Sure, Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs is an icon, but it’s not the only game in town when it comes to soothing yourself with delicious frozen sugar water during the dog days of summer. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite icy treats in Austin.
SnoBowla
Sharing a parking lot with Austin Pets Alive!’s thrift store on Burnet, SnoBowla is a cheery little trailer serving up Hawaiian shave ice with a whole cornucopia of flavors. Owner Aleisha Zolman makes all her syrups using vegan sugar and offers them with traditional colorings and a few dye-free flavors. There are also essential oil flavors like lavender and lemon basil. For an extra dollar, order the “Care Bear Stare,” a topping of gummy bears for your mountain of sweet ice, and don’t forget to snag a “pupsicle” for your furry friend. 5801 Burnet Rd., snobowla.com
Sno.Co Flattop Shaved Ice
This tiny truck on Manor Road serves up its treats in color-changing cups you can keep as a souvenir to remind you of the fresh fruit-infused shaved ice that definitely saved your life on yet another triple-digit day. Try the Koolickle, a punchy yet balanced marriage of cherry Kool-Aid and pickle juice, topped with pickle slices marinated in that tasty childhood beverage. Other favorites include the watermelon mint, made with fresh ingredients and sweetened with simple syrup. 2307 Manor Rd., instagram.com/atxsnoco
Sno-Beach
For Zilker Park- and Barton Springs-goers, here’s a little tucked-away shaved ice truck chockablock with so many flavor options, FOMO is inevitable. Maybe you’ll choose the green apple sour, but dagnabbit, there’s also a Dr Pepper and cherry option! Guess you’ll just have to keep coming back until you’ve satisfied your curiosity. (It’s a shame about those Styrofoam cups, though; see if they’ll let you bring your own?) 412 Sterzing, snobeachatx.com
Jim-Jim’s Water Ice
No trip to Deep Eddy Pool is complete without a cup of Jim-Jim’s from the concession stand. While most ice-based treats in town are of the shaved ice variety, Jim-Jim’s reps Philly’s Italian ice tradition from its walk-up headquarters on East Sixth Street. Their smooth, slushy concoctions cover most of the basic tastes, excepting bitter and salty. Choose sour watermelon for some Jolly Rancher nostalgia, bubblegum and dragon’s blood for sweet on sweet, or seek out root beer for a hint of umami (but still mostly sweet). There are also simple fruit flavors, like mango and strawberry. 615 E. Sixth, 401 Deep Eddy Ave., jimjimswaterice.com
Fruta Freeze
This little trailer popped up in Patterson Park in summer 2021, selling Mexican-style raspas to eager neighbors. There are three bases on offer: traditional plain ice, fresi-raspa with frozen strawberries blended in, and raspa tropical with frozen mango, pineapple, and peach blended in. Add a syrup like mango or tamarindo, then customize to make it spicy or sweet with chamoy and Tajín or condensed milk and shaved coconut. The only limit is your imagination. They’ve since relocated to a growing food truck park on Webberville Road. 2505 Webberville Rd., instagram.com/frutafreezeatx
This article appears in July 15 • 2022.