Hungry Posted: Amazonica

By: Diana Rodriguez
What to expect: Go into the wild and don’t look back–and definitely don’t count calories… Here at Amazonica, the vibe feels like you are walking into a tropical paradise–which is exactly what you’re going to get (in your mouth). The palm tree accent wall is splashed with pink and red. And the condiment bar has all the fresh fruit and sweet toppings you could wish for.

The Menu: At Amazonica, the menu has two parts–Cholados on the left, and Obleas on the right. In case you need the 411, Cholados are a shaved ice drink with fruit toppings and condensed milk aka leche condensada (in its traditional form). Obleas are made with two thin waffles (the obleas), and at Amazonica they are filled with anything and everything from crushed Oreos to whipped cream and crema de coco.

What to order: We tried 3 versions of their Cholados and 2 Obleas, and boy was it hard to choose a favorite… so, here goes.

Passion of the Mango: This shaved ice dessert has a mango and passion fruit puree at its base. From there, pile on the toppings such as mango chunks, pineapple, tamarind and tajin. There is only one straw going into this sweetness, and it’s not Bae’s.

Salted Caramel Pretzel: There is no way to mess up these Obleas. The thin, crispy waffle melts between the salted caramel and crushed pretzels. If you’re ordering a cholado, consider sharing this treat with a friend.

Off the menu: Add extra toppings if you’re feeling, well, extra. And there’s a bottle of leche condensada on the table for your pleasure.

How to score a table: A table? You’ll be slurping this down so fast that you won’t need a table. We suggest you take yours to-go and walk around the other shops inside the Upper Buena Vista marketplace.