These Miami Chefs Are Making Their Own Version of Klondike's Choco Taco

Nothing says childhood summers — or late-night ice cream binges — quite like diving head first into a box of Choco Tacos from Klondike.

Sadly, finding a box on store shelves will soon be a near impossible task following Klondike parent company Unilever's recent announcement to discontinue the brand's iconic vanilla ice cream-stuffed, chocolate-and-peanut-dipped waffle cone taco sandwiches originally launched in 1983.

"Over the past two years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide," Klondike stated on its website Monday, July 25. "A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco."

To that end, several Miami chefs have taken the news as a call to action, tasking their dessert-crafters and pastry chefs to come up with limited-time — some even semi-permanent — menu offerings to fill the ice cream taco void.

Among them is Coyo Taco chef/owner Scott Linquist, who decided to create his own take on the novelty frozen treat after seeing an outcry on social media in response to the news.

"I've always loved the idea of ice cream tacos. I used to make them years ago when I was with Dos Caminos in New York, but they never really caught on there," Linquist tells New Times. "When the news was released the Choco Taco was discontinued, people seemed outraged, so we decided to create our own."

A self-described ice cream fanatic, Linquist has teamed up with Miami-based Frice Cream for the limited-time dessert offering they've dubbed the Loco Coco Taco. Their riff on the frozen dessert features a large taco-shaped waffle filled with Frice's small-batch cinnamon ice cream, drizzled in dulce de leche syrup, and dipped in melted chocolate.

Priced at $9 per taco, the special edition ice cream dessert will be available at all South Florida Coyo Taco locations (Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, South Miami, Wynwood, and Brickell) starting Friday, August 5 through Sunday, August 7 for onsite purchases only, available while supplies last.

In Palmetto Bay, Cry Baby Creamery executive pastry chef Stephanie Diaz has been crafting her own version of the Choco Taco from owner John Falco's small-batch ice cream shop (17389 S. Dixie Hwy., Palmetto Bay).

In May, Diaz launched her first ice cream taco as a limited release celebrating Cinco de Mayo. Since then, several iterations have been made, including the current offering — what Diaz describes as "an amped-up version of the original" Klondike dessert.

What you'll get: a house-made waffle batter that's pressed and hand-shaped into a giant taco before it's stuffed with a salted vanilla ice cream and a chocolate fudge swirl made using locally-crafted Exquisito chocolate. From there, it's dipped in melted chocolate and rolled in chopped peanuts.

The Cry Baby Creamery ice cream tacos sell for $6 apiece and are available while supplies last. Moving forward, expect to find them as a limited edition specialty and seasonally-inspired release, says Diaz.

"This is all about nostalgia and just being bummed about losing the Choco Taco," adds Linquist. "We'll see how it goes. If people love it and there's a demand, maybe we can find a way to keep them around a little longer."