Perk up summer with these 14 affogatos

When the heat of the summer sun battles with humidity levels to see which can reach new heights first, the air can feel downright oppressive.

One of the best ways to cope is to embrace the refreshing world of affogato. In Italian, affogato means to drown a frigid scoop of gelato with steamy espresso. Like summer, there's the buildup of heat and cool, refreshing relief — all in one cup.

Ever since that first 90-degree day, we've been cruising through the metro on the hunt for our favorite versions of this sweet and zippy treat. Embracing the spirit of summer, we zoomed in on walk-up windows and casual counters and found that no affogatos are created equal. Scoop shops and restaurants are carefully curating with house or local brands of coffee and ice cream, and variations such as brown butter soft serve, verdant matcha, olive oil gelato and even edible glitter abound.

Still, one basic tenet remains for pairing with ice cream.

"Caffeine is my inspiration," said Leah Owens, who offers affogato with chai, Earl Grey tea or as a miel drizzled with local honey at her Crema Coffee + Cream in Minneapolis.

If you're looking for a sweet jolt, here's the lowdown on how local establishments are serving up these sweet treats. We also jotted down full-service restaurants where the coffee dessert was spotted on menus, for those days when you have time to savor.

Bogart's Doughnut Co.

If you didn't think Bogarts' outstanding brown butter soft-serve could get any better, think again. An off-menu item they'll happily rig up drenches the doughnut shop's signature frozen dessert — inspired by their iconic brown butter brioche doughnut — in espresso, taking the deep, rich, almost nutty notes of that cold and brown butter-flecked swirl to the next level. (Sharyn Jackson)

$6.50; 5003 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park; 904 W. 36th St., Mpls., bogartsdoughnutco.com

CannonBelles Coffee and Ice Cream Shop

As the name implies, CannonBelles Coffee & Ice Cream Shop not only features both products but also has a menu item that combines the two. Choose your own flavor from the lineup of Cedar Crest ice creams out of Wisconsin before espresso is poured over the top. The downtown Cannon Falls spot is the brick-and-mortar of CannonBelles artisan cheeses a few miles away. While here, purchase their award-winning cheeses behind the deli case or order off the food menu, where several items spotlight CannonBelles products. (Nancy Ngo)

$5.50; W. 402 Mill St., Cannon Falls, Minn.; cannonbelles.com

Cardamom

In addition to a full-service, sit-down operation, the restaurant from Daniel del Prado has a coffee counter where you can walk up and order the standout dessert. Pistachio gelato from local newcomer Little Bird is served with a generous heap of what the kitchen calls "pistachio butter," or condensed milk blended with pistachios. The nuttiness, the crunch, the gooey sweetness ... there was so much to like. How fitting that this restaurant inside the Walker Art Center has turned affogato into an artful affair. (N.N.)

$12; 725 Vineland Place, Mpls., cardamommpls.com

Cossetta's

While the more casual side of Cossetta's is much beloved for its classic Italian-American cuisine, the sweet side of things is directly imported from Italy. In the pasticceria part of the operation, sweets are made exactly as they are in Italy — including the gelato. Choose from classic flavors like pistachio, vanilla, lemon or tiramisu for a dousing in espresso. Creamy, rich and smooth, the gelato is scooped into the cup and spread against the edges, leaving a well for the hot coffee to be poured into the center. (Joy Summers)

$8.99; 211 W. 7th St., St. Paul, cossettas.com

Crema Coffee + Cream

Crema is the Italian word for custardy cream or that gorgeous, toasty head layer at the top of a shot of espresso. These items are clearly destined to go together, and that was the bolt of inspiration that hit owners Leah Owens and Patrick Hankee as they slurped affogatos on a beach vacation. Back home in Minnesota, the two also noted that their Nokomis East neighborhood could use a family-friendly, walkable coffee shop. Both went deep into studying coffee and gelato and opened Crema in 2022. Fresh, plain gelato is always available alongside a rotating, seasonal flavor, and both can be served up affogato-style with chai or Earl Grey tea or as a miel, in which local honey is drizzled over the gelato with a dash of cinnamon and a proper dousing of rich espresso (J.S.)

$6.75; 5013 34th Av. S., Mpls; cremampls.com

Cold Front

An old-fashioned soda fountain-style scoop shop in St. Paul's Highland Park is a perfect setting for this spot that serves up ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe out of Madison, Wis., and coffee from local roaster Backstory. It's also a plus that they open early, because affogato is the perfect summer vacation breakfast. The pro move is to order the Mackinac Island fudge ice cream; the threads of deep chocolate soften into the espresso for a day-brightening treat. (J.S.)

