MexiTreats’ desserts are as aesthetically pleasing as they are delicious

I’ve had a pretty ice cream-heavy summer. My place of work serves ice cream, I became obsessed with Arctic Corner’s ever-changing soft serve flavors, I discovered Lansing Gardens sells ice cream, and I made at least two trips to the MSU Dairy Store despite the nearby construction. 

Since Labor Day weekend is generally considered to be the last hurrah of summer, I decided to round out my season of frozen treats with something a little different. 

I’ve driven by MexiTreats on East Saginaw hundreds of times, but I finally decided to stop in after being inundated on social media with pictures of fruit-laden Mexican delights. I needed dinner first, though, so I ordered a chicken torta from the menu of classic taqueria offerings, which also includes sopes, gorditas and a very tempting item that looked to be a tostada with a giant chicharon as the base. The torta bread was soft and fresh, filled with deliciously seasoned shredded chicken and plenty of pickled jalapenos. 

For the main event, dessert, I had quite a few options, like tres leches cake or churros, as well as the fruit cups I had been drooling over on the internet. However, the mangonada had my heart as soon as I saw the words “mango Italian ice.”

The mangonada is actually made with your choice of Italian ice (other flavors include cherry, lime and piña colada) and is topped with fresh mango, chamoy and Tajin. If you’re unfamiliar, chamoy is a Mexican condiment made from pickled fruit, chili, lime juice and salt, and it’s what makes this treat not only beautiful, but exceptional. Standing out as a dark, plummy red against the vibrant yellow-orange backdrop of the fruit and ice, it’s at once sweet, sour and salty. Served alongside the mangonada is a lime to squeeze on top, which makes all of the flavors sing in perfect harmony. 

Perhaps the best part of this exceptional dessert is the banderilla. The tamarind candy-wrapped straw, rolled in Tajin, becomes a lollipop when you’ve finished the rest. Like summer, you’ll want to make it last as long as possible. The mangonada is a summer sunset in a cup, and I can’t wait to go back in the dead of winter to soothe my seasonal woes.