Sure, Casey’s is an icon, but it’s not the only game in town when it comes to soothing you with delicious ice-cold sugar water during scorching summer days. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite Austin frozen treats.
Photos of Melanie Haupt
snow bowla
Sharing a parking lot with Austin’s thrift store Pets Alive! on Burnet, SnowBowla is a cheerful little trailer serving up Hawaiian shaved ice with a whole cornucopia of flavors. Owner Aleisha Zolman makes all of her syrups with vegan sugar and offers them with traditional colors and some color-free flavors. There are also aromas of essential oils like lavender and lemony basil. For an extra dollar, order the “Care Bear Stare,” a gummy bear topping for your mountain of sweet ice cream, and don’t forget to snag a “pupsicle” for your four-legged friend. 5801 Burnet Road, snobowla.com
Shaved Ice Flattop Sno.Co
This little 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 another triple-digit day. Try the Koolickle, a punchy yet balanced marriage of Kool-Aid cherry and pickle juice, topped with sliced pickles marinated in this tasty childhood drink. Other favorites include mint watermelon, made with fresh ingredients and sweetened with simple syrup. 2307 Manor Road, instagram.com/atxsnoco
Sno Beach
For lovers of Zilker Park and Barton Springs, here’s a hidden little block of shaved ice truck with so many flavor options, FOMO is inevitable. Maybe you’ll go for the tart green apple, but dagnabbit, there’s a Dr Pepper and cherry option too! Guess you’ll just have to keep coming back until you’ve satisfied your curiosity. (Too bad about those polystyrene cups, see if they let you bring your own?) 412 Sterzing, snobeachatx.com
Jim-Jim Water Ice
No trip to Deep Eddy Pool is complete without a cup of Jim-Jim at the concession stand. While most of the ice cream treats in town are of the shaved ice variety, Jim-Jim’s reps represent Philly’s Italian gelato tradition from its walk-in headquarters on East Sixth Street. Their smooth, melt-in-your-mouth concoctions cover most basic tastes except bitter and salty. Choose sour watermelon for a bit of 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, such as mango and strawberry. 615 E. Sixth, 401 Deep Eddy Ave., jimjimswaterice.com
Fruit Freeze
This little caravan popped up in Patterson Park in the summer of 2021, selling Mexican-style raspas to eager neighbors. Three bases are offered: traditional plain ice cream, fresi-raspa with mixed frozen strawberries, and tropical raspa with mixed frozen mango, pineapple and peach. Add a syrup like mango or tamarindo, then customize it to make it spicy or sweet. with chamoy and Tajín or condensed milk and grated coconut. The only limit is your imagination. They have since moved to a growing food truck park on Webberville Road. 2505 Webberville Road, instagram.com/frutafreezeatx
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