If I see a sugar cookie decorated as a ghost with a smile and rosy cheeks, Hello Kitty-shaped mummy cookies or a velvety pumpkin spice latte topped with swirls of whipped cream, I’m slamming my debit card on the counter.
There is something about the fall air that gives chefs, bakers and baristas the urge to create the cutest and tastiest themed treats. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are hard to resist. I mean, who can say no to cinnamon roll pancakes and pastries decorated as spooky creatures?
It would be a real disservice to keep all these fall-themed goodies to myself, so I’ve complied a list of places in town where you can grab a pumpkin horchata or spooky gelato bites. The only thing scary about these treats is how scary good they are!
Adis
Aguas frescas can be scary ... scary delicious! Adis is making spooky aguas frescas topped with gummy eyes, worms and vampire teeth to add some Halloween flair. They are also serving spooky pickles that come with a syringe of chamoy! If that sounds too scary for you, they have fall classics on their menu, too. Pumpkin spice horchata complete with a small slice of pumpkin pie on top, along with pumpkin spice fried Oreos will give you that warm, cozy fall feeling.
A sign warns of the consequences of touching the glass at Bella’s Gelato, 2648 E. Speedway, on Aug. 2. The business started out as food truck before opening the brick-and-mortar.
Bella's Gelato Shoppe
Bella's is going all in for fall. Not only can you get pumpkin cheesecake gelato, but you can sandwich your scoops between two pumpkin cookies or order it inside a pumpkin-flavored waffle cone.
Blue Ice Gelato
More than a dozen flavors are available at Blue Ice Gelato, including fall's beloved pumpkin. Other flavors include s'mores, butter pecan, coconut sweet potato and mocha.
Cal’s Bakeshop
Check out their Instagram for their weekly schedule.
Caleb Orellana’s loveable cartoon logo has put on its Halloween costume which means one thing: fall-flavored pastries! This month’s pastry lineup includes pumpkin butter and cinnamon apple kouign-amanns, plus cookies in flavors like chai spice, chocolate chip pumpkin spice and carrot cake. As for their cronuts, Cal is whipping up options like pumpkin pie and spookie dough. I will be hunting down a spookie dough cronut before the month ends!
Chez Peachy has Halloween-inspired treats.
Chez Peachy
Halloween has never been so pink! At Chez Peachy, Christa Lebron is giving her signature creations a spooky twist. Her bento cakes feature different Halloween and fall designs, such has Hello Kitty dressed up as a mummy or Snoopy taking a nap on a pile of red and orange leaves. The real star of the show are her kawaii cookies. She has shaped her cookies into different Sanrio characters, decorating them as mummies and pumpkins. That’s not all, though! Her drink menu also features some scary concoctions like Frankenstein’s Usual (a matcha latte topped with blueberry cold foam), Peachy’s Poison Apple Refresher (a green lemonade refresher) and The Great Pumpkin (a pumpkin spice latte with vanilla cold foam).
Coffee Times
Throughout October, Coffee Times creates a new weekly spooky drink to match the season. Last week we saw the Full Moon Frappe and now the beloved coffee spot is taking on pumpkins. This week’s special drink is the Great Pumpkin Latte: a pumpkin pie-flavored latte that is dyed orange. To make it extra scary, you can top it off with a swirl of green toasted marshmallow whipped cream and sprinkles. Don’t forget to pick up one of their Halloween-themed stickers!
Cuppa Gogo
Every month, Cuppa Gogo comes up with three specialty drinks, so it was no surprise to see that October’s creations are inspired by classic fall ingredients. Their Pumpkin Pie Latte takes all the delicious flavors of the Thanksgiving staple and turns it into a cozy latte. Inspired by trick-or-treating, they also created a Candy Bar Latte, which includes French pressed coffee blended together with chocolate, caramel and their house-made candy bar syrup. If coffee isn’t your thing, they also have a caramel apple slooshie, combining the tart flavors of green apple and the sweetness of caramel.
Dirty T Tamarindo
As you scroll through TikTok, you may have noticed the boo basket trend. Boyfriends everywhere are frantically running through Target, trying to piece together the perfect Halloween goodie basket for their partner. But now there’s no need to stress because Dirty T Tamarindo has done all the work for you! For the whole month, Dirty T will be selling boo baskets filled with a spooky mix bag of Dirty T candy, a Warhead pickle, a scrub, an assortment of sweets and a small surprise. You can also head to one of Scented Leaf’s three locations to pick up their bags of candy that come in shapes like skulls, spiders, worms and eyeballs. They go great with the tea of the month: the Afterlife Elixir.
This month's Frost Bites are decked out for Halloween, including this pumpkin gelato covered with white chocolate made to look like an eyeball.
Frost Gelato
7301 E. Tanque Verde Road, 2905 E. Skyline Dr., 7131 N. Oracle Road
Gelato shaped as cute mummies and skulls?!?! Sign me up! At Frost, you can pick up a 12-pack of their Frost Bites (gelato dipped in chocolate). The bites are decorated as eyeballs, mummies and smiling skeletons. Their seasonal gelato also includes some classic fall flavors like pumpkin, black licorice and toasted marshmallow.
