in six states.