These are the drinks that will keep you cool in L.A. this season.
Summer is in full effect, which this heat prevents us from forgetting. We’re looking at 90-degree weather almost daily over the next two weeks, so buckle up. As someone who has taken public transportation for as long as I can remember, I know it gets hot in these streets.
Whether you are taking Metro to a concert, work, or to school, trying to keep cool becomes increasingly challenging as the temperature rises.
Lucky for all of us, there are plenty of places near Metro stations and bus stops offering cool treats and refreshments. Let’s face it, nothing is worse than waiting in the blaring sun for your next ride and suddenly realizing your water supply is empty, as you wipe the beads of sweat running down your face.
To keep you cool in such situations, we've rounded up 13 places serving refreshing raspados, tejuino, aguas frescas, tepache, and more near your Metro stations.
Los Alpes Nevería and Ice Cream Parlor
You’ll never know how invigorating a single paleta can be until you take the Metro to this tiny hidden shop in Huntington Park to order a paleta de mamey on a hot day. Its flavor lies between a sweet potato and caramel, derived from the tropical egg-shaped fruit found all over Mexico but is hard to find in the States. Los Alpes have monthly seasonal flavors like piñon (featuring pink pine nuts from Mexico) and chongos Zamoranos (Michoacan-style milk curds).
The shop has been a Huntington Park staple since 1979. While its ownership has changed, the caring energy of the Flores family, which operated the parlor for decades, is still very much present.
How can it not be? Multiple generations of the Flores family worked there, including their daughter Lauda, who went from working at the ice cream parlor every summer to honoring her upbringing with her own line of ice pops named Sno Con Amor.
Nonetheless, she says nothing beats picking up a cone or paleta from beloved Los Alpes for a taste of flavor and nostalgia from simpler days.
Open seven days a week from 12:30 P.M.- 6:30 P.M.
Address: 6410 Rugby Ave, Huntington Park, CA 90255. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 110- “Gage Avenue/Malabar St.”
Raspados El Chilango
When riding the 207 bus, you must stop at Western and Santa Monica to get your hands on these TikTok-viral raspados. At first glance, with its rainbow umbrella, Raspados El Chilango looks like any other raspado stand in many corners of Los Angeles.
Yet, one thing you will instantly notice that sets this stand apart is its “high rise” block of ice, which is almost as tall as one of its owners, so tall that he has to hop on a stool to shave the ice before drowning it in homemade fruit syrup.
While it has no social media accounts, the flavors have reached the TikTok community, with thousands sharing videos of people waiting in line for one of these icy on-the-go treats. If you're wondering if the owner ever finishes his tower of ice, the answer is yes.
Here, you can get classic flavors like mango, vanilla, fresas con crema, and nance. Other flavors include cookies, cream, and nuez (walnut), among the many.
The two men running the stand sell esquites, tostilocos, and other Mexican goodies seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. as well.
Address: 1075 N Western Ave #101, Los Angeles, CA 90029 10935. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 207 - "Western/Santa Monica.”
Mateo’s Ice Cream
If you haven’t had your fill of Oaxaca-style ice cream and popsicles, you’ll want to get off Metro’s 210 bus on Crenshaw and Pico Boulevard and head to Mateo’s Ice Cream Shop.
Owned by Oaxacan native Priciliano Mateo and his family, the shop offers green juices and food, but the one reason most people stop by is for Priciliano’s paletas and ice cream. Staying authentic to his roots, the owner created popsicles with flavors he grew up with, like mamey, leche quemada (burnt milk), black sapote, and more. His shop still offers the more well-known flavors like strawberry, cucumber, chile, and coconut, but we dare you to try something novel when stopping in.
For over a decade, his frozen treats have provided a feast for the eyes and taste buds. The paleta maven passed away in 2018, but his dream continues to live on, not just in the exotic flavors and tropical fruits used in every popsicle, but in the continuing work of his daughter, Elizabeth, and wife, Sofia.
Address: 4234 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90019. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 210 - "Crenshaw/Pico.” They have two other locations, too, open seven days a week from 11 A.M. to 10 P.M.
Raspados Don Manuel #2
While Raspados Don Manuel has seven locations across Los Angeles, we stopped by their more-than-worthy number two location. At the 4th Street and Evergreen stop, you will find some of the creamiest and most refreshing raspados in town. The family-owned business ensures that all their syrups and fruit are fresh daily.
While we recommend getting any of their raspados, you should try their paletas, too, because they are equally as delicious. One of Don Manuel's popular flavors is his nuez raspado, a creamy syrup comprised of crushed walnuts, sweetened condensed milk, and other delectable ingredients.
Address: 2848 East 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 605 - "4th/Evergreen.”
Viva Cafe
Viva Cafe is a small, Oaxacan-owned-and-operated ice cream shop in the heart of Koreatown. Located just one minute from Metro’s 66 bus stop on 8th and Mariposa, the family-owned ice cream shop serves all the icy treats to keep you cool.
