Oct 5, 2026 - Food and Drink

Papi's Creamery brings cult-favorite ice cream drops to Richmond

Karri Peifer

From above: a chocolate mousse cup topped with pecans and caramel sauce, surrounded by caramel drizzle, chocolate truffles, and scattered pecans on a white plate. — The Turtle club, one of last week's flavors. Image: Courtesy of Papi's

Papi's Creamery — a scratch-made ice cream business out of Yorktown — is opening a Richmond pickup spot.

Why it matters: Papi's has developed a cult following in Hampton Roads — and Richmonders can get in on the fun starting this week.

State of play: Papi's is from Diego Diaz Infante, an Instagram ice cream reviewer-turned-maker who opened his Yorktown shop in 2024, per the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.

The schtick: flavors rotate weekly and are often inspired by Diaz Infante's Mexican heritage (past options include Mexican banana pie and mango tres leches).

Yes, but: Papi's isn't your traditional ice cream shop. It specializes in scratch-made, small-batch ice cream sold by the pint through limited weekly drops.

How it works: The first Richmond drop goes live on HotPlate Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7pm, with pickups Oct. 9-10. Pints cost $12.50.

After that, Papi's will release a new rotating menu every Thursday at 7pm, with Friday and Saturday pickups.
The Richmond shop is at 2105 Lake Ave., just off West Broad near Willow Lawn.

Fun fact: Once a flavor sells out, Papi's generally won't bring it back for six to 18 months, Diaz Infante tells Axios.

If you go: Papi's Richmond's first drop goes live Oct. 8 at 7pm.

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Papi's Creamery brings cult-favorite ice cream drops to Richmond

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