Icy treats: Refreshing raspados, paletas and other cooling desserts

For years the Abundis family has kept Oakland supplied with sweet frozen treats from its colorful storefront in the Fruitvale Inhabitants Sector My dad came from Mexico in the late s and he first started with a little push cart and then got a bigger ice-cream truck says Gris Abundis manager of Nieves Cinco de Mayo He learned how to make raspados from old family recipes and ice cream from working with his uncles Nieves Cinco de Mayo is what s known as a neveria one of the plenty of Bay Area establishments that serve delightful desserts typically made with shaved ice flavored syrups spices and fresh fruit This shop does a brisk business in raspados which are grainy slushes doused in a rainbow assortment of fragrant syrups Raspados are named for a tool that street vendors use to make shaved ice in Mexico particularly in open-air markets and coastal districts If you go to Mexico you see these guys on the street and they don t have an ice machine or snow-cone machine Abundis says They have a very thin blade on a metal box and they scrape it against a big block of ice On a hot summer day there s nothing quite as refreshing as an icy raspado or paleta popsicle or mangonada with their invigorating fruit essences and hydrating powers Here is a sampling of Bay Area shops to try the next time you re craving a cool treat Paleta Planeta San Jose Eight of the myriad flavors of paletas at Paleta Planeta in San Jose Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Creativity is the name of the competition at this cute space-age shop that opened late last year in downtown San Jose across from City Hall Owners Luis Mauricio and Gabriel Salazar are brothers who started with a long-held family recipe and in four years have crafted a galaxy of rotating flavors The current bestseller is the Cookie Monster vanilla studded with Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies Other popular paletas each are two of the creamy milk-based style Blueberry Horchata and Pumpkin Spice Cafe and two fruity floral water-based flavors Guanabana made with fresh soursop and Jamaica made with the shop s hibiscus mix Paleta Planeta s neon sign tips off customers to the fun theme inside Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Besides daily hours at the shop this summer you will find Planeta s paletas at the Viva Parks family-friendly events on Mondays from June to Aug Scooped ice cream also made inhouse comes in fruity flavors fun cookie- and cereal-based flavors as well as sophisticated creations like Ferrero Rocher Cafe Horchata and Biscoff Details Hours are noon- p m Monday-Thursday and noon- p m Friday-Sunday E Santa Clara St San Jose www paletaplaneta com Guanatos Ice Cream Bay Point and Oakley The Diablito drink and a chongos zamoranos paleta from Guanatos Ice Cream in Bay Point Calif in June John Metcalfe Bay Area News Group These colorful outposts in northern Contra Costa County draw long lines for their homemade products made with tropical and seasonal California fruits The ice cream has a decadent Haagen-Dazs quality for a hit of parlor nostalgia order it in a banana split or hot-fudge sundae Paletas stand out for their thought-provoking flavors One is chongos zamoranos a traditional Michoacan dessert made by curdling milk with rennet and adding sugar and spices It s like sweet custard on a stick with chewy bits similar to cookie dough a total dairy dude s bite The diablito comes with a huge portion of shaved ice mixed with tamarind pulp lime chamoy and Tajin powder It s a flavor punch especially when sucked through the tamarind-coated straw Details Summer hours are a m - p m Monday-Saturday and a m - p m Sunday at Willow Pass Road Bay Point and Main St Oakley www guanatosicecream com Exquisitos Raspados Hayward A frozen dessert drink with mango and condensed milk from Exquisitos Raspados in Hayward Calif in June John Metcalfe Bay Area News Group Walk into this no-frills establishment by the BART tracks and you ll find a chef s counter piled with fresh fruits and vegetables This is where the magic happens The proprietor chops and slices and dumps everything onto shaved ice scooped out of a plastic cooler Then come the toppings of dairy fruit syrup and pineapple papaya and jicama What the menu identifies as a monjita turns out to be shaved ice the fruit of your choice golden syrup and condensed milk piled in a cup in layers It s decadent with the thick milk but somehow refreshing A diablito mimics a frozen Bloody Mary spiked with wedges of mango and cucumber There s a large assortment of ice creams in international flavors guanabana the snack cake Gansito and nance floral-scented fruits with notes of Parmesan and a fridge of paletas to enjoy off the stick Details Open daily until p m at A St Hayward www yelp com biz exquisitos-raspados-hayward- La Imperial Neveria y Paleter a Hayward The Cajita Feliz with strawberries and cream from La Imperial Neveria y Paleter a in Hayward Calif in June John Metcalfe Bay Area News Group The pink color scheme and glowing advertisements of extravagant desserts lend this place a Baskin-Robbins feel But instead of a banana split why not try a pepino cucumber split with lime and chili Or what about a Sandia Loca a half-cut watermelon stabbed with skewers of fruit and Mexican candy like a delicious porcupine There is a long fridge of ice creams and sorbets in flavors like mamey sapote Ferrero Rocher and even