Detroit Water Ice Factory

Detroit water and Ice is amazing. Their selection of flavors are exceptional. The texture of the ice is really creamy, almost like ice cream… you should definitely get the root beer with soft serve, best Root Beer float you will ever have.
The other day when I stopped in they were serving breakfast… various flavors of rice pudding along with a special french toast.

I’m not a huge fan of shaved ice, but this water ice as amazing! It was super creamy and didn’t taste artificial like shaved ice does. I opted for the vanilla soft serve on top and it added to the creaminess factor. So yummy! I also like the company’s mission to help homeless Detroit citizens and the needy. I docked one star from service because the girl helping us was not friendly at all and seemed annoyed that we were there.

It’s a hyped up, overpriced slurpee. That’s nice that the proceeds go to charity, but I like to enjoy what I eat. I tasted several flavors and most of them tasted like candy flavored ice, too sweet. Didn’t taste like natural fruit to me, tasted artificial. I settled on the mango which had the most natural taste. On a very hot day it would cool you down, but I prefer Ben and Jerry’s.

Water ice not only taste phenomenal but the service is fantastic. The first time we went Mitch Albom was working behind the counter and serving customers and was so nice.
Anyone visiting Downtown Detroit needs to check this place out. And profits go to charity too!

This place just opened about a month ago and it is great! Mitch Albom is the owner and we got the chance to meet him when we dropped in over Labor Day weekend. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful! The water ice is refreshing and they offer many flavors. Me and my sisters tried the Swedish fish and lemonade flavors which were awesome!

SO Yummy!
I love the mission of the company, location, and (relatively healthier) alternative to traditional ice cream. It’s creamy and similar to sorbet, but there are TONS of flavors!
Staff was friendly, attentive, and gave excellent recommendations. I ended up getting a combo of strawberry lemonade/​salted margarita. He got the mocha flavor. We were both pleasantly surprised and satisfied.
Only $ 6, and it all goes to charity! We also saw Mitch Albom, which was pretty cool for a Tuesday night.

A refreshing summer time treat, but can be a little overwhelming. Certain flavors (coconut and mint chocolate chip) are worth the calories, while other are eh… Worth a check out though!

Delicious water ices, lots of great flavors, and friendly staff passionate about their mission! Need more? All the profits go to charity, helping orphans from Haiti. And Mitch Album, who visits the orphanage each month, was there serving customers with a humble smile. Seriously go get an ice. It’ll make you smile

Tonight was the first time I tried this treat. I had Mitch’s Chocolate Peanut Butter, and thought it was very tasty. My 6 year old daughter tried the chocolate, but it wasn’t quite to her liking. I finished it off — I liked it, but I thought the chocolate peanut butter was better. Two really great things about this place: 1) the profits all go to Mitch Albom’s SAY Detroit charity, helping out people of Detroit, and 2) Mitch Albom’s was there tonight scooping the treats. He scooped my daughter’s chocolate water ice. I look forward to enjoying some of these treats again in the future!

The water ice is delicious! There’s nice tunes playing.
Bonus — profits go to charity and you occasionally will get to meet mitch albom. Definitely worth it

I tried this for the first time last weekend and was not disappointed. Service was fast and friendