Mustache Mike’s Italian Ice Cart

Best Italian Ice! It’s creamy and delicious. I like the root beer and coconut

We are here at the 7 on 7 my husband bought all 5 kids shaved ice well one of my daughters shaved ice had a bug (Yes I said bug) inside of it we send her back to ask them to replace it they tell her all she had to do was scoop the bug out of it and continue to eat the rest I’m think lady you lost your mind. well I feel I spent my money so I want you to replace it well they did but with and attitudes never will buy here again…

I was wandering the Spectrum on a hot summer day and ran across this cart. For about $ 5 I ordered what was basically a shaved ice like version of the Big Stick. You know, that orange pineapple flavored monstrosity that would drip all over your face, chin, and hands as a child?
I ate 4 spoonfuls and my teeth started to hurt. Way too sweet for my taste, so much so that I had to have water afterwards. Didn’t get to eat enough of it to cool down so that didn’t help much.
I think this would be ok for those with a serious sweet tooth, but I won’t be back.

The better half and I have sampled flavors from these carts on several occasions, but finally made a purchase last weekend.
Mustache Mike’s actually has two carts at the Irvine Spectrum, one is usually located near Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill (
) and the other is located near the Carousel and Red Robin. The latter sells beverages in addition to the Italian Ice and has a punch card, the other location only sells the Italian Ice.
I have already tried Rita’s Italian Ice and sampled Confetti Italian Ice and Custard, not really being impressed with either. I thought the custard was pretty good from both places, but the Italian Ice was a little lacking in flavor. Honestly, Rita’s had a very foul after taste, that really disagreed with my palate. Mustache Mike’s doesn’t offer custard, but in my opinion you really don’t need it because the flavors of their ice are good enough to stand on their own.
Rohlinism: Sometimes the best ideas come from the application of the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Rule!
Mustache Mike’s offers 6 flavors:
(
)
Bada Boom Blue Razzberry
Juicy Rancher (Watermelon, Lemon and Sour Apple Swirl)
Big Daddy (Cherry, Orange and Pineapple Swirl)
Manic Mango
Root Beer Float
Da Bomb (Cherry, Lemon and Blue Razz Swirl)
The guy running the cart (
) offered us samples and after trying a few, my lovely wife settled on the Kids size Big Daddy (
) and I went with Medium Da Bomb (
). We both appreciated the fact the ice was piled high into the cup and truth be told, the Kids size would have probably been plenty for me, but I still managed to eat the medium.
The ice itself had a very nice texture and the flavor ratios were excellent. One flavor didn’t drowned out the others. We both enjoyed our ices very much with only critic being Kaya. I don’t know if it was brain freeze, but she just didn’t like the ice flavors.
Another huge plus was the flavor didn’t fade as the ice started melting and usually Laina will stop eating her desserts when it melts, but in this case she finished the whole cup.
If you are looking for a great way to cool off during the summer at Spectrum, give one of these carts a try!