Walking in, you are hit with the colorful and traditional Oaxacan artisanía that decorates the shop above an endless array of milk-and-water-based ice cream treats. The small-yet-mighty shop was founded by Rafael and his daughter, Briseida, who you will often find behind the counter.
The shop serves your customary vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Still, those looking to try more unique flavors also have intriguing choices like Fruity Pebbles and the Mexican chocolate, strawberry jelly, and cremé-filled cake known as Gansito, garnished with small pieces of the eponymous snack. Viva Cafe also surprises its customers with exclusive, limited-time holiday flavors, like the cempasúchil-flavored ice cream served during Día De Los Muertos.
They also offer unique, icy frappés for those seeking to cool down with a drink rather than an ice cream or paleta. One of their popular items is their Tejate Frappé. Dubbed in Oaxaca as the "drink of the gods," tejate is made from roasted corn flour, fermented cocoa beans, mamey seeds, and the cocoa flower, also known as rosita de cacao.
Lucky for us all, they are open seven days a week from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. No matter what time you ride the Metro, you can stop for a sweet treat at almost any time.
Address: 3259 W. 8th St, Los Angeles, California 90005. Closest Metro lines and stops: Bus Line 66 - “8th/Mariposa”, Bus Line 206 - "Irolo/8th" or Metro D Line - "Wilshire/Normandie Station."
La Garrafa MX
Alfonso Ruiz opened La Garrafa MX in Montebello in 2020. It is a family-owned nevería bringing a piece of Guadalajara to Angelenos. They offer traditional nieves de agua (water-based flavors) like mango and lime and creative concoctions like fresa y jamaica inspired by Ruiz’s childhood.
The nieves at La Garrafa MX are highly recommended by O.G. L.A. TACO writer and current San Francisco Chronicle critic, Cesar Hernandez, who described their ice creams as exceptional, saying: "La Garrafa’s water-based ice creams are immensely refreshing and melt with the heat of your tongue, while the milk-based ones are a sweet and creamy treat similar to ice cream but much lighter. The limón nieve is bright with acidity and sweet like a frosty agua de limón. Other flavors like the fresa y jamaica have the recognizable strawberry sweetness with a tang of acidity from the flower."
For some flavors, like lime and mango, Ruiz will ask if you want to add chamoy and Tajín because the flavors complement the nieves. Try them independently, but the added toppings introduce a bit of salt and heat—also a must-try.
Open Sunday through Tuesday from starting at 1 P.M.
Address: 2208 W Whittier Blvd, Montebello, CA 90640. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 10- “Whittier/Concourse.”
Tejuino King
If you’re looking to kill two birds with one stone, you will want to take Metro’s 665 bus to Indiana and 3rd Street, where just one minute away, you will find Tejuino King. The business specializes in tejuinos and birria tacos from Birria Los Socios. Meaning you can fuel up on food and cool down at the same time.
The tejuinos here are Jalisco-style, but lighter on the fermentation. Every sip is refreshing, with a thicker, almost pulp-like consistency. Fear not; the cup still offers lime and salt to cool the palate on a hot summer day and comes with a neon scoop of nieve de garrafa de limón (limón sherbet).
This recommendation comes from freelance writer Eli Lopez Beltran, who wrote a lengthy guide on tejuino, in case you are seeking more fermented drinks to enjoy.
Address: 3544 E. 3rd Place, Los Angeles, CA 90063. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro E Line- “Indiana Station” or Bus Line 665 - “Indiana/3rd.”
Don Tavo's Tejuino
Another family affair in the heart of Compton, Don Tavo's Tejuino has been around for ten years, serving some of the city's best tejuinos. Their business is run out of the front yard of their home by couple Gustavo Diaz and Guillermina Ochoa, with the help of their children and extended family members. On any given day, Gustavo and his family serve tejuinos, tostilocos, hot Cheeto esquites, and frutas preparadas (prepared fruit).
Don Tavo's tejuino is fermented for three months, with a new batch made every day. It is served over ice with a hint of sea salt and just the right amount of lime juice. While he sells many other items, everyone stops to freshen up with tejuino.
When we visited, an Amazon driver, a moving truck driver, and a neighbor walking by stopped by to get a sip of Don Tavo's fermented drink. Despite other spots selling tejuino nearby, they all stopped at this front yard stand, and if that isn’t a sign that this drink is good, then we don't know what it is.
To get there, hop on Metro’s 125 or 260 bus and get off on Rosecrans and Atlantic. Look for the red flag that reads Don Tavo’s Tejuinos, and you have arrived.
Address: 4618 E. Rosecrans Ave. Compton, CA 90221. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 125 or 260 - “Rosecrans/Atlantic.”
