It’s popsicle time, and two Mexican paleta flavors you might overlook in the heat of summer—because they’re not at all fruity—are offbeat refreshers: walnut and rice. I tried both recently at Paleteria Chihuahua on West First Avenue where, incidentally, you can also fill up on a bowl of menudo if you’re a tripe stew fanboy.

The nut version absolutely tastes like walnuts and has that unmistakable tannic edge. It’s milky rather than creamy, icy (you’ll want to bite off chunks), and not too sweet. The rice version, cinnamon-dusted, is basically frozen rice pudding on a stick, with lots of grains to chew on.

I loved both more than the familiar mango and chile, which lacked zing. The store has many other flavors, including coconut. All go for $1.50 each.

3701 W. First Ave., 720-884-0161