Snow Monkey

Delicious and refreshing, try it today!

I was driving through the valley on the way back to LA. It was hot, and I was craving something cold and refreshing. I had heard about Snow Monkey, so I decided to hit the mall and try for myself.
It was pretty delicious and might even give my Yogurtland a run for its money. What I like about it is that it’s nice and light, but creamy. The two flavors I tried, original and green tea, were really good. If you can picture mixing ice into ice cream/​froyo and shaving it off, that’s how it feels. So it’s light tasting. You can mix up flavors and comes with two toppings. Toppings range from mochi to cookies, red beans and fruits.
They have alot of interesting flavors like taro and rose water but I believe I came up with the best combination. Get the green tea flavor with red beans as your topping on top, then ask the dude behind the counter to pipe a little condensed milk on top. Soo ridiculously good. You can thank me later.
Asian friends, you know what’s up!

looks like show… tastes like weird sticky mix of snow, ice, and stickiness.
mochi were definitely NOT FRESH. they were hard… and no, not after i left it on the snow. we’re talking about right when i got it. and for four bux i at least expect chewable.
cannot even compare to blockheads, 302.

Well maybe closer to 3.5… I keep teetering between 4 and 3.5… ah well.
Well… the first time I «went» here… they were out of the flavor that I wanted to try… actually, they were out of everything except bubblegum (YUCK!) and Chocolate (unappetizing in a shaved ice)…
so yeah…
finally, I was in the mall again and figured what the hell… I needed to give this place a try.
It’s really not bad. I ended up having the Cotton Candy flavor (because Cotton Candy is a secret obsession of mine!) and it was good. It’s more like «snow» actually… and less like the ribbons of ice shown in the picture. Hey, I know all about food photography… but in reality your ice will look more like a pink pile of snow.
Now, this stuff is SWEET! I always considered myself someone who loves sweets… but I’m starting to realize that I need the perfect balance of sweetness to satiate my cravings… too sweet is just too much for me.
Anyway, so you get two toppings: I had the lychee popping boba and the mixed lychee jelly. Then you get a syrup (I could have done without this and will pass on this next time) but I got the condensed milk. Sweet! I was glad the girl didn’t put too much of this on… because it was way too sweet.
The lychee popping boba is amazing and it pairs extremely well. They’re these little translucent pearls and they’re filled with liquid… so they «pop» when you bite into them. They’re amazingly tasty… seriously, really good. They’re a bit sour so they really balance out the sweetness of the ice.
The mixed lychee jelly was a bit too sweet for my taste. It was okay… but needless to say, I was sad when my popping boba ran out.
It was good. The portions are pretty large and I’d have it again… next time… only popping boba for me! :)

Good unique flavors, maple was my favorite, but a bit on the sweet side.
Texturally it was closer to shaved ice than «snow». Slightly crunchy. Kind of out of the way for me, but if I was trapped in the west valley I wouldn’t mind going back.

Stay away. Stay far, far away from this place.
Snow Monkey says that have brought Taiwanese-​inspired shaved snow to people in the Valley. No way, San Gabriel Valley is the only place for true, authentic Taiwanese shaved snow.
With flavors like red velvet, rose water, and mint chocolate, shaved snow should be absolutely illegal. Holy cow… keep the milk inside the cow if shaved snow is going to be shamed in this manner. The rose water shaved snow tastes like Febreeze and looks like Nicki Minaj died in the cup.
I asked the staff if they’ve ever had Taiwanese shaved snow before (soft, fluffy, milky smooth), and they replied, «No, but THIS IS UNLIKE ANYTHING I’VE EVER TASTED BEFORE IN MY LIFE.» Yeah, me too.
Ditch the shaved snow inside Topanga Mall. Head on over to Class 302 for the good stuff.

Stopped in while shopping & gave Snow Monkey a try. So interesting! I always love trying different things & this shaved ice has a silkyness that others can’t. Their green tea is ceremony grade and they do have great toppings like boba, red bean paste, fruit & pocky sticks… My fav thing though is the mochi itself… Vanilla, Mango, strawberry… It’s soft, chewy & delicious. I’ll definitely be back; much lighter and healthier than other frozen options :)

Snow Monkey is an entirely new experience that has mass appeal. It’s not frozen yogurt. It’s not ice cream. It’s not shaved ice. It’s a combination of shaved ice cream where the ice is made from the best ingredients to make a block of awesome flavored ice which is then shaved into ribbons of magical flavors and textures.
Combine this with the unique toppings such as the popping boba and you have a brand new kind of treat beyond what others offer.
The guys that started this place are the successful restauranteurs behind Kogi truck and Sorabol, so they KNOW what they’re doing.
Make a special trip out to Topanga Canyon Mall. You MUST try this place!

