I’m not a fan of most street food, but I can’t resist raspados de tamarindo. I love tamarindo whether it’s raw, in gooey candy or in a liquid form over shaved ice.
Raspados de tamarindo are the perfect treat after marching around downtown LA or after driving around the LA area trying to get your car fixed. Sigh.
La pregunta: What’s your favorite raspado flavor?
Photo of raw tamarindo on the left by Nathan Gibbs. Used under Creative Commons license
Lotería Chicana 
Slick. Tamarindo is the best flavor! Its all delicious and junk. Oh and vanilla, but not when the vanilla and the leche nestle are already mixed. I like it when the vanilla is dark and then they add the leche nestle out of the little can onto the raspado. YEA!
I’m a straight up sucka for nuttyness in raspado. I don’t know if it’s almond, walnut or what, but it’s an amazing flavor.
My mom on the other hand refuses to ever have raspados from male raspaderos. She says it’s because they’re out all day and there’s very few places for them to wash their hands after draining the weasel. As such (your imagination fills in the rest). Sorry to take this wonderful question to such a dark place.
Bright red
I once saw a raspadero pee on a tree and not wash his hands…I still purchased a raspado from him!
Fortunately my raspado person is a woman on the street and I have an establishment with raspados that are just amazing.
I always get a mix of course: Pineapple and Coconut, more times than not with the lechera too.
red is my favorite, but i can only have one if i don’t see where it came from, ie, it’s brought to me and I don’t see the vendor. sad but true.
I love tamarindo! And Jarritos de tamarindo are my favorite! But for raspados, I prefer coco. I’m not a big lechera fan. My favorite raspado is the kind that has ice like powder, not the crunchy ice like in your cup. My favorite raspado place is in San Fernando, down the block from Santa Rosa Church. Even though the raspados are sold from the corner store, the man behind the counter who makes them is just as nasty, sweaty, and creepy as if he were selling them on the street.
Tamarindo is my favorite…that’s sad though that we don’t have any raspado vendors out here.
Raspberry. I don’t get the condensed milk thing because it P.R. piraguas (the Rican version of raspados) never have them.
Damn now I want a raspado but it’s raining so the guy who stands around the corner from my house isn’t here!
Oh man…As a kid I remember the raw version of Tamarindo. My jaw would always hurt…
My choice is Raspado de Coco (Coconut). Yummmo!!!
tamarindo!!!
I haven’t had a raspado in AGES but I used to always get vanilla or nuez.
its been so long but i usually picked the most synthetic blue color available. i think its suppose to be blueberry?
there is a raspado lady down the street from the house that has raspas with homemade syrups but i’ve yet to test her out. and this milk thing in the raspado is new to me, but it sounds tasty.
and well the whole food and sanitation class left me weary of street vendors.
Absolutely best raspado in East L.A. is at 3rd and Indiana. Any flavor. And you can get a huge bucket full for the whole family!
I love the Chamoy ones, but I can usually only get those in El Paso or Mexico.
Whatever is in the 7-11 slurpee machine.
OK, just kidding.
do great minds think alike or what, Tamarindo and CIRUELA are my favorite.
Hey Cindylu, consider sumbiting to Kábula Zine, i am putting on the 3rd issue, the theme is “Deportemos a la migra.” There’s more info in my blog. piece.
agustin
ummmmmm tamarindo! i’m a big fan of all fruity flavors but especially of limon y piña!
and as far as aguas go, JAMAICA all the way! it’s delicious and tangy!
I’d have to go with mango con chile
Mmmmmmmmmm. Tamarindo for sure. I love the gooey stuff in little packets too. I also gotta go with coconut..mango…pineapple. Unfortunately I don’t have a raspado man around here.
Growing up, my nana used to make her own with this antique ice shaving machine. I used to get to excited to see my uncles bring it out. She would also make her own pineapple syrup. Gawd, that stuff was so good. It would take her several hours and she used this big blue enamelware pot. I remember like it was yesterday.
Desert Chicano–there is no way you could have a raspado man out where you live homie. They would die of heat exhaustion! 🙂
CHERRY!
MOJITO!
Wait, are you serious about a Mojito raspado? Genius!
A mojito Raspa is easy as heck to make. To save some time I boil a cup of sugar with a cup of water until sugar dissolves. Take two big handfuls of mint and rub it in your hands then dump it in the sugar water. Allow to cool then strain into a jar.
Now mix equal parts lime and rum, plus a tablespoon of simple syrup mix per oz of Rum or Lime juice. Pour over shaved ice – Mojito Raspa!
If they don’t have sabor de agua I usually stick to tamarindo, which has to be one of the best flavors for a raspado treat. But I do have to mention the demise of raspado vendors making their own sauces/toppings, nowadays it seems as if they all just go to the smart&final for their syrups. And the taste is predictably bland. If I see those gallon jugs on their cart I steer clear.
So what’s this that you’re not a fan of most street food? We need to do an ambulante intervention!
I’ve never liked tamarindo anything. =P I’m just now barely finding it tolerable….
This past weekend I had peach-flavored water ice (the Italian/Philly version of raspados) and it was yummy! Miss the ones from back home tho.
My favorite are the guayaba raspados I used to get en el Jardin in Jerez. =) Everytime I go to mexico I have to have one!