Second Helpings: Snow Cones
Chronicle Cuisines editor Virginia B. Wood on Austin's snow cone shops.
Fri., June 9, 2000
The weekly Chronicle feature "Second Helpings" offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week's entries were compiled by Cuisines editor Virginia B. Wood. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here.
Snocones, Sno-Cones, Snow Cones, Snowcones! Get 'em while it's hot. Due to the transitory and seasonal nature of this kind of business, most of these stands do not have phone numbers and some don't have regular hours. No matter. As summer's blast furnace burns on, you'll find them.
Jim-Jim's Waterice
615 E. Sixth, 708-8285
Sun-Tue, noon-9pm
Wed-Thu, noon-10pm
Fri-Sat, noon-midnight
Philadelphia natives Jim Moy and Robert Chin are the guys who brought genuine East Coast water ice to Austin and we're oh so glad they did. More sorbet than snow cone, the texture of a true water ice derives from the method of combining fruit juice flavors with ice and freezing the mixture to be scooped out later. The resulting ball of frozen refreshment melts pleasantly on the tongue without much crunch but with the power to gently lower the temperature. Available in small, medium, large and quarts to take home. Jim-Jim's sometimes sells from portable carts at the Deep Eddy pool and on the Drag.
Casey's New Orleans Snowballs
808 E. 51st Street at Airport Blvd.
No phone, hours vary
This Louisiana transplant operates out of a house/trailer at the corner of E. 51st and Airport, and there's always a line down the block when they're open. Their 36 custom fat-free exotic flavors are generously poured over seriously crunchy ice designed to cool off what ails you. The famous "Chocolate Snowball" here is a must for chocolate lovers looking for a low-fat chocolate fix.
SnoBeach Hawaiian Shaved Ice
302 S. Lamar, in the Tiedt Phillips 66 parking lot
E. 381/2 & I-35, in the Fiesta Mart parking lot
No phone, noon-8:30pm daily
Razor-sharp blades give the shaved-ice cones here their delightfully smooth texture. With more than 50 flavors to choose from, you can go mainstream (strawberry, green apple, grape, cherry), tropical (mango, kiwi, cantaloupe, tangerine), creamy (vanilla cream, wedding cake, dreamsicle) or mix-and-match. The Lamar location is situated within walking distance of the hike-and-bike trail and right on the way to Zilker park, making these refreshing cones just the right low-calorie pre- or post-exercise treat.
Raspas
W. Oltorf & S. First, in the Tex-Mex Bar-B-Q parking lot
No phone, noon-8pm daily
The friendly and hardworking Salas family of Circle S Catering and Tex-Mex Bar-B-Q has added a little raspa (Mexican snow cone) trailer to their fast growing South Austin corner empire. Grab a brightly colored cone of crunchy flavored ice while you're waiting for a family pack of brisket and ribs or before you catch the Capital Metro bus at the corner. They've even put up some umbrella-covered tables where you can relax and enjoy the scenery while you beat the heat.
Neighborhood Stands
The following Eastside neighborhood stands are charming little front-yard family affairs with no phones or regular hours. Just keep your eyes open on sweltering days.
Baety's Snocones
2100 Holly Street
Snowcones
11031/2 Tillery
Sno-Cones
Elkart, between Cesar Chavez & E. Second
Shelby's SnoCones
1408 E. Second
Snowcones, Etc.
Riverview Street & Robert T. Martinez
Snocones
3023 Prado
