The nearly non-existent winter here seems to be coming to an end, and every day it gets hotter. As the sun gets closer, temperatures rise and hot chocolate seems more and more like a bad idea, so we decided to see where we could cool off and get a treat to celebrate the warm weather’s arrival.
Jonathan Garcia
SNO-BALL
Snow cones have always been a popular treat here in Corpus Christi, and I decided to venture out to Sno-Ball at 7114 Saratoga Blvd. It closes at 9 p.m. but when the summer comes along, it stays open an hour later.
Upon entering the store, I noticed it was real casual and that the place is one that high school kids love to hang out at. But that didn’t bother me as this snow cone place was real family friendly and brought in many people. I decided to have a basic cherry snow cone to see how they can handle a simple flavor. The total rang up to $3.41, which was a huge plus considering they gave you a big wide cup.
I got my snow cone and notice the ice was perfectly shaven as there were no chunks of hard ice to be found. It also tasted amazing as there was the right amount of syrup and ice, and the $3 price tag was well worth it here. They also have versions of a snow cone where they put a scoop of ice cream in it, and some with pickle chunks in it known as the “pic-a-dilly.” If you’re looking for the perfect snow cone, look no further with Sno-Ball.
Rating: 5/5
Price: $3.41
Colby Farr
Yo-Way
In the mood for something besides snow cones? Yo-Way Frozen Yogurt earns its name with exceptional service and great yogurt. You can find it on 5601 S. Padre Island Drive right next to Chuck E. Cheese.
Yo-Way’s interior has a classy lounge-like feel with a modern vibe to it. The small restaurant has couches lining one wall with small tables throughout. Customers grab a bowl from the far end of the building and make their way through the dispensers, serving themselves whatever yogurt has caught their eye. After picking from a range of flavors such as strawberry, vanilla, cake batter and chocolate, customers can move down and select toppings to throw into their bowl. Getting my yogurt was fast and easy as well as paying for it. At 49 cents an ounce, you can fill up on frozen yogurt and expect a reasonable price. At 6.7 ounces, I paid just $3.55 for my bowl.
The yogurt itself was nice and cold with a creamy texture that just melts in your mouth. The chocolate chips added a nice variety to the vanilla yogurt that I got. When I was finished, I actually considered getting another bowl to take with me.
With friendly service, reasonable prices and great frozen yogurt, Yo-Way should be on the top of your list of options to consider when looking for something refreshing this spring break.
Rating: 5/5
Price: $3.55
Adriana King
La Palatera
Snow cones make my tongue numb and my brain happy. Any hot day can be saved or improved with a good snow cone. I’ve gone to many places for these icy treats but never to La Palatera on Kostoryz, a place my friend brought to my attention because of its wide variety of sweet treats and more.
The place has chairs and benches for you to hang out on, and is decorated nicely with a fruit theme of sorts. There are over 20 flavors you can pick for your snow cone and for a little more you can add ice cream. I chose to get a medium orange snow cone.
The flavor of it was actually very good and fresh tasting, but to be honest, the consistency of the ice was not my favorite. Rather than shaved ice, it seemed more like just ground-up ice. The larger chunks of ice didn’t so as good a job of holding onto the syrup as really fine ice would have.
Rating: 3/5
Price: $3.75
Natalie Murphy
Cool Sips
This drive-thru bar, at 4839 S. Staples St., also offers some light snacks. They have smoothies, shakes, snow cones, hot chocolate and wine-based frozen drinks. For the 21-and-up spring break crowd this could be a fun stop before the island. I think we all know it will be a cruel summer so I got the bananarama — a banana and pina colada mixed frozen drink.
The bright (clearly artificial) yellow color kind of threw me at first but it was really good. It was also really strong. Not a lot of banana flavor was coming through but I could really taste the pina colada.
It was a little pricey but I suppose you’re paying for the booze and I’m OK with that. I’d go again. I will go again.
Price: $6.50 (plus $1 for the extra shot)
Rating: 4.5/5
