MOUNT VERNON – We’ve all been there: the marketing for a restaurant is so good you make a special trip, buzzing with anticipation, only to be let down that real life did not meet your expectations.
Filters and flattering angles cannot be applied to taste buds.
That was not the case when I visited Tropical Frappe. These cookies taste better than they look!
For months I was seeing their New York-style stuffed cookies on Facebook, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to try them until a meeting put me in their vicinity.
This small, unassuming building might just be one of Mount Vernon’s best-kept secrets.
When I tell you these cookies are worth the drive, I mean it. They’re generous domes of sweet, gooey goodness packed with toppings, and weekly rotating flavors just add to the allure.
I ordered all of the week’s specials: chocolate chip, M&M, Kinder Dream, and Marble Brownie.
Each cookie is individually wrapped, and together they were placed in a box with a care card, which recommended warming the cookies up for 10 to 12 seconds for a fudgy center. Mine sat in a 90-degree car for about two hours, so they were certainly gooey when I finally got the chance to dig in.
I’ll give you a moment to savor the look of them.
Each cookie had a crisp, perfectly golden brown exterior. The centers were soft and packed with decadent, rich flavor. If you don’t like the underbaked style that some stuffed cookies have, you can enjoy them at room temperature.
I placed mine in the fridge overnight, and I also liked them cold. There really is no wrong way to enjoy these.
Veronica Perez, owner of Tropical Frappe, and co-owner Ben Cruz built the business together. Veronica was who pursued the idea of adding cookies to the menu. She took a class and refined the recipe until she landed on what they serve today.
More than cookies
As delicious as these cookies were, I was glad to try something else from the menu. The day I visited was 85 degrees and a bit balmy, and the menu featured many lighter options, so I asked what else I should try.
Ben suggested any of their açaí bowls.
I ordered the tropical bowl, which started with a base of cold açaí and was overflowing with fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, blueberries, pineapple, and then topped with crunchy granola, a drizzle of sweet honey, and finished with coconut flakes.
Don’t get me wrong, the cookies were epic, certainly worth the trip alone. However, this bowl was bright, cool, and refreshing, and exactly what I needed in the moment. The bowl was vibrant, full of flavor and texture. Each bite transported me to a tropical oasis.
A taste of Puerto Rico in Ohio
Later, I called Ben, and we spoke more about their business.
Ben and his wife, Veronica, began Tropical Frappe in 2021, originally working out of a food truck before moving into their current location on Mount Vernon Avenue in 2023.
The husband and wife team take pride in bringing a little slice of island life to Mount Vernon, offering flavors rooted in Puerto Rican culture, including freshly ground Puerto Rican coffee, açaí bowls, lemonade, and their signature frappes.
The first time I heard about Tropical Frappe, I assumed they were a coffee shop. The word frappe usually brings to mind foamy iced coffee drinks.
While they do sell coffee, these frappes are a creamy beverage often made with ice, fresh fruit, and popular sweet treats. Unlike a traditional American milkshake, Puerto Rican frappes are built more around a blended dessert concept where fruit, cake, or cookie becomes the foundation.
The drink is shaped around whatever the creator is trying to express rather than following a standard formula.
When I asked Ben about it, he explained it this way.
“That is a secret from Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, nobody says what they put in to make their frappe because everyone has their own recipe.”
The menu is large, and the team behind the scenes small but mighty. They ensure that nearly everything is made to order and fully customizable. Fresh fruit is sliced for drinks and the coffee is ground fresh for each order.
“We make everything, so that’s why sometimes people have to wait a little because everything is made from scratch,” said Ben.
Personally, everything I tried is worth the wait. I don’t mind sitting for five or ten minutes knowing my food is made fresh and with care, but if you’re on your lunch break or pressed for time, you can always call to order ahead.
“If every single American [wants to] try a little piece of Puerto Rico, they have to come to try Tropical Frappe because what we made there, we make exactly like our people from the island.”
More than just a dessert stop, Tropical Frappe feels like a small but meaningful slice of Puerto Rican culture tucked into Mount Vernon.
I cannot wait to go back for more.
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