Off the Beaten Path: La Neveria

After a long hot day, the best way to revive a delegation is to head on over to La Neveria - any one in a franchise of ice cream stores which can be found throughout El Salvador.  The store in Apopa is highly convenient if you are on route from Guazapa or some northern town north of the capital.  If you are staying in San Salvador, you can often find one within walking distance of your hotel or guest house.  

Once inside, you are faced with the challenge of figuring out what to order from the big poster on the wall.  Banana split?  Ice cream shake with cookie wafers poked into the top?  Or maybe a choco-wafle triple (choco-waf-lay-trip-lay).  The easiest way to order is to divide your group into pairs, because of course, you will never enter La Neveria without finding a two for one promotion.  The servers can not imagine that you might not choose to take advantage of the promotion, so if you are on your own or in an odd-numbered group, be prepared to eat two cones or to give one away.

The La Neveria master chefs must spend quite a bit of time thinking up new and imaginative ideas for their ice cream menu.  During my last visit I had a capuchino - that is, a waffle cone filled with chocolate ice cream (you could choose any flavor), dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts (or sprinkles or crispies).  The waffle cones are delicious, and thanks to a little ball of chocolate in the bottom of the cone, they don't leak.

Maybe the most unusual item on the menu appeared about a year ago - the dona wafle (do-na-waf-lay).  You get a waffle cone filled with the ice cream flavor of your choice, topped with a warm sticky doughnut, whipped cream and a cherry...and for the same low price you get not only one dona wafle, but two!  I have not personally tried to eat one of these, but I bet they would offer up pretty good flavor and a very sticky face!