Tejuino Estilo Guadalajara
If you’re still looking for tejuinos to quench your thirst in this heat, you’ll want to hop on Metro’s 690 bus and get off on Foothill and Hubbard in Sylmar. Once there, look for Tejuino Estilo Guadalajara. When you spot the wooden service cart, you have arrived. One sip from these tejuinos and we promise you can withstand any excessive heat until you hit the bottom of your cup.
Here at this Sylmar location, you will also find nieves de garrafa, water-based sherbets made in a wooden barrel filled with ice and a metal pot. Each flavor is made individually and hand-turned every day.
While their tejuino is served with scoops of lime sherbet, you can mix and match any of their nieve flavors with their tejuino. They serve their drinks in big jugs, but you can also ask for a tejuino in a jarrito for added aesthetics.
Open only on Sundays; check @Tejuino_pinta.mi.mexico for any change in time or location.
Address: 13730 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar, CA 91342. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 690- "Foothill/Hubbard."
Oasis Gourmet Aguas Frescas
If you are ever heading to Whittier Boulevard, you know you won’t have to look far for a quick bite. It’s one-stop along Metro’s bus lines that offers a variety of foods and snacks on one street. It’s also the home of Oasis Aguas Gourmet Frescas, owned by long-time street vendor Cesar Benitez.
In this heat, Benitez’s stand is a genuine oasis to re-hydrate at before heading off to your next destination. In the blaring heat under his canopy, Benitez offers free samples to potential customers walking the sidewalk by the Commerce Center. He extends his hand with refreshing shots of cucumber, melon, and watermelon-flavored aguas frescas. He works with his wife, who helps him attend to anyone looking for a refreshing pick-me-up.
He offers 40 flavors of fruit-infused waters you can mix and match, such as his cucumber agua fresca, which many customers mix with his lemonade. And our favorite is his maracuya (passion fruit) agua fresca mixed with his mango agua. That one drink alone will bring you back to life and keep you cool this summer. While he is open every day, we recommend checking his Instagram for any potential changes in the time or days he is set up.
Address: 5440 Whittier Blvd, Commerce, CA 90022. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 18- "Whittier/Goodrich."
Ixmota CBD Infused
We know we couldn’t make a guide about keeping cool in L.A. without including aguas frescas on the list. They are the ultimate refreshment when the weather acts out with extreme heat. So, we headed to El Monte for L.A.’s CBD-infused aguas frescas. Located near Metro’s 267 bus stop on Valley and Baldwin, you will find Ixmota, formally known as Ixtaco Taqueria.
Here, you won’t only find a place to cool down; you can also enjoy their delicious tacos, including dog-friendly tacos for your four-legged friends.
But the true stars of the show here are their infused aguas frescas. They usually have flavors that rotate every week, but it really doesn’t matter which one you get because they are all unique. Most come with fruit jellies that recreate the pleasures of boba tea. The aguas are infused with CBD syrups that the taqueria buys wholesale from one of the country’s biggest suppliers. Flavors range from mango and pineapple express to fresa and more. But like we said, no matter the flavor, this drink is the perfect refreshment when you have a long transit trip ahead of you.
Address: 10021 Valley Blvd, El Monte, CA 91731. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 76 or 267 - “Valley/Baldwin.”
Karen's Jugos Verdes
While ice creams and paletas may be the first thing people think of when the sun is trying to scorch you to a crisp, one underrated drink that can quickly extinguish the heat is freshly pressed green juice. For this, you’ll want to hop on Metro’s 115 bus and stop at Manchester and San Pedro where, in front of the Sinclair gas station, a woman named Karen is slanging freshly pressed juices at her stand.
Karen is now a viral TikTok-er who often goes live during her shifts. She talks to her followers and lets them know what juices she’s offering for the day. She frequently sets up early every morning and stays there until she sells out. The drinks she offers range from green pressed juices that include fruits and vegetables to carrot juice, beet juice, wellness shots, and more.
Address: 255 E Manchester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90003. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 115 - “Manchester/San Pedro.”
Tepache Zapoteca
While Los Angeles has many places to find tepache, it’s safe to say that not all are made equal. But at Tepache Zapoteca, you are guaranteed to get a true tepache.
The drink, traditionally made by fermenting the peels and rinds of pineapples, is usually served cold and has a bit of a fizz. Based near Metro’s Washington and Redondo stop, you will find Alex López here serving four flavors of tepache: pineapple, nanchitas, mango, and hibiscus.
He serves his drink two ways: straight tepache or tepache with sal de gusanitos, a sea salt mixed with toasted, ground agave worms and dried chiles. If you’re in the mood for a kick, you can also ask for some mezcal in your tepache.
López, who is from Tlacolula, Oaxaca, prides himself on serving the best. He serves his tepache every Sunday alongside Comedor Tenchita, an at-home restaurant serving traditional Oaxacan food. Together, they give people who are lucky enough to know about them a true culinary experience.
2124 Cloverdale Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90016. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 35 - “Washington/Redondo.”
