It's officially July and we are now somewhere around a third of the way through Summer. I know it doesn't much feel like it, what with a three week long monsoon raining down upon us at the beginning of the season. Summer has a long list of perks here in Oklahoma. From our vast system of lakes and rivers and other swimming holes, to music festivals like Rocklahoma and Center of the Universe Festival, there's no shortage of fun activities to be had, if only one knows where to look. So where does one look for a good snowcone? That's where I come in! Follow this series to find out the who's who of Tulsa snowcones. Over the next few weeks I'll be visiting every snow cone stand I can find to figure out just who the best is!
Summer Sno
***Skip to the bottom for a brief summary and the down and dirty info***
I visited Tropical Summer Sno today on my way home from work and drove right by it twice before I finally found it in the parking lot of Ace Hardware. An unassuming little shack with no atmosphere and no flashiness, I knew immediately that the snow cone itself would make or break it. The line wasn't too long, there was only half a dozen people in front of me, but it was a good 15 minute wait in the hot 4PM sun. Not the best way to attract repeat customers. There was no music or games or anything to distract you during your wait time, and there was no seating of any sort.
When the first snow cones came out, I realized why it was taking so long. The lone worker was an older woman named Shirlee. She was as sweet as a lump of sugar, but as the sole person working, there wasn't much flow or organization to her process at all. She had a very particular way of making the snow cones that I found quite interesting. After shaving the ice, she gently dumped a lot of the snow back into her gloved hand and poured syrup into the bottom of the cup, then put the ice back in the cup and drizzled the top in syrup, then covered the cup with her hand and shook it all up like a martini. I have never seen anybody make a snow cone like that. And let me tell you, it was DANG good. The only problem was...before she made my snow cone, she handled at least 3 people's money right there in front of me with her gloved hand. Yummm. Nothing says good eatin' like filthy paper currency. What's the point in the glove if you're just going to touch anything and everything with it before handling my food? Like, my actual food. Not just the cup, but the ice itself??
So there you have it. A fantastic snow cone, that you pretty much have to take to-go since there's nowhere to sit, and you may or may not be ingesting a motherload of germs and dirt. The grounds themselves seemed clean enough, but the grounds are unimportant if you can't actually hang out there. The menu was nothing special, just basic generic flavors that every snow cone stand on Earth sells. And when I asked what the best snow cone was, she said Tiger's Blood. I mean, to each his own, but it doesn't get much more generic than that. I've never been to a snow cone stand that didn't have Tiger's Blood.
In summary: A long wait for a great snow cone. Super soft ice, lots of syrup. Good service, not very sanitary. Zero atmosphere. I give it 3 stars.
I visited Tropical Summer Sno today on my way home from work and drove right by it twice before I finally found it in the parking lot of Ace Hardware. An unassuming little shack with no atmosphere and no flashiness, I knew immediately that the snow cone itself would make or break it. The line wasn't too long, there was only half a dozen people in front of me, but it was a good 15 minute wait in the hot 4PM sun. Not the best way to attract repeat customers. There was no music or games or anything to distract you during your wait time, and there was no seating of any sort.
When the first snow cones came out, I realized why it was taking so long. The lone worker was an older woman named Shirlee. She was as sweet as a lump of sugar, but as the sole person working, there wasn't much flow or organization to her process at all. She had a very particular way of making the snow cones that I found quite interesting. After shaving the ice, she gently dumped a lot of the snow back into her gloved hand and poured syrup into the bottom of the cup, then put the ice back in the cup and drizzled the top in syrup, then covered the cup with her hand and shook it all up like a martini. I have never seen anybody make a snow cone like that. And let me tell you, it was DANG good. The only problem was...before she made my snow cone, she handled at least 3 people's money right there in front of me with her gloved hand. Yummm. Nothing says good eatin' like filthy paper currency. What's the point in the glove if you're just going to touch anything and everything with it before handling my food? Like, my actual food. Not just the cup, but the ice itself??
So there you have it. A fantastic snow cone, that you pretty much have to take to-go since there's nowhere to sit, and you may or may not be ingesting a motherload of germs and dirt. The grounds themselves seemed clean enough, but the grounds are unimportant if you can't actually hang out there. The menu was nothing special, just basic generic flavors that every snow cone stand on Earth sells. And when I asked what the best snow cone was, she said Tiger's Blood. I mean, to each his own, but it doesn't get much more generic than that. I've never been to a snow cone stand that didn't have Tiger's Blood.
In summary: A long wait for a great snow cone. Super soft ice, lots of syrup. Good service, not very sanitary. Zero atmosphere. I give it 3 stars.
- Cash Only
- Small: $1.50, Medium: $2.00, Large $3.50
- Closed on Mondays
- Tuesday through Sunday hours: Noon to 8pm
- Cream $0.25, Extra Cream $0.50, Sour Spray is free, no other toppings.
- 63 flavors on the menu, only 1 is sugar free.
- 3929 South Peoria Avenue, Tulsa
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tropical-Summer-Sno/365013353558543
- 918-951-3011