Paletería Cools Down, Sweetens Up Grand

As Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda played in the background, Ely Rey Azteca employee Lisseit Luna prepared a batch of coconut ice cream to sell at a recently opened Mexican- and Dominican-owned paletería in Fair Haven.

Sprinkling coconut shavings over the fresh batch of ice cream at El Rey Azteca’s 315 Grand Ave. storefront, Luna reminisced on a hot Monday afternoon about her 8 months of working for the local outpost of the franchise, which also has a location in Wallingford. 

“I grew up in New Haven, but I love working here because they’re Latinos, so we get along very well,” said Luna. ​“We typically make new batches of ice cream on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so on the other days, I refill the batches as they sell.”

Besides ice cream, El Rey Azteca offers an array of other tasty Mexican treats, from paletas, or popsicles, to elotes, Mexican street corn. Luna’s favorite of their ice cream flavors is Gansito — a thick ice cream that tastes like cake.

The store’s bright walls — pink and red with a blue horizontal stripe — match the packaging of many of the treats El Rey Azteca sells. Shelves lined with spicy chips and fresh fruit cups welcome customers as they step inside. Two coolers stand side by side: one with 24 batches of ice cream, the other with over eight batches of chopped fresh fruit to select. Big menus flash above the counter announcing the options of snacks to choose from, all while a sweet aroma fills the air.

One of the business’s owners, Martín Barranco, has been a fan of the products he sells all his life. Born in Mexico to parents in the baking business, Barranco learned the ins and outs of operating in the food industry from an early age. 

After opening their own bakery in Wallingford, Barranco and his wife Hillary Martínez, with whom he owns and operates both locations of El Rey Azteca, sought a business opportunity for the hotter summer days. 

“We already owned the bakery, so we wanted to cater to both of the main seasons here in Connecticut: summer and winter,” Barranco on Monday. ​“The bakery does very well in the winter with its warm treats, so we thought a paleterÍa would do well in the summer.”

Drawing inspiration from his Mexican childhood, Barranco learned to make paletas, or popsicles, to sell at their first location of El Rey Azteca in Wallingford, which is located beside their bakery. The original location has been open for three years, while the Grand Avenue location opened just over seven months ago.

Throughout its time in New Haven, El Rey Azteca has welcomed a bilingual array of customers from all neighborhoods and walks of life in the city. Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, they see lots of families, especially on hot summer days.

“I sometimes struggle with the clients who only speak English, as Spanish is my native language, but I love meeting everyone and the sense of community we get around here,” said Luna. ​“The business really helps to cultivate that. I get a lot of joy from helping and serving others.”