Danny Dines: Poco Loco Pineapples

Poco Loco Pineapples is one of the newest food trucks around, and it is already skyrocketing in popularity.

In fact, the only other pineapple that may be more popular is located under the sea, and that pineapple houses a talking sponge.

Why are they so in demand? Well, at Poco Loco Pineapples, they put soft-serve ice cream, fresh fruit and other toppings inside a pineapple.

“Poco Locos Pineapple is just a fresh fruit, kind of sweet treat, that has cold, soft-serve ice cream, and it is all served in a hollowed-out pineapple, a totally unique concept,” owner Ray Velasquez said, who owns the business along with Lisa Bellinger. Velasquez and Bellinger also own the Phuckers Lemonade food truck.

It is one of the most photogenic and deliciously refreshing food items you will ever come across.

“It actually caught us a little bit by surprise of how it became so popular and the amount of people that wanted it. So, we are super humbled that people want it. We love serving Rio Rancho, Albuquerque and just New Mexico in general,” Velasquez said.

When they had their debut at the Duke City Foodie Truck Festival in April, they went through hundreds of pineapples and had lines that stretched half a football field.

When I went to visit Poco Loco Pineapple’s at Northern Meadows’ Food Truck Friday, I made sure to get there an extra 30 minutes before they opened. Guess what? Someone already beat me to the line. And this family of five was super excited to get their hands on these epic pineapples; they ended up ordering the Todo Loco and classic Poco Loco.

The Todo Loco is a pineapple filled with lime, mango and pineapple soft serve, mango and pineapple chunks, whipped cream and a tiny umbrella. As we all know, tiny umbrellas takes anything fruity to the next level.

Some of the other items on the menu include the Coco Loco, the Burque Loco and the Poco Loco Float.

The classic Poco Loco is a pineapple filled with pineapple and strawberry soft serve, pineapple chunks, strawberries, whipped cream and a tiny umbrella.

I ordered the Banana Loco, which is their take on a banana split in a pineapple. The behemoth starts with a ton of chopped pineapple inside a hollowed-out pineapple. The bed of chopped pineapples is then covered with pineapple, mango and strawberry soft serve. For the final act, the whole thing is topped with strawberry, mango, pineapple, whipped cream and shaved coconut … and a tiny umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh. Any Rihanna fans out there?

The pineapple came out, and it was glorious. When you catch a piece of this masterpiece, you are immediately transferred to the beach, and I’m talking about the beaches in Baja, California, Hawaii or any of those places on the Corona commercials. This definitely passes the eye test.

I had my first spoonful, and it was fruity, refreshing and just perfect. The creaminess of the soft serve and whipped cream combined with the natural sweetness of the fruit and the nutty taste of the coconut flakes was incredible. The banana sliced in half just added to the tropical notes. The further you got into the hollowed-out pineapple, you started to hit sliced fresh pineapple … and once you ate those, you are left with a cold juice mixture that is the equivalent of taking a B12 shot.

Poco Loco Pineapples takes something simple and makes it fun and unforgettable. If you take your family or friends anywhere near the food truck, chances are you're buying a pineapple and posting it on Instagram.

Poco Loco Pineapples is a fun and tasty experience, so I invite you all to give them a try and live loco for a change.

Viva la Piña!

All pineapples at Poco Loco Pineapples cost $14.

If you would like to contact Poco Loco Pineapples or find its food truck schedule, visit them on Facebook or Instagram.

Where should I go next? Email me zunigasauce@gmail.com.