Cll Vilella

Located right in la plaza de Lares, this historic ice cream shop is a must when visiting the cradle of puertoriqueñidad. Its unique flavors are amazing. Make sure you try more than one.

As Puerto Rican who has visited Heladeria Lares many times, I feel like the service and quality has diminished since I've last visited. Maybe it's the constant stress Puerto Rico seems to be under, but the staff was very dismissive of our greeting and attempt at small talk. No samples are allowed, so you're just going to have to let the ancestors speak to you about what to purchase. I was very happy with my combo of maíz (corn) and café (coffee). They have the unique flavors this ice cream shop is known for like arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), cilantro, and garlic. I recommend going, but don't expect over the top friendly service.

Really interesting flavors but unfortunately no dairy free. My husband can handle milk so enjoyed his. The rest of us went down the block instead

Drove through Lares just to come here and it was worth it! Delicious, unique ice cream flavors. Parking can be a bit hard to find as the streets are small and crowded.

Fabulous variety of original and local flavors of ice cream. Reasonable portion sizes and prices. Pleasant employees, even when there is a complaint. The line is long sometimes, but that's because the product is worth it. Today's flavors: passion fruit, pineapple, mango, almond, rice with Vienna sausages, papaya, carrot, strawberry, Cookie Monster, almond cake, coffee, rum raisin, peanut, orange, peanut and almond, chocolate, coconut, chocolate with cookie pieces, oatmeal, tamarind, star fruit, garlic, sweet potato/yam, cheese with strawberry, pistachio, vanilla with cookies, chocolate with almonds, vanilla chocolate chip, rice with green peas (gandules), sweet pepper (ají). At the moment samples are not available, due to COVID. Masks are required. The bathrooms are small, but clean, and there is a sink to wash your hands besides the bathroom. Fabulosa variedad de sabores originales y criollos de helado. Porciones y precios razonables y personal amable, aun cuando hay una queja. La fila es a veces larga, pero eso solo es porque el producto es excelente. Los sabores de hoy: parcha, piña, mangó, almendra, arroz con salchicha, lechosa, zanahoria, fresa, monstruo come galletas, bizcocho almendrado, café, ron con pasas, maní, china, maní con almendra, chocolate, coco, chocolate con pedazos de galleta, avena, tamarindo, carambola, ajo, batata, queso con fresa, pistacho, vainilla con galletas, chocolate con almendras, vainilla con pedazos de chocolate, arroz con gandules, ajíes. Por el momento no están dando muestras para probar, debido al COVID. Se requiere el uso de mascarillas. El baño es pequeño, pero limpio y hay lugar para lavarse las manos además del baño.

This is a fun ice cream shop because of all the unusual flavors, we tried 9 of them between us and I think we only actually liked about 4 so I think maybe the success of this shop is more about the novelty factor than about the actual taste and quality of the ice cream. (For reference we liked ginger, sweet rice, and batata, and another that I dont remember the name but was described as similar to eggnog, and my son LOVED the garlic one but I didn't; none of us liked the cilantro, corn, sesame seed, or rice and beans. But even the ones we liked were only ok though. So don't make a detour just so you can try the kce creams here, it's not worth it.) Shout out to our server who was very patient and helpful while we made our choices though, she was great!

Traditional ice cream parlor with lots of Lares heritage and history. A family friendly spot that you must visit on any given day if you want to taste some unique ice cream, including garlic, rice and beans, and rice and sausage flavors. We loved the corn and coconut ones.

