Los Mangos Spices up Summer with its Sandia Loca

By Emily Moyer

If you are a Denver native, or maybe just a food fanatic, then you know it’s no secret that Hispanic cuisine is some of the hottest food in the city right now.

Enter Los Mangos, a family-owned Mexican ice cream shop or “neveria” that serves up traditional Latino desserts and snacks, from Mexican hamburgers, to mangonadas and more.

Located in south of Denver near Federal Boulevard and Kentucky Avenue, the shop sits among small storefronts, many of which represent the area’s Hispanic culture.

Los Mangos proudly brings a taste of Mexico to the streets of Denver, according to its owner, Jerry Silva. He serves fresh, high-quality fruit sourced from California, Mexico and Central America.

Los Mangos first came to prominence when its Sonoran Mexican-Style Hot Dog was awarded best hot dog by Westword in 2018.

Yet, the most eye-catching menu item has to be the juicy and exciting summer treat, the Sandia Loca. The Sandia Loca, Spanish for “crazy watermelon,” upholds its reputation. Inspired by the flavors and snacks of Silva’s hometown in Aguas Calientes, Mexico, he wanted to bring a taste of his childhood to the streets of Denver.

“He worked in restaurants as a teenager,” says Silva’s son, “He always wanted to open his own restaurant, so this is a really big achievement for him, and we are so proud to be doing it together as a family.”

Los Mangos isn’t like other shops in the area. They try to stay true to the values of a family-owned small business. If you happen to pay the shop a visit for lunch, you are likely to see Silva and his family working behind the counter. His wife and son help him with business matters around the shop, while Silva focuses mostly on the tasty offerings, making sure all the fruit served is clean, ripe and without blemishes. He ensures that each watermelon, fruit salad and magonada is sweet, juicy and satisfying.

The crazy watermelon is a perfect sweet and spicy snack for late summer, with a combination of decoratively cut fruits piled high into a halved watermelon and adorned with spicy chamoy, chili seasoning and candies on top. The flashy and delicious snack is chopped fresh to perfection for the most Instagram-worthy food item of your summer. Los Mangos prepares the fruit in front of you, so you can customize your watermelon any crazy way you like. Striving to make the customer part of the family, the staff at Los Mangos takes time to get to know many of their regulars’ favorite menu items and build long-standing relationships.

“We are proud to own a small business,” says Silva. “We are always improving, and always working as a team to stay connected to our community and our Hispanic residents here in Denver.”

Los mangos always serves a variety of ripe fruit that is in season and delicious. The Sandia Loca features a fresh watermelon that is gutted and cut into delicious chunks. It’s mixed with other seasonal fruits like honeydew, cantaloupe, papaya, strawberries and balls of tamarind. Poking out the top of your watermelon extravaganza will be candied tamarind sticks, skewers with fresh fruit such as pineapple slices, kiwis, strawberries, oranges and a whole mango sliced to resemble a rose. To finish it off, Los Mangos squeezes two fresh limes over the top to keep it tasting fresh.

If you need more than dessert, Los Mangos also offers their traditional hamburguesas, hot dogs, elotes and, if you are thirsty, aguas frescas.