Miami Ice

First off, I made my boyfriend make a special trip here with me because I needed to satisfy my Miami Ice craving. The thought of flavored ice atop custard was making me salivate. I hadn’t been in awhile because, ya know, winter. And it’s also on 39^th St., which I tend to avoid at all costs because of the lack of parking, especially at peak hours.
Regardless, we made the trek, and it was totally worth the horrible drunken parking (probably not for my boyfriend who had to maneuver around someone’s too-​big-​to-​fit-​in-​the-​compact-​car-​spot trunk, which was sticking out).
I usually get a various mix of flavors for the shaved ice, and my combinations always go well together. I suppose my methods are a bit more methodical than just picking flavors I like. So proceed with caution on what goes together.
Nevertheless, reaching the bottom is my favorite part. I don’t know who came up with serving up shaved ice on top of custard, but thank goodness for whomever came up with it. It’s two unlikely frozen treats coming together to make an even more awesome one.
Every time I’ve been, the employees have been fantastic. They’re always friendly and appear to enjoy their jobs. It really makes a difference in the overall experience. I’ll be coming back for as long as I’m in the area.
Overall: ⁴⁄₅
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere: 3.5÷5

Oh, «Miami Ice». I get it. It’s a play on «Miami Vice». And they have shaved ice. This is a fun place to stop in on 39^th Street. They sneaky have lots of variety besides shaved ice, and even if ice is all you want, there are plenty of flavors you can mix in. But like I say, the main attraction is only the tip of the iceberg (see that ‘ice’ pun there?). There are also a lot of items on the dessert menu (I like the cobbler, myself), they have a bin full of several frozen yogurt flavors, and the hot dogs (or polish sausage) complete the sort of diner-​y experience. It basically feels like you’re sitting in an 80s sitcom, which is the point. Basically, it’s one-​of-​a-​kind in Kansas City and should complement everyone’s hangout down 39^th. They should play 80s music strictly, though, right? It reminds me of somewhere you’d walk into if you were playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Without the robbery.
Oh, and the service is awesome. It’s usually crowded when we go, and the folks behind the counter never rush you and help you through the menu. It’s hard work too, because between shaving the ice, explaining the menu, preparing the hot dogs, mixing drinks, and ringing orders, they are always nice. It gets a higher rating because it’s unique.
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Hot dogs: 2.5÷5
80s feel: 4.5÷5 (I assume)

Tasty fresh shaved ice all year round! For the life of me, I have no idea why anyone would want custard at the bottom (it just gives you crunchy custard!), but you can order it without. Love the color scheme and décor. Great neighborhood business.

I love coming to this place for the shaved ice because it comes with custard at the bottom. They encourage multiple flavored of syrup. I typically get the standards: blue raspberry, cherry, and grape. Near the bottom of the cup it ends up tasting a lot like a creamslush from some place like Sonic, which is basically is, but with way better soft serve used since it is a custard. Their ice cream is also really good. I believe it is made locally off site though but I know they have it made for them because the plum (or other fruit) nieve is something you can really only find there and they are great. They have lots of toppings to choose from that can be mixed in on the cold slab. The staff is always friendly and it is really convenient.

Smoothie Spree Chronicles — Part 9: So the smoothies here are pretty average. They blend a few fruits from the toppings bar with juice and vanilla froyo, and mine tasted fairly good but it was basic and overpriced so I wouldn’t get it again. I tried ice cream here once and it was also pretty average — nothing compared to Murray’s or Glacé, of course. The service is also not as peppy or friendly as I would hope from a dessert shop.
BUT the reason they get 4 stars: their signature snow cone with custard on the bottom is AWESOME! I don’t even like snow cones but I thought I’d still give it a try, and I’m glad I did! It’s such a unique combination that I’ve never seen being served anywhere else… you finish your snow cone and instead of sad emptiness, you get creamy custard at the bottom! Yay!!!

