Mexican Ice Pops and Japanese Dining Head to Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza

Chinatown's Shanghai Plaza continues to lure unusual tenants to its very popular casual-dining scene, and two new restaurants filed construction paperwork earlier this month to move into the Spring Mountain Road retail center.

Taking over corner space 101 at the northern end of the building that also hosts Pepper Lunch, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, and the 85C Bakery Cafe, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s The Paleta Bar will fill 1,091 square feet with a counter-service dessert shop.

Named after the Spanish word for ice pops, The Paleta Bar launched in 2017 and has since expanded to more than 18 locations across New Mexico, Texas, Florida, and California.

Joining a menu of fruit cups, elote, “DoriNachos,” and aguas frescas, the namesake specialty Popsicles are created with sweet cream, milk and fruit, plus diverse flavors including avocado, bubble gum, birthday cake, tres leches, and a Kit Kat bar, then drizzled with a choice of chocolate and finished with toppings of candy, nuts, and cereal.

Next door, in the 1,010-square-foot suite 102, a mystery restaurant named O.Onigiri is also in the works, only sharing its Japanese menu is “coming soon.” Onigiri, or Japanese rice balls, are frequently wrapped in seaweed and often filled with tuna, pork, roe, squid, and pickled vegetables.

Estimated opening dates for both projects have yet to be announced.

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• All Coverage of Shanghai Plaza [ELV]