Real de 14

At 617 Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos, halfway along the village's main street, there's a counter with more than fifty tubs and the flavour list posted up to read at your own pace. Real de 14 is the traditional ice cream parlour of Praia da Pipa: cups, cones, splits, petit gateau. It opens at half past nine in the morning and closes at midnight, seven days a week.

Message them and ask what's on the counter today

Real de 14 at a glance

What to eat

The counter: more than fifty flavours

The house publishes its full list, and that changes how you choose: you can decide before you reach the counter. The three house specialities are marked as such — Banana Real, Belgian Chocolate and pistachio. If you're only trying one thing, start there.

Then comes the Brazilian half of the list, which is the longest: cajá, caju, cupuaçu, graviola, jabuticaba, mangaba, seriguela, acerola, guava, pitaya, mango, passion fruit, pineapple and lime, plus a passion fruit with rosemary and honey and a tangerine with basil. Next to them sits the sweet pantry of the Northeast: sweetcorn, tapioca, canjica, paçoca, pé de moleque, guava cream, doce de leite Real and a coconut with ginger.

And there's the chocolate and cream territory, for the table that never leaves it: Swiss chocolate, cacao, stracciatella, amarena, mint with chocolate, coffee with chocolate, coffee with dulce de leche, rum and raisin, Nutella, leite ninho with Nutella, Ovomaltine, Rocher made with Ferrero Rocher, and Passione, which combines whipped cream, condensed milk and chocolate. For the kids: M&Ms, Snickers, chocoball, churros, bubblegum, Oreo, cookies and brownie.

Then there are the ones that fit none of the three families and still deserve a look: peanut, plum, blue ice, tropical fruits, blueberry and a Greek yoghurt with red berries.

The house also states organic açaí and limited editions, which is why it's worth asking what's on today: the published list is the repertoire, not this afternoon's counter.

The sundaes and the counter classics

This is where the traditional streak shows. Ice cream comes in a cup or in a cone — the house states a crisp cone — and alongside it runs a short card of counter classics: Banana Split, Pineapple Split, Cheesecake Real, Petit Gateau and Brownie with artisan ice cream.

That's the difference between buying an ice cream and sitting down to a dessert. The petit gateau and the brownie are spoon desserts, the kind you order after dinner.

If you eat without sugar, lactose or gluten

This part is unusually clear, because the house tags every flavour on its own list. No added sugar: six — pineapple, cacao, coconut, vanilla cream, graviola and strawberry. Lactose-free and vegan: fourteen — sugar-free pineapple, sugar-free cacao, cajá, caju, sugar-free vanilla cream, cupuaçu, graviola, jabuticaba, lime, lemongrass lemonade, mango, mangaba, tangerine with basil and caipirinha.

And for anyone avoiding gluten, the list says which ones contain it: alfajor, brownie, cookies, Rocher, leite ninho with Nutella, Ovomaltine and lemon tart. With that, a table with a dietary restriction can choose without interviewing the counter. The house also states that it works with balanced sugar.

The 18-and-over flavour

One detail worth knowing if you're with children: caipirinha appears on the list as a flavour for over-18s. It's also one of the vegan, lactose-free ones. If you're ordering for the whole table, it's the one flavour out of fifty-plus to look at twice.

To drink

The card carries a milkshake, which is what solves a thirty-five-degree midday when nobody wants to chew anything. You order it at the same counter as the ice cream and carry on down the avenue.

And there is coffee, stated by the house. For a counter that stays open until midnight, that covers the other end of the day: the eleven o'clock dessert doesn't have to be ice cream alone, and a coffee with the cone or the petit gateau is the ending this card allows.

The room

The house describes itself as cosy, casual and quiet, and all three adjectives push the same way: this is an avenue counter, not a dining room with a protocol. You walk in in flip-flops, back from the beach, and nobody looks twice.

It is classed as a quick visit and as a place good for going on your own: you order at the counter, collect it there and carry on walking. It also states a toilet, which on a midnight stop with children is no small thing. And it is good for kids — the fact that was missing next to a list carrying M&Ms, Snickers and churros.

When to go

The hours are the fact that helps most here: every day, 9.30am to midnight. Two things follow from that.

First, it doesn't close on any day of the week. In Pipa a good share of kitchens rest one or two days, and a visitor arriving on a Monday or a Wednesday meets half the village shuttered. That doesn't happen here, not even in low season.

Second, it opens at 9.30am, which is early even for an ice cream shop. That makes it a stop on the way down to the beach, not only on the way back.

But the end of the clock that defines this house is the other one: it closes at midnight, seven days a week. That is the hour when the village kitchens have closed the till and the afternoon counters have pulled their shutters down. Here dessert is ordered after dinner, at eleven at night, with the avenue still moving — and the hours hold on a Monday in low season too.

Where it is and how to get there

It's at 617 Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos, the main avenue through central Pipa. It's the street everyone walks, so there's no detour and no sand road in between: you can reach it on foot from anywhere in the village and from the path down to Praia da Pipa.

If you're planning the trip from Natal, the airport or another beach on the southern coast, start with how to get to Pipa and the transfer options.

One note for anyone also passing through the capital: the house has a second shop in Natal, at Avenida Engenheiro Roberto Freire 3916, in Capim Macio, open every day from 1pm to 11pm.

Who it's for

For anyone who wants time to choose among many flavours: the list is published, it runs past fifty, and the house specialities are flagged.

For the table after a dessert rather than just a scoop: banana split, pineapple split, cheesecake, petit gateau and brownie with ice cream are all spoon territory.

And for anyone eating without sugar, lactose or gluten who is tired of asking: every flavour on this list is tagged, with fourteen vegan and lactose-free options.

Frequently asked questions

Is it open every day?

Yes. Every day from 09:30 to 00:00, with no closing day.

How late can I go for an ice cream?

Until 00:00, all seven days. Those are the hours that cover dessert after dinner, with the avenue still moving.

Can I bring children?

Yes. The house states that it is good for kids, and the atmosphere is cosy, casual and quiet. It also states a toilet.

How many flavours are there?

The house states over 50 and publishes the full list on its website, with specialities and dietary notes marked flavour by flavour.

What are the house specialities?

Banana Real, Belgian Chocolate and pistachio. They're marked as such on the list.

Is there vegan or lactose-free ice cream?

Yes, fourteen flavours: sugar-free pineapple, sugar-free cacao, cajá, caju, sugar-free vanilla cream, cupuaçu, graviola, jabuticaba, lime, lemongrass lemonade, mango, mangaba, tangerine with basil and caipirinha.

Are there no-added-sugar options?

Yes, six: pineapple, cacao, coconut, vanilla cream, graviola and strawberry.

Which flavours contain gluten?

Alfajor, brownie, cookies, Rocher, leite ninho with Nutella, Ovomaltine and lemon tart. The list itself says so.

Do they deliver in Pipa?

The house's delivery is listed for its Ponta Negra shop in Natal, via iFood or direct. In Pipa you order at the counter, from 9.30am to midnight.

Where does the name come from?

From Real de Catorce, a town at 2,750 metres in the heart of the Sierra de Catorce, in the state of San Luis Potosí, northern Mexico. The house tells it this way: the inspiration for its ice cream came over the course of many trips, especially after passing through there, and it calls the result a Brazilian ice cream inspired by the world.

Is there another shop?

Yes, in Natal: Avenida Engenheiro Roberto Freire 3916, loja 1, Capim Macio, open every day from 1pm to 11pm.

Message them to place your order