This place is amazing! It is a must visit for any first timer in the island. There is nothing better than soaking history while delighting a few scoops of unconventional flavors that heladería lares offers. I often find myself here after a long day of hiking through the rivers, waterfalls, and forests you find in the nearby towns of ciales, orocovis, and morovis. Tires and hungry, the sugar rush from the ice creams is just perfect jolt of energy you need to get back to your home or hotel. Funny thing that I mention sugar cause the ice cream are hand made at the shop and are not overly sweet. They are actually very refreshing and, depending on the flavor you choose, very fruity. My favorite is the corn and cinnamon, it reminds me of one of my favorite desserts which is mazamorra. However you can find flavors like sausage and rice, cazuela, and the more typical amarettos and rum. As a local gone tourist, i highly recommend this to be in your to do list. Once you get your ice cream don't sit down, just walk around the place basking in the historic newspaper pages that date back to the late 1800's! I love this place!

This place had unique ice cream flavors from arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) to your basic flavors like fresa (strawberry). My favorite was the Tamarindo. So good! I have always wanted to check this place out and I'm glad that I finally did. It's not everyone's cup of tea but the flavors were spot on!

Amazing flavors. I visited this location many years ago and didn't have the opportunity to leave a review. I returned in on this trip to show my kiddies something a little different. The flavor selections are off the chart by any standard. We had, coconut, corn, pineapple and cherry. Each was authentic and very tasty. We stopped today July 4th and the line was out to the street. The day was perfect for ice cream. And several dozen people agree. The store was located in the center of the town. Perhaps due to been a Sunday afternoon, the other local stores were closed. The plaza was filled with people eating ice cream. If you in the area, stop by and have something different.

Where else in the world can you get garlic or corn flavored ice cream?! This place reminds me of NYC's Chinatown ice cream factory but with a boricua twist. Rice and beans. They only allow you to try two samples so choose wisely! I went with corn and was pleasantly surprised with the flavor. It had a slight sweet corn after taste and it had sprinkled cinnamon on top. I tried the garlic which was pretty unique but damn your breathe would be stinky if you ate a lot. Overall, very fun/unique experience!

Historic place full of awesome and exotic ice cream flavors. Staff was very nice and easy to talk to. They let you try all of the ice creams you want (they have really weird flavors like rice and beans) but the ice creams leaves more to be wanted. I found mine (guava) to be too icy and water tasting. Wish it would've had more of the strong guava taste. My grandmother did have the coffee one and it was delicious. It tasted just like a cup of coffee. Really recommend it.

Like Baskin Robbin's and their 31 flavors, but crazier. Where else can you try "arroz con habichuelas" flavor ice cream? NO WHERE. (That is RICE AND BEAN STEW flavored ice cream, for all those who may not be not familiar). We settled on coffee flavored ice cream, but not before trying some of the crazy flavors. Definitely a must when in or around Lares.

My husband remembered coming here when he was a little boy. We came back to relive a childhood memory he had. The place has 52 different flavor ice cream. I tried the pistachio, rice pudding and coquito. Pistachio is my favorite ice cream. It was worth the drive to check this place out. The service wasn't exactly friendly. Possibly because we came close to closing.

This is an ice cream mecca and it feels like a hajj worth of effort to get here. It takes more than two hours to get here from San Juan and you have to do some winding into the mountains. Absolutely bizarre location. They need to open one in San Juan. You can find flavors aplenty. They're all done well, but whether they're all good or not is highly subjective. You will need to be very adventurous to enjoy flavors such as garlic or sausage and rice. Even though some of these flavors were not my favorite, they are crazy, hit and miss, but they get five stars for the adventurousness with quality execution. Even if cilantro or rice and beans ice cream isn't your speed, you can find excellent renditions of all your favorites including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cookies and cream, along with local favorites like coconut, mango, and papaya. You can find "medium" levels of adenturous flavors with the avocado or miscellaneous rare tropical fruit flavors. Pro tip: there's a ton to try--something like 50 unique flavors. Since samples are limited to three, the best way to try more is to ask for a half gallon, then get a scoop of all the ones you want to try as a sort of giant sampler. The half gallon will run you a few extra dollars, but after driving all this way, you really should get the most out of it. Once you've narrowed your selection, you can then order accordingly, or just let all your flavors melt together in the half gallon into a bizarre tropical medley. I was just happy to try everything after all the time it took me to get here.

