During the last Super Bowl, while everyone was glued to their screens, my dog Sean and I went to pick up some half-priced pan dulce from a Mexican bakery on the southwest part of town. I noticed a roadside coffee stand and, needing a pick-me-up, turned the car around to check it out.
That was my introduction to Café Sonrisa, 3200 S. Walker Ave., and that first stop was good enough to make me quit Starbucks cold turkey.
When I returned a few days later, I realized something unexpected: in the mornings, it’s Café Sonrisa, Capitol Hill’s newest coffee spot... but on warm, sunny afternoons it transforms into La Placita Snowcones Y Mas, serving the spiciest and coldest treats around. ¡Aye caramba!
It was an unseasonably hot March weekend, so my wife and I made the bold decision to try both concepts the same day.
We started with coffee, of course, and the line at Café Sonrisa was mercifully short. On a chalkboard, the day’s specials were written out invitingly.
This particular morning, my wife and I were after different things—she needed a sweet pick-me-up, while I, coming off an earlier trip to the gym, needed something a little more replenishing.
Looking over the menu board, she ended up with the Cookies and Cream Latte ($7.00) and, since I wanted to go green, I ordered the Fresa Matcha ($6.00).
Although she had planned to get the Dulce Latté, the Cookie and Cream looked too good to pass up. Like the name suggested, crushed Oreos floated dreamily in a coffee-forward latte, balanced on a good layer of chocolate syrup coating the bottom, making this a truly decadent experience.
I was very curious to taste my Fresa Matcha. Usually, matcha drinks taste like grass clippings. But at Café Sonrisa, the “fresa” is presented as a strawberry syrup mixed into the matcha latte, providing a way to actually enjoy the fine green tea flavor with a sweet little kick. It was perfect.
With that—after a few hours of running errands until around four o’clock—we were back at the spot, where Café Sonrisa had become the more electric La Placita Snowcones Y Mas, a seasonal stand that absolutely proves OKC has the best snack foods in the world.
Now, to be fair, the line was way longer than Sonrisa’s, with more families beating the heat with frozen juice drinks and even hotter food. No matter, though. I have waited in longer lines for the worst stuff imaginable—ask me about the time I camped out for a new burrito place in the freezing cold!
With my wife helping me to bring our bounty to the wooden picnic table, she started with her order of their branded Tornados—real fruity soft serve ice cream, whipped up with real fruit—starting with the Mango ($6.50).
Right off the bat, the mango flavor got things going strong. Aided by fresh mango slices, Tajin seasoning, and a swirl of chamoy, this was a hot little number, with the cool ice cream melting with the seasoning, ensuring she drank it all the way down.
For me, I enjoyed their other Tornado, the unbeatable Strawberry Dole Whip ($6.50). Tired of being in the shadow of the Walt Disney corporation and Big Pineapple, this flavor was a true celebration of strawberry “dole whip,” frozen strawberries, and a whole dollop of whipped cream.
This was an unbeatable dessert, with the smooth ice cream melting on my tongue, cooling me down all the way to the bottom of the cup, where I frantically scooped to get the remainder of the melted liquid on a spoon and into my mouth.
Aiming for a snack on the healthier side of life—I failed, by the way—I had the Pepino Fuegos ($6.50), a bowl of fresh sliced cucumbers and onions dowsed in hot sauce and, the piece de resistance, topped with a whole bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Tasting both the sour cucumbers and caliente Cheetos in this wild mélange of intertwined snack, the Pepino made me do a triple-take and take another bite. Seriously—this might be my new snack.
Trying both concepts in the same day, I saw just how well they fit together.
Café Sonrisa’s menu offers sweet caffeinated beverages for the morning crowd, while La Placita Snowcones Y Mas has frozen treats and Mexican snacks that give a refreshing burn for the afternoon.
After this visit, I am fully in both camps, and I'll be back way more than I should.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