I’m not one to slam a business, especially a new one. I was looking forward to Snow Monkey when I first caught wind of them. Maybe therein my expectations were raised higher than it should be.
I will have to agree with a previous review stating what you see on their website is not necessarily what you receive when you order. Granted, the pic online is unadulterated with any toppings, nor is it presented in the actual serving container they use at the storefront.
I think I did expect that: beautiful snowy ribbons of ice on a nice plate.
Instead I got a paper cup of ice with a pile of toppings. Maybe the ribbons were lost in the toppings, but the flavors of the ice were still lacking. It was like a shave snow cone than anything. The serving sizes are very big. I was content with a $ 3 kids size just to sample Snow Monkey. The $ 5 bucket seems huge in comparison. Maybe that would be the solution for Snow Monkey. Rather than a cup the snow can be presented in a tray.
The toppings they offered had some of the normal ones you would see at an ice cream stand or frozen yogurt, but they also had a few of their own special ones. The ones I spotted were mango mochi balls and popping boba.
I’m sure, I need to give Snow Monkey another try. Conveniently located in the Topanga Mall it might suit the wandering shopper with their kids just to appease them. But with the food court nearby as well as another competing frozen dessert stand next door, it might be challenge.

Tried the chocolate ice and it had a depth. Flavor of Infused ice doesn’t melt away like ordinary ice desserts. Tasted like an icy fudge pop.

This was amazing! I had this over thanksgiving break at the topanga mall, Now i’m back in san francisco and I’ve been craving this ever since.
I loved how different it was and how the flavor stayed through the whole time. my favorite was the green tea with the jello bits and popping boba and the condensed milk. I wish they put more but i think i can just ask for that. Anyways Its a must have snack and I wish I had one right now :(

I came during lunch today for my very first visit and the quality was terrible. I was expecting a smooth texture like the one offered at Class 302 in Rowland Heights, but what they had instead was crunchy. The consistency was like traditional shaved ice and not the shaved snow popular in Taiwan. It also looked nothing like the layered ribbons in the promotional image. If this is their normal quality, I would not come back. If today’s batch was an abnormality, they better think about quality assurance because today’s visit literally left a bad taste in my mouth.
EDIT:
In response to Sheila, I was told by the staff that they were selling shaved snow. That indicates to me that they are trying to create the soft shaved ice style popularized in Taiwan and not the crunchy snow cone style I was served. What I was served today by Snow Monkey was a misrepresentation of what is commonly known as shaved snow. There are several establishments in the greater Los Angeles area that already serve Taiwanese style shaved snow (Class 302 in Rowland Heights, Blockheads Shavery in West Los Angeles, Fluff Ice in Monterey Park, Pa Pa Walk in San Gabriel, The Balcony Grill & Bar in Irvine to name just a few). It is disingenuous to say Snow Monkey is trying to invent something new when they clearly have promotional photos showing their product to be what is commonly known as shaved snow (both in Taiwan and sold around town), and are obviously indicating that is the style of shaved ice they are trying to sell by calling themselves «Snow Monkey.»

Shaved ice by the founder of Kogi Trucks and Chego. Doesn’t get better than this!
I have been a fan of shaved ice ever since I had it in Taiwan, and now I am starting to see a lot of new places showing up in LA with their own versions of this great dessert treat.
When I heard that Snow Monkey Ice was coming out from the founder of Chego and the Kogi phenomenon I had high expectations right out of the gate. I can definitely say that Snow Monkey does not disappoint!
If you haven’t seen shaved ice before, imagine a huge block of flavored ice in the shape of a thick wheel. Coming in customized flavors that no doubt were crafted by Mark himself, these wheels are put into a machine that spins the ice and shaves thin layers of ice off the wheel and into a cup. Some of the flavors you can pick from are:
Aiya Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea
Mango Lychee
Strawberry
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Sugar-​Free Black Cherry
Then it is over to the toppings counter where you get to pick your toppings to go on top of this flavor powerhouse! They have some standard items that you will find and any Pinkberry or Yogurtland like your chocolate chips, but they also have some unique toppings such as various flavored Mochi, boba that pops (this is not your tapioca type), mixed fruit jellies, and even red beans.
The prices are weighty, but so are the portions, and I was quite satisfied with a $ 3 kid size that came with 2 toppings of my choice. The $ 7 large version seemed bucket sized and is easily fit for two people to share.
Thank you Snow Monkey, and I am happy to welcome you my list of shaved ice must haves!