Houlden’s Rise Above Vegan Bakery
Hannah Houlden has created the ultimate spooky treat box; I couldn’t dream up anything better! The bakery’s Halloween boxes include three decorated sugar cookies, a pumpkin cream-filled croissant, an apple butter kouign-amann, a black forest cupcake and a Snickers twice-baked pain au chocolat. To get your hands on one, order before or on Oct. 23. They will be available for pickup the weekend before and after Halloween.
Le Buzz Caffe
No one should have to make the impossible decision of choosing between pancakes and cinnamon rolls. Thankfully, at Le Buzz’s Plaza Palomino location, you don’t have to! This month they are serving up pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes: a stack of three pancakes cooked in a brown sugar cinnamon swirl and house-made maple glaze. To make things even spookier, you can order their pumpkin spice latte or one of their Halloween sugar cookies.
The Monica
Mornings are scary, so you might as well eat something scary too! Throughout the month, The Monica will have pastries decorated to look like different spooky creatures. Now your mornings can be scary and delicious!
Rollies
4573 S. 12th Ave., 267 S. Avenida del Convento
I thought horchata couldn’t get more amazing, but Rollies proved me wrong. Rollies is putting a fall twist on the beloved agua fresca by adding pumpkin. Now you can order a pumpkin horchata slushie to go with your spicy birria tacos.
The Screamery does not use any artificial colors or flavors in their pumpkin ice cream.
The Screamery
The Screamery is known for its fun flavors like Sweet Cream Honeycomb that features honeycomb pieces, Rough at Sea with its sea salt base and candied nuts, and Sweet Sonoran Dessert with peanut butter and homemade toffee. For fall, the ice cream shop is adding Pumpkin Spice to the lineup.
Tanna's Botannas
4426 S. Sixth Ave., 954 W. Prince Road
There are some witchy vibes going on over at Tanna's Botannas this week! Their weekly special, available through Oct. 20, includes a "Hocus Pocus"-themed lemonade complete with glitter. You also get a free "Hocus Pocus" sticker with your purchase! Tanna's will also be parked at The Slaughterhouse for the whole month so you can get a sweet treat after running around the haunted houses.
4th Ave. Deli
Who knew ghost dogs could be so tasty? For the month of October, 4th Ave. Deli is bringing back their ghost dogs: a hot dog made with their own spicy ghost pepper mayo. Take a bite of this delicious dish if you dare, but you have to be pretty brave to take on this spicy dog!
Espressoul Cafe is home to a number of fall drinks, including the pictured Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Fall menus at local coffee shops
Nowadays, it's almost expected to have something pumpkin, cinnamon-y or apple on your coffee menu by September. Pumpkin spice has taken the world by storm and for good reason, too. There is truly nothing like walking to your favorite coffee shop, feeling the cool breeze in the air as you order a pumpkin spice latte. The sweet pumpkin flavor mixed with spices and cinnamon feels like a cozy, oversized sweater in a cup.
Here are a few local spots that are serving fall drinks that will instantly put you in a good mood. (Trust me, they are WAY better than getting a PSL at the place that shall not be named.)
- Calle Coffee: Spicy Hippie (pumpkin spice chai) and Cinderella (pumpkin spice white mocha). Location: 6225 W. Ajo Hwy
- Decibel Coffee Works: Pumpkin Spice Latte with chai whipped cream, Peanut Butter Pretzel Latte, Berry Cider Shrub and ginger soda. They also have pumpkin cheesecake and sweet potato pie ice cream. Their PSL is one of my favorites in town. It's the perfect combo of sweet and strong! Location: 267 S. Avenida del Convento
- Espressoul: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Chai Pumpkin, Caramel Apple Latte, Maple Spice Latte, Apple Chai and Churro Latte. It’s no surprise that their PSL is absolutely amazing but the Churro Latte is mind-blowing!! It tastes exactly like a churro. Check their Instagram for their schedule.
- Hebrews Coffee: Pumpkin Spice Horchata Latte, Tiramisu Latte with toasted marshmallow cold foam and Cinnamon Maple Latte. Both their pumpkin spice horchata and tiramisu lattes are 10/10. Location: 1439 S. 4th Ave.
- Presta: Basic Witch (a pumpkin latte with a double shot of espresso or ceremonial grade matcha), The Ritual (spiced and sparkling refresher of ginger beer and double shot of espresso with hints of pear, sage and palo santo), Tarot Card (taro milk tea and a cardamom and fig leaf cold foam) and Silk Road (a cappuccino with red miso-infused caramel and Chinese 5 spice blend). Locations: 501 E. Ninth St., 2502 N. First. Ave., 100 S. Avenida Del Convento
- Tucson Coffee Cricket: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Apple Cider, Cinnamon Spiced Pear Latte and pumpkin pie cold foam that can be added to iced coffee or cold brew. Their PSL tastes like real pumpkin, no artificial flavors here! Location: 5151 E. Broadway (inside lobby)
- Tucson Coffee Roasters: Maple Pecan Latte, Pumpkin Frappe, Zombie Matcha and Ghosted Matcha. Location: 250 S. Craycroft Road
