Step through the door at El Michoacano Fruteria Y Neveria #2 (6010 Hampton) into a colorful world of Mexican ice cream treats, show-stopping fruit delights, thirst-quenching drinks, and piquant street snacks. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
The menus are currently in Spanish, but English versions are in the works. The inspirations for the dishes are informed by the owners’ connections to Michocoán, a state in western Mexico known for avocado production. The street foods, for instance, come from the dishes that they enjoyed there. But there’s a twist: The team blended Western elements, such as Hot Cheetohs and Doritos, into traditional snacks.
The fruit drinks and cups were inspired by visits to fruit stands or fruiterías, which are common in Mexico. The stands not only sell fresh produce, but they also make agua frescas and fruit cups, made with a mix of melons, jicama, pineapple, oranges, mango, cucumber, and strawberries flavored with lime juice and Tajín seasoning (a blend of dried chili peppers, sea salt, and lime). The savory Tajín complements the fruit’s sweetness.
The house ice creams and paletas come in a range of flavors. There are the classics—strawberries and cream, blue bubblegum, pineapple and coconut ice cream—and more unexpected options—such as cajetes (made with a caramel sauce that’s similar to dulce de leche but made from goat milk) and Rompope Con Pasas (which tastes like eggnog and raisins).
The snacks menu includes vegetarian nachos made with corn, jalapeño, mayo, and cheese. Look for a special take on street corn, made four ways and served in a cup. The Diabolito Loko (“little crazy devil”) snack is a combination of shaved ice with mango, cucumber, and jicama spears and topped with orange juice, tajin, tamarind bites, and chopped peanuts…