Miko's Italian Ice Is Coming to Irving Park: How Many Days Til Summer?

IRVING PARK — There's ice in Irving Park's forecast — not the dreaded slippery stuff of winter but the fruity frozen treat made for hot summer days.

Come June, Miko's Italian Ice is aiming to open its third Chicago location at 4125 N. Kimball Ave., pending permits, licensing and a renovation, according to owner Zach Roombos, who had teased "exciting news" in Miko's last tweet of the 2015 season.

Thank you all for another great Season. Exciting news and new flavors next year. Officially Closed for the season pic.twitter.com/l39mJdZprB

— Miko's Italian Ice (@MikosItalianIce) October 13, 2015

After years of living in Logan Square, home to the original Miko's (with another location in Wicker Park), Roombos recently moved to Irving Park and while the new shop will shorten his work commute, the choice of location has more to do with the area's demographics.

"We think that it's really up and coming," said Roombos. "It's really residential, it's dense, there are lots of families, it has a real neighborhood feel."

Residents have already rolled out the welcome wagon, he said.

When he presented his plan for the shop at a community meeting, "a woman I had never met gave me a hug," Roombos said.

And that's without tasting Miko's Italian ice, an experience one Yelp! reviewer compared to "taking your mouth to a fruity, refreshing spa."

Not to be confused with a snow cone or slushie, Italian ice is made from "real fruit, sugar and water," said Roombos.

"There's no artificial flavor or color," he said. "We try to keep it simple — we can't improve on nature."

^{Lemon, the most traditional flavor if Italian ice, is the most popular at Miko's, followed closely by coconut and mango, according to owner Zach Roombos. [Facebook/Miko's Italian Ice]}

^{Picture Miko's on the corner, 4125 N. Kimball Ave. [Google]}

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