I came here after marvelling at Window Cave (Cueva Ventana, much more impressive than the Rio Camuy caverns), and my new German friend, who has been my off-and-on travel companion on this trip (those Germans are so friendly and outgoing, but let me not digress!), made the observation that my propensity to ask for directions in Puerto Rico using the destination's actual Spanish name, rather than something in English (e.g. asking a police officer about the "Heladeria Lares" rather than "the ice cream place in Lares" - especially since I pronounced it in such a great Spanish accent) exposed me to the risk of receiving a detailed response in Spanish, which I would not understand due to my virtually non-existent proficiency in that beautiful language. After a few wrong turns, I realized that this place was actually pretty easy to find after all. It is right in the middle of all the action in the bustling town center of Lares. They truly have exotic flavors of ice cream, and since it is around Christmas time, they have the coquito (Puerto Rican eggnog) flavor as well. You can taste a couple of flavors before you decide what you want. After tasting the Ajo (garlic), Bacalao (cod fish) and arroz con habichuelas (rice and stewed beans) flavors, I decided to get some that were less exotic, but still somewhat unique to Puerto Rico. So I had the guayaba (guava), guama (ice cream bean), arroz con dulce (rice pudding), maize (corn) and Caribbean cherry flavors (I know that's 5 flavors, but did I ever deny being crazy?). All of them were delicious, except that I found the Caribbean cherry to be a little too tart for my liking. My friend and I agreed that while the flavors were great, the quality of the ice cream was not the best. There were icicles in my ice cream, which really took away from the creaminess and my enjoyment of it.

As past reviewers have mentioned, this is a GREAT place for a quick drop by if you're en route to the Cavernas de Camuy. And, yes.. I only know about this place from Andrew Zimmern as well haha. But it is TOTALLY worth the experience. This place seems to be packed at all hours but there's about 5 - 6 helpful spanish-speaking ladies behind the counter that really get things moving. My entourage and I were able to try as many samples as we wanted despite hearing and reading that they only let you sample two flavors. So if you get the same opportunity as I did, sample some of the really odd and quirky stuff! Obviously, NONE of us got an actual scoop of Bacalao (cod fish) but it was fun to sample it and watch each others reactions. Between my little group and I we got: Arroz con Habichuela - "Rice and Beans".. looked like it.. tasted like it and even had little pieces of beans in it haha. Almond Cake - Forgot the actual name in spanish but it was one of the best we had. Arroz con Dulce - "Rice with Sugar/Sweet" This was also a really good one. Pistachio - Very good, had pieces of actual nuts in it. Platano Dulce - "Sweet Plantain" Not my personal favorite, but some people really did enjoy it and had a very nice texture. Queso con Fresa - "Cheese with Strawberry" This was so creamy and tasteful! Queso Blanco - "White Cheese" Super creamy, but I think its better suited for avid cheese lovers. If you're not the adventurous type they do also have the "normal" ice cream flavors: Orange, Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, Cookies n Cream, etc. Its definitely worth the trip because everyday that you're there they have over 30 or so flavors and each time its usually a different set. So something a past yelper might have tried and enjoyed might not be there, so don't be afraid to live a little and get creative! :) Its also pretty cheap, around $3.00! I got a "medium" sized cup and I was able to mix two scoops together: Cafe and Arroz con Dulce. It was a perfect marriage between the two!

They got a flavor for everyone here. Located in a small town in the hills on the drive to the Camey caves, Lares is a perfect stop for perfect scoop or two of unique ice cream. You won't find a place like this any where else in the world. From the traditional flavors like strawberry and vanilla, to the unusual ones, they got it all. I ended up trying.... swordfish, rum, rice&beans, garlic, carrot, avocado but ended up getting my childhood favorite pistachio. This really is a great experience if you are an ice cream lover. They have a great town square, with church and stores to wonder around while you are licking your cone. Enjoy.

Part of the culinary adventures piece of my recent trip to Puerto Rico. I highly recommend anyone visiting PR make this a stop. It's a local place with plenty of local flavor in both ice cream and ambiance. They have standard flavors like chocolate, pistachio and strawberry and more tropical ones, like guava and parcha (passion fruit), but what makes this place stand out are flavors like bacalao (cod fish), arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) and breadfruit. I opted for slightly unusual with plantano dulce (sweet plaintain) and queso y fresa (cheese and strawberry). The flavors did not disappoint. The plantano dulce had a slightly grainy texture from the starchy fruit, but a deliciously delicate sweet flavor. The queso y fresa was creamy and fruity. The queso was along the lines of cream cheese or a cheesecake flavor with a swirl of strawberry preserve or compote. I also snagged a bite of M's rice and beans which tasted like rice and beans. Not surprisingly, since I don't like beans, I did not like the texture or flavor, but I had to try it. I was however envious of the maize (corn) pick which both M & R got. It was super tasty, bringing out the natural sweetness of corn balanced with a touch of warm cinnamon. The texture of the ice cream is lighter than American ice cream or even gelato, but this actually works for them. Given the climate of the Island, I can't imagine super heavy, rich ice cream being very good for the belly or waistline. Overall a fantastic spot and despite the small mountain location that requires a bit of a drive from most tourist destinations, I'll be back.

Ice-cream in most imaginable flavors. Locally-owned. A gem. If you are in the Arecibo area and/or visiting the Camuy Caves, this is a must.

If you're in the area you have to try this place! Lonely Planet recommended eating here after visiting the Camuy Caverns and that is exactly what we did. There are so many flavors that it's hard to decide what to order (especially if you're not fluent in Spanish and need to look up half the names). Staff has limited English skills, but not like you need to have a conversation to order ice cream..also this place was very crowded when we came on a Sunday afternoon so score one for being popular with the locals. The pistachio ice cream was the best flavor at our table. Dulce de leche was a close runner up, in my opinion. Braver souls may venture a try of their odder flavored ice cream...like cod fish. *shudder*

Fantastic little shop! You can find ice cream there of all tastes. I was there in January, 2012 and stuck some Jordanian notes on the "memory wall" that had so many other international notes already sticking on it as a souvenir or reminder that people were there from all over the world. I hope my money is still sticking on that wall as a reminder of my visit! :) Best wishes and many thanks, Nadja Qaisi/Amman Jordan

Yelp's address is incorrect. We followed it and got horribly lost. The correct address is Calle Vilella #10. As reported, it's closed, but if you've already made the trip, there's another ice cream shop a few doors down called Heladerìa de Grito, which has some of the same unusual flavors, bit no bacalao (salt cod).

Just a heads-up to current/future travelers right now - we got here and found the door pad-locked shut. A local told us the owner's father died, so they're indefinitely closed at the moment. Bummer.

We stopped in Lares to check this place out and the owner had died a few days before...sad. The ice cream shop is closed until further notice according to their facebook page. I feel weird writing a review without having had their ice cream but want to put the word out in case other yelpers try to go out of their way to check it out.

This place is open again... really good but extreme flavors!! Had a great time with my family!

Small humble place with the capacity of making you travel in flavors throw the nature. Is a nice ice cream with special flavors made for the adventurer. It worth traveling to Lares from any place in Puerto Rico.

This ice cream shop was featured on Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods and when I heard about it, I had to make the trek. Lares is a super small mountain town maybe 1hr 45mins away from San Juan. It's a quick side trip if you are on your way to the Rio Camuy Caves. They feature 50 flavors a day and the flavors are weird! Everything is in Spanish so we had to ask the workers to name a ton of flavors for us. As other reviewers mentioned, really strange flavors. On a hot sunny day, salted fish ice cream just doesn't seem to hit the spot. I tried the almond bizcocho (almond cookie) and the guaynabana which is known in Asian countries as the soursop fruit. I've had soursop before as shakes and never liked it and did not like it as an ice cream- somewhat strong & pungent. I ended up getting the almond bizcocho and avocado. The avocado was a little icy and did not have a super strong avocado taste..... which I had got another flavor. My daughter got the coconut which was so rich, creamy and good! A super fun and super crowded place to visit for any ice cream connoisseur.