$7; 490 S. Hamline Av., St. Paul; coldfrontmsp.com

Fina's

Fina's is the new to-go window at Wayzata Italian eatery Josefina. And while focaccia sandwiches are what lured us there, it was the gelato that won us over. Specifically the affogato, which comes as an espresso-enrobed olive oil gelato scoop by default. We requested a giant scoop of salted caramel gelato instead, and it was a good move. (S.J.)

$10; 739 E. Lake St., Wayzata, josefinawayzata.com

MN Nice Cream

Everything about MN Nice Cream's sweet shops are eye-popping: the neon-lit signs, art installation walls ready for a backdrop shot and an array of edible toppings. Plus, there's the "MN Nice AFfogato," with its notable spelling and rich espresso pour-over. Choose your own ice cream flavor — there are lactose-free, vegan and gluten-free options — in a cup that's topped with plenty of whipped cream, espresso dust and a fancy twirled-up cookie. An order doesn't come with their edible glitter, but it's highly encouraged as a free add-on. Here, it's OK to be a bit extra. (J.S.)

$7; 807 Broadway St. NE, Mpls.; 308 Chestnut St., Stillwater; mnnicecream.com

Rose Street Patisserie and Patisserie 46

Everybody knows about the world-class bread and iconic desserts at these bakeries, but what about the ice cream? Both bakeries by John Kraus and Elizabeth Rose carry their housemade ice cream. There is candied fennel with salty caramel flavors as an option, which gives the affogato a hint of Turkish coffee flavor. There's also chocolate with stracciatella for the world's richest mocha. (J.S.)

$7; 171 N. Snelling Av., St Paul; 4552 Grand Av. S., Mpls.; patisserie46.com

Rustica

Rustica part-owner Shawn McKenzie's gradual transformation of the long-running bakery now extends to the addition of ice cream. There's only one flavor so far, and it's as dynamic as McKenzie's superb bakes: salted butter. The ultra-creamy scoop has a texture that matches the deep-dairy flavor, and two tiny scoops are mellowed out with Rustica's own blend of Dogwood espresso. An extra-dark chocolate shortbread cookie rests on top, making this elegant little dessert even more extra. Look for more ice cream flavors (under the name of Purple Scoop) and more plated desserts to come. (S.J.)

$5.25; 3220 W. Lake St., Mpls.; 200 Southdale Center, Suite A., Edina; rusticabakery.com

Sebastian Joe's

The long-running local outfit draws crowds for its classic and rotating flavors. That's not to dismiss Sebastian Joe's other offerings, such as house-brand coffees. Both their ice cream and coffee share the stage with the affogato in which you choose your ice cream flavor. On a recent visit to the Lowry Hill location, the staff recommended affogato bestsellers vanilla or salted caramel. We chose the latter, and the sweet and salty mellowed out the coffee pour, which is served on the stiff side at this institution. (N.N.)

$6.95; three Minneapolis locations: 1007 W. Franklin Av.; 4321 Upton Av. S.; 4301 Nicollet Av. S.; sebastianjoesicecream.com

Sugar & Salt

The rebranded La La Ice Cream still serves housemade flavors ranging from traditional and seasonal to off-the-beaten-path varieties (marzipan chocolate chip, raspberry honey or sweet basil vanilla, anyone?). For starters, try an affogato with the house vanilla to go with the Lavazza espresso to soak in the brand's classic flavors, which proved to be a rich and creamy concoction at this sun-filled Uptown scoop shop and deli, and branch out from there. (N.N.)

$8; 3146 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., lalaicecream.com

Treats Cereal Bar & Boba

What began as two siblings' dreams of ice cream and caffeine has caught on in the metro area with four locations, including a new-this-summer shop in the North Loop. The shops are known for boba, soft serve and crunching up all kinds of sugary cereal treats into the ice cream. What folks might not know is there's also an affogato for those who don't do coffee: bright green matcha tea is mixed and poured over your choice of soft serve. With hours until 10 p.m. or later (except MOA), it's a fun evening treat to savor these long, warm nights. (J.S.)

$7.50; four locations: 314 N. 2nd St., Mpls.; 372 E. Broadway, Mall of America, Bloomington; 770 Grand Av., St. Paul; 10340 NE. Baltimore St.; Blaine, treatsmn.com