tequila Customers order them by the cone or in to-go containers to take home Pastel-colored patelas come from local producer United Paleteria Y Neveria which has its own shops around the Bay A fun thing to order is the Cajita Feliz or Happy Meal It s a cardboard fruit carton repurposed to hold what must be a pound of fresh and frozen strawberries whipped cream and strawberry-flavored wafers it will indeed make you happy then comfortably sleepy Details Open a m - p m daily at Harder Road Suite B Hayward - - Nieves Cinco de Mayo Oakland and San Francisco The popular mangonada made of mango sorbet over chunks of mangos shredded ice lime juice and other Mexican spicy ingredients served at Nieves Cinco de Mayo in the Fruitvale General Industry in Oakland Calif on Wednesday June Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Customers value this happily decorated nook in the Fruitvale Constituents Arena for its boutique approach to dessert For the tamarind syrup we buy big big boxes of dried tamarind and crack each pod open and then it s boiled and condensed into a syrup manager Gris Abundis says The mangoes are fresh and the strawberries are too And we work in smaller batches to keep everything on the fresher side The majority popular thing here is the mangonada a bright mixture of chopped mango mango sorbet chili powder and lime The owner refined his own version by listening to customer suggestions making it unique from blah ones that come straight out of a freezer Another often-ordered item is tejuino a fermented drink made from corn dough lime and shaved ice the sourish kick refreshes under the hot Oakland sun Details Open a m - p m at East th St Oakland and daily at th St San Francisco - Paleteria Los Manguitos Redwood City Norma Vasquez an employee at Paleteria Los Manguitos tends to a customer on June in North Fair Oaks in San Mateo County Calif Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group Husband and wife company Jose Alvarez and Catalina Valencia started Paleteria Los Manguitos in the North Fair Oaks neighborhood of unincorporated Redwood City in May inspired by the ice cream artisans and flavors of Michoacan Mexico Their menu offers paleta varieties that are both dairy- and water-based Their caf paleta one of the dairy-based variety tasted like top-tier coffee ice cream on a stick with every bit of creaminess but less mess And their fresas con crema paleta had juicy frozen strawberry bits coated in sweet cream lending it a satisfying blend of textures According to Alvarez their the bulk popular menu items are the fresas con crema the version served in a cup not frozen made with sweetened condensed milk strawberries granola and shredded coconut followed by their mangoneadas featuring chopped mangoes mango pulp chamoy sauce and tamarind candy These five paletas from left to right strawberry and milk fruit mix with kiwi watermelon with kiwi bubble gum and strawberry and cream are among different flavors available at Paleteria Los Manguitos in North Fair Oaks in San Mateo County Calif on June Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group Details Open a m - p m daily at Middlefield Road Redwood City losmanguitos com Livin Sweet Belmont Livin Sweet in Belmont has plush pink velvet seating plus a wide collection of Mexican desserts available including an ultra-refreshing mango raspado Kate Bradshaw Bay Area News Group At Livin Sweet you ll find the same attention to detail lavished on the desserts here as in its interior design which has elegant touches like pink velvet seats and neon signage overlaid against a wall of fabric flowers The Mexican dessert shop opened in early in Belmont by owner David Ibarra who was looking for a local spot to serve traditional Mexican treats according to the city of Belmont The shop offers a selection of raspados where the texture of the ice chunks is by design coarser than you might find in a traditional snow cone The larger ice chunks let the coolness linger longer on the tongue The mango raspado is particularly refreshing on a hot day but you ll find an array of satisfying treats here like diablitos cold sweet and spicy raspados topped with tamarind candies chamoy and valentina hot sauce plus smoothies sundaes aguas frescas and fresh fruit in abundance Details Open a m - p m Tuesday-Sunday at th Ave Belmont togo dylish com l livin-sweet Snacks Antojitos Mexicanos San Mateo The strawberry raspado from Snacks Antojitos Mexicanos in San Mateo is sweet and refreshing with fresh strawberry chunks and shaved ice Kate Bradshaw Bay Area News Group Inside the bright pink and purple walls of this cafe in downtown San Mateo you ll find an array of snacks that are equally colorful and bursting with vivid flavor They ve got paletas raspados and if you re feeling a bit more peckish generously-portioned tortas The raspados topping crunchy ice flakes with a rich fruit syrup are the perfect chilly sugar rush to beat the afternoon heat and re-energize for the day ahead The fresa flavor strawberry has chunks of fresh strawberries in it too Details Open a m - p m daily at North B St San Mateo Related Articles Emerging Armadillo Willy s BBQ abruptly closes all but restaurant location Unique Oakland restaurant highlights the cuisine wines of Azerbaijan New hi-fi lounge serving Middle Eastern food is coming to Walnut Creek Bay Area restaurants chefs are again shut out of the James Beard Awards Former downtown San Jose Safeway site goes up for sale in tricky sector