I just visited Heladeria Lares yesterday and OMG no matter how much you like bacalao DO NOT TRY THE ICE CREAM!!!! I swear they put a gallon of cod liver oil in there, but you must try the maniz, dulce de leche, arroz con habichuelas, and even the rum raisin is awesome! Every time I'm here we have to stop by! It's a staple in Puerto Rico!

This is the only ice crew shop that I will ever rate 5 stars. It is exceptional! The dozens of flavors available every day rotate often, and they range from the usual chocolate and vanilla flavors to the coolest flavors and ingredients found in any ice cream shop anywhere! Some of the ingredients can be found only in Puerto Rico...you need to try these! Samples are delicious and free upon request. Fabulous! Don't let the super-long line that is the norm here discourage you from waiting. Service is very fast and friendly. You need to visit the BEST ice cream shop in the island!! Try the avocado and garlic flavors, they are amazing! My personal favorite, though, is the corn flavored ice cream. It is heaven in a cup, or a cone.....whichever tickles your fancy! :0)

So I heard that this place has been on TV, but only after I got there. My dad had previously been there and decided that we should visit after a failed attempt at going to the Camuy Caves. The drive from the caves is about 20 minutes. Some of the flavors in this place are insane! Who would've thought to make some of these foods into ice cream?! Rice & beans? Codfish (Bacalao)??? [ralph] No thanks! So I did what any brave soldier would do... I got chocolate and cookies & cream... oh yeah... and it was good. The cost was $3.50 for two fairly large scoops in a cup.

Although there are unusual flavors (I had sesame and my partner had peanut), it is not worth the detour if you actually want good ice cream. It tasted more like frozen milk with a hint of flavor. It was popular, so maybe we just got the wrong flavors...oh well.

ventured here while in rincon for the week, didn't bring myself to try cod and garlic flavors but i definitely had to try arroz con habichuelas, how awesome. settled for queso con fresa y arroz con dulce. "cheese with strawberry" and "rice pudding" both DELICIOUS!

I first heard about this place when I watched Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. It was definitely a place I wanted to go to because I'm in Puerto Rico often either on vacation or visiting my husband's friends. It was a fun trip going higher and higher up the hills and even more exciting trying to spot or find the location. I wish that I could give 2 ratings for this place because the flavors are interesting and amazing - definitely something you'll never find in any other ice cream shop. I give the taste/unique flavors a 5 star. I give the customer service a 1 star. Maybe because Bizarre Foods was a TV Show and the owners were in the shop at that time - they made it seem like this place had amazing and friendly customer service. However, after sampling 2 different flavors - I asked to try another one - the clerk told me in a rude way that it was my last sample and I was only limited to 2. Which I was absolutely appalled by because I'm pretty sure when you enter an ice cream shop with unique flavors you want to sample at least the crazy flavors you will never have anywhere else. I also saw her give more than 2 samples to a few people ahead of me. I was shocked because this is not the Puerto Rican hospitality that I am used to. When my husband came in the shop he was able to try multiple flavors not just 2. He is Puerto Rican and speaks the language fluently. I'm not sure if it's because I was not a local or if she was being lazy but I was pretty upset. My husband confronted her about it and she had nothing to say. The owners need to hire more customer friendly people or at least have a manager there on a daily basis. I will not be coming back to this ice cream shop - not even for the unique flavors. And this was when the owner was still alive back in January.

FAMOUS PLACE in Puerto Rico for ICe Cream! IT HAS CRAZIEST FLAVORS! been here a long time! I love this place I wasn't as daring to try the odd flavors but still the classic vanilla strawberry ice cream was delicious!