Refresqueria Tampico

I lived in Magnolia Park up until 4 years ago. I grew up coming to this place! I know many people who drive out of their way to come here! It’s truly the best corn in a cup in town. Their smoothies are also pretty incredible. The raspas, you can add dolce de leche and it’s incredible. Everything is delicious and decently priced. Since I don’t live in Magnolia Park anymore, I don’t go as often. I may just make the trip tomorrow, though.

Setting —
Urban, ghetto, down to earth, this is where I could get shot and everyone just leaves me here to die. Place is covered in birds, parking is really bad during lunch and dinner times. Going at the right times makes all the difference, after church times can be significantly bad.
Service — straight forward, look at menu items and order what you want. Wait in line until a window opens up and the person behind it is ready to take your order. The food is cheap, 2.50 a elote. Everything else is within that price range. Knowing Spanish will help.
Food — delicious. Everything tastes pretty fresh and we can pour our own lemon and chili as much as we would want into our own corn. Nachos, liquados, arroz con leche are must haves when I am with friends here. My girlfriend always gets the respadas when we go and devours the whole thing before we leave. Lemon and chili can be packaged in tiny containers should you want to eat at home. I hear the chili is homemade and it would be hard to replicate. Girlfriend won’t get elotes anywhere else, and when we try to, she just knows.
Kind of wish there was one on our side of town.

I love this place. It’s fast, fresh and the people are very nice. I haven’t ventured out of my comfort zone to enjoy their Frito Pie or Corn in the Cup.yet. What I do enjoy is the amazing Acqua Fresca selection. The watermelon is delicious. Don’t let the location stop you from trying it out. CASH ONLY.

Packed lines!
Wish this place used better ice; sometimes the raspa gets frozen into big chunks which ruins the experience imo.
Also when I get the elote i always ask for extra mayo & queso since they only put that on the top.
If you dont ask then you will have to mix it up well and even then you will be left with a cup of literally just corn and corn water. yay.
They do use better cheese than most places so thats a plus; not just the parmesan cheese out of the shaker.

Really good place to get some Mexican snacks. Like to get the corn and snow cones. Only thing is there is no real seating. There are just two tables but once those are gone… Won’t keep me from going there.

Love this place! Not only is it because I live a block away but because the food is AWESOME! Fresh fruit cups (BIG!!), chili cheese hot dogs and sno cones! They stay open late and it’s not expensive at all!

Why is it that all the great places to eat are in questionable areas??! This place has the best banana milkshakes and corn! They also have nachos that my husband loves with what he calls «the good cheese»! I have also gotten the snow cone and they are also really good! If you are in the area, I would definitely stop here for a quick snack!

Hands down best elote I’ve ever had and dirt cheap!

This place is absolutely amazing for so many (cheap) reason! It’s definitely different but if you’re not familiar with a Mexican/​Hispanic food and their guilty splurges, the menu options might scare you away! However, have no fear, the flavors are so lucious, they’ll definitely make you want to come back for more… Corn in a cup… Need I say more.
They have a wide variety of freshly cut fruit cups/​bowls: Papaya, mango, watermelon, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, etc. Add a little chili powder and you’re golden!
If you’re looking to cool down, order a snow cone. From what I can remember, the ice is crushed, not shaved.
BUT, if you’re looking for something warm, go for one of their Frito Pies or Corn in a Cup! Ah, so good! I guess I should do them a favor and explain the latter if you’re not familiar with the concept. It’s shaved corn, boiled, mixed in with mayo, cheese, chili sauce, a squeeze of lime juice and really that’s it (as my mouth waters at the thought of it). But trust me, if mayo is your thing, you’ll definitely enjoy it!
It’s cash only and the workers are all Spanish speaking but English is no problem.
DESFRUTA! (ENJOY!)