Fun idea at a great price!
This is something I’ve never seen at home — a snow cone shop — but I sure would like to see more of these.
We were walking to lunch and I noticed this place so I buzzed in. It was pretty quiet in there, so everyone was very helpful. I couldn’t decide what to get, but I went with a 3 flavor mix — cherry, coconut and watermelon. And, you get soft serve in the bottom. What a fun idea!
Miami Ice reminds me of something that would have been around when I was growing up and my parents would have said, «What? I’m not paying for flavored ice!»
Well, I will. It was less than $ 4 for a small and it was a perfect way to cool down on a hot day.

My kids and I loved this place. It was super clean staff was very friendly and there are so many flavors to Choose From, will definitely be heading back soon!

Friendly service, tons of flavors (tigers blood is the best) great for a hot summer day!

Not as cool as I thought it would be. My shaved ice flavors tasted synthetic. We were not impressed.

This seems to be a staple of the 39^th St. area. You have to try the Icees which comes with custard on the bottom. The flavors are very strong.

One star for bad service. Didn’t get to try anything here. We showed up at about 9:50 pm not knowing that the place closed down at 10pm. Unilocal said that they were open until 11:00. The worker apparently had a long day and was ready to close up… We were next in line but felt that our business wasn’t welcome. So we left and he closed quickly after we walked out.

After having dinner in the area, my wife and I had the sweet tooth craving and wanted Ice Cream. I checked out Unilocal first to see what they had to offer because based off of the name ‘Miami Ice’ I thought that it only served shaved ice, and while the photos look great, and the fact that they have custard at the bottom (which I have only experienced in Hawaii and it is amazing), but we were in the mood for ice cream.
When we walked in they have their custard/​ice cream options listed on the left wall and there are so many varieties that you can choose from. The staff were laid back, so there was no feeling of being rushed while you look through everything, and they are willing to let you make your own creation.
Both of us were extremely pleased with what we chose. We both got the small option in waffle cones, and when they fill the cone it does not look like, but the ice cream fills the cone all the way to the bottom so it is a delicious treat all the way to the end.
The store was clean, good music was playing, ice cream was great, and the staff was laid back and friendly. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our date night.

Custard on the bottom of a snow cone/​shaved ice. What? Yes please. Lots of ice cream/​custard flavors, and lots of toppings. Smoothies, milk shakes, and hot dogs but the highlights are the snow cones or ice cream creations. $ 5 quarts of custard during the winter was a highlight of my Thursday nights.
It’s like walking into 80’s with its pink, teal neon lights, metal chairs, palm trees, flamingos and checkered floor. Indoor seating/​outdoor seating and usually bowl of water for furry friends.
If the weather’s nice be prepared to wait in line going out the door, usually only one person taking all the orders and preparing them. Being such its impressive its not messier in appearance, but they do all right.

It’s dessert for your dessert! I love that they put soft serve custard in the bottom of a cup of shaved ice! It reminds me of gelato!
Miami Ice sits on a lovely corner and offers outdoor seating. On one of the first warm days of spring, we decided to take our children out for ice cream following an awesome burger meal at KC Smoke Burger. Miami Ice is just a few doors down.
My daughter had a cold stone blend of chocolate ice cream with oreos and whipped topping.
I had a cinnamon peach cobbler cold stone blend. Cinnamon ice cream with peaches and graham crackers.
My husband had a cherry flavored shaved ice with a custard fill at the bottom.
My son had a ½ cotton candy, ½ cake shaved ice with a custard fill at the bottom.
Can I just say there is something magical about finding that cold vanilla creaminess hiding just below the icy, fruity shaved ice!
This is a great place when you can’t come to a unanimous decision about where to go for an icy treat… there is something here for everyone.
The service was a little slow during a peak afternoon. That’s my only critical feedback, maybe hire a few more folks.

I was not expecting much… I am a big snow cone fan and I thought my tastes had changed since I usually go to little freshie with all natural local ingredients. I am pretty picky about the ice quality; I like it really fine not crunchy… That being said,
MIAMI ICE took me back to warm summer evening traditions as a little girl having a old fashioned yellow #, Red # sugary goodness with my family. Great taste, great price and friendly customer service all made this treat a winner. I will definitely be making special trips once and a while to have their snow cone with custard on the bottom!

