This warmer first Spring we are experiencing is a perfect time to try out Antojitos Colibri at 880 South Wells.
On a recent day at 11 a.m. sharp, an employee of three years, Erika Perez, helped open up the small but vibrant local ice cream shop.
“I enjoy what I do and I love being here,” Perez said. “I love making your guys’ drinks and seeing your guys’ faces whenever you come in.”
While this small colorful shop offers various ice cream flavors and fruity raspados, or shaved ice, it is quite well known for its cup-filled sweet treats and savory snacks. Fruit cups like fresas con crema and aguas frescas ranging from $5 to $10 are local favorites. Antojitos Colibri also offers elote for $3.50, a corn on the cob slathered in mayo, crumbled cheese, lime and the hot sauce of your choosing.
It’s hard to miss the vibrant bursts of colors from Antojitos Colibri. As small as it may seem, taking up only a slight chunk of a corner before turning on E. Taylor Street, the ice cream shop covers almost every inch of space in radiant shades of pinks and yellows.
Four black tables are evenly spaced in front of the dark blue painted shop. Almost every inch of white wall surrounding the corner folds and overlaps as a vibrant mural. The bottom half of the walls have large multi-colored leaves following each other. Bursts of green, warm yellow, shocking pink and dark blues decorate the walls, all leading to the striking focal point of the mural, which displays a large, fluorescent hummingbird that consumes the main wall in striking colored feathers.
In this photo series, Perez starts to make Antojitos Colibri’s most famous dessert, the Chamango. She first starts the process by covering the sides and bottom of the clear cup with chamoy and tajin. Then she stuffs the drink with shaved ice right to the rim and douses the ice with thick, golden mango syrup. She tops the drink off with a fresh scoop of smooth mango sorbet and chunks of fresh mango. Just to finish off the dessert, which is almost overflowing with bright yellow and striking reds, she adds a final layer of Chamoy and Tajin that drips down to the very bottom.
”Just to top it off, you put your straw, your spoon and the little tamarind stick,” Perez said. “I would try to avoid them [the chamango] at first, but now whatever I get, I enjoy making it.”