BOGA

Boga Ice Cream and Burgers is Open in St. Paul’s Old Dari-ette Drive-In | Eater Twin Cities

"Located in the former Dari-ette Drive-In in East Side St. Paul, Boga Ice Cream & Burger has swapped the restaurant’s iconic Italian flag trim for a bold red stripe and now serves a classic drive-in menu of burgers, fried foods, and gelato-style ice cream. Run by father-son duo Loay and Layth Abukhdair (whose family also owns Columbia Heights’ Afandina Cafe), the cheeseburgers are made from fresh ground beef that’s weighed and shaped in-house, cooked ever so pink in the middle and layered with gooey American cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato; there’s also a specialty gyro burger of tender, buttery beef smeared with cool tzatziki and finished with the same classic burger toppings, and plans to add mushroom Swiss and pizza burgers. The ice cream is technically gelato—denser and richer thanks to slow churning and a higher milk-to-cream ratio—and includes Italian flavors like pistachio, hazelnut, and stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate slivers); the menu also features three tart fruit sorbets, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla milkshakes, and coffee drinks such as lattes and espresso. There’s a case to be made for pairing a scoop with cheese curds or seasoned crinkle-cut fries, and Layth says a grand opening will follow once Minnehaha Avenue East construction ends, with the community response so far being tremendously positive and patient." - Justine Jones