First the disclaimer: I’ve eaten at Miami Ice, but I can’t review the signature dish, because I’ve never been crazy about snow cones, or snowballs, or shaved ice, or whatever you want to call them. Too messy, too sticky, and the syrup all runs to the bottom leaving mostly ice at the top. But I’m ranting now.
Looking for a cheap meal one gorgeous evening, we settled on polish sausages here; three of us ate for $ 15 plus tip. Nah, they’re not artisan local-​made dogs, but they’re big, all beef, juicy and tasty. All the standard non-​foodie toppings are here, including chili for a small upcharge. All that and a bag of chips is $ 4.50, I think. The patio is a great place to enjoy them and watch all the life that goes by on 39^th Street.
I didn’t think just a hot dog was enough to base a review on, so after a drink across the street, we stopped by again for dessert. In addition to Miami Ice, which appears to be shaved ice and flavoring over frozen custard, they have sundaes, shakes, concretes, and ice cream. I was next in line, completely undecided until I saw lemon custard, and it was delicious! A small is less than $ 3 and plenty big enough for me. With flavors like peanut butter and pistachio, I know I’ll be back a lot this summer!

During my recent visit to Miami Ice, I found out that they are open all through Winter. Life is complete.
Their snowcones are served with soft-​serve ice cream on the bottom. When you’re almost done with your treat, there’s a fun surprise at the bottom! There are some great Kansas City hot-​spots across the 39^th strip, and Miami Ice is another one of the places that makes that area so special.

The concept of Miami Ice is a strange one for me. I’m used to having Italian Ice with my custard but Miami Ice specializes in a Snow Cone combined with custard. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of snow cones from the start, but Miami Ice just didn’t do it for me for a couple of reasons.
Basically you choose up to four flavors on one snow cone. It’s kinda cool that they grind up the ice right in front of you and it’s nice to see them pour syrup into your ice but the flavor just isn’t there for me. Out of the three flavors I’ve tried (mango, peach, and cherry), the peach was the only one that didn’t have that artificial after taste. The peach along with the custard on the bottom was quite delicious. The mango was a close second but not as good. Cherry is what totally killed it for me. Straight up cough medicine and not even the custard could save that one.
I’m sure there are some great combinations here but I’m just not looking to try it again. I’ll stick to having Italian Ice with my custard. ²⁄₅

Wow — first foray here was a great one. Tried the shaved ice tonight but will definitely be back to try something different the next time around, perhaps some food or ice cream.
Miami Ice’s shaved ice is available in dozens of flavors — I tried Tiger’s Blood (a Charlie Sheen favorite). Still not sure what it was, definitely a tropical taste, but delicious nonetheless. The bottom of the cup of shaved ice is filled with custard, quite a different style than most shaved ice stands. Do yourself a favor and mix it up — it definitely tastes better as a combo, not one treat at a time.
The 39^th Street Volker neighborhood is a hip place already, but Miami Ice makes it that much better. Sitting on their patio enjoying this treat, I couldn’t help but think how much this area looks like some of the hipper north-​side neighborhoods in Chicago. KC continues to move up.
Top notch treats here. Don’t miss it.

A perfect spot for «summa, summa, summa timmmeee!»
Located on 39^th Street, Miami Ice offers frozen treats of all varieties including shaved ice, custard, scooped ice cream, smoothies and shakes. Their shaved ice flavorings are made with real cane sugar — no high fructose corn syrup here! — and range from pineapple to pink lemonade.
What makes Miami Ice the coolest of them all? Their shaved iced comes with frozen custard on the bottom, which takes on a creamiscle effect mid-​way through your cup. Favorite flavor combo so far: strawberry and piña colada. It combines perfectly with the vanilla custard and tastes very similar to a Miami Vice, coincidence? I think not.
For ice cream, try the S’mores mixer — vanilla ice cream, marshmallow topping, chocolate syrup and crushed graham cracker.
The guy behind the counter was the perfect guide after I walked in the door and announced I was a Miami Ice first-​timer. I received great service after hearing from other Unilocalers that it’s sometimes lacking.
At $ 2.75 for a sweet treat, I can definitely afford to be a repeat customer alllllll summer.