Chamango!

TC and I were down in Otay Mesa earlier today which was a good thing because that meant I could use this coupon which was eagerly torn out from her Entertainment Coupon book fundraiser. Hell yeah man. I've heard about this place from my siblings, my nephews, and my Mexican colleagues at work. They kept talking about the Chamango and how it practicaly gave them a mouthgasm.

Teresita's is located in a strip mall right off the 805 and Palm Avenue in Otay Mesa.

Make your first right and pass KFC and it's straight ahead. This is the same strip mall that has McDonald's (although years and years ago it was a Pizza Stop restaurant) and one of the El Ranchero joints.

Teresita's is right next to the dry cleaners that I've been going to for years even though I don't live down here anymore. Loyalty to the 'hood keeps me coming back. It's also next to the liquor store that I got my first Bartles and Jaymes Coolers (damn, that's showing my age, isn't it?) to celebrate my 21st birthday. I also remember buying beers and shit for my *cough*underage*cough siblings for those uh secret parties way back when. Aah, memories of underagedrinking.

Surprisingly, there were hardly any cars there that day (it was late afternoon). I'd been told that Teresita's is always busy and it takes a long time to get your order, but looks like today was our lucky day.

It's pretty bare bones inside. There's a pony wall separating the ordering area from the tables. I thought the service was quite efficient. Not slow at all, but then again, it wasn't crowded like I was afraid it might be.

TC took these shots. She was amused by these vending machines...

Ooh, Marvel toys...

Teresita's has framed posters of their different offerings, such as their famous chamango.

So that is what we got. Two Chamangos ( 16 oz medium size was $5) with the buy one get one free coupon. Score! The 12 oz was $4 and the gluttony size Large was $6.  This was taken outside...

The Chamango comes from "Chamoy" and "Mango". Chamoy is a sauce or liquidy paste which are derived from pickled fruits (could be plum, apricot or mango) that are brined, then covered with chile powder. The taste is very salty, spicy and sweet at the same time. Think of those Li Huing Mi snack from Hawaii or those Mexican saladitos. Oh God, my mouth is watering just typing it.

Fresh ripe chunks of mango are pureed and some are left whole. The ice cold puree is layered with chamoy sauce and bits of chamoy paste and topped with chile powder.

I thought the flavor was quite intense. The fruit is really ripe which I loved. The chamoy was a bit too much for me (too salty), while TC loved it completely.  It's really a great flavor combination.

It's such a pretty looking drink and dessert at the same time. Savory and sweet. See the brown things at the top? That were dried bits of chamoy paste which later melted beautifully into the drink.

I couldn't any local bloggers who'd been here save for a couple of brief mentions, one from FoodSpotting and another from a local girl's tumblr account and lastly one from an out of town musician visiting San Diego. Here's a link to a yelp page featuring photos of other items from Teresita's which also include bionicos, watermelon diablitos, and pina smoothies.

Here are the reviews from Yelp. As you will see, there is no official website for Teresita's. It seems like everyone in the South Bay has had one of their raspados, or Diablitos and Chamangos. Well, I had to get out of the cave sometime to give it a try, right? One of my friends told me that people drive far just to get one of these. Apparently, Teresita's used to be located in the old Seafood City on Third Ave in Chula Vista. Then, when Seafood City got it's new digs on Orange Ave, all the businesses within had to go. Teresita's relocated to its current spot off Palm and the 805.

I'll have to go again and try their other stuff. I'm curious about that Diablito and the Bionico! My daughter would love that watermelon slushie too.

Are there any favorites of yours from your local fruiteria or raspados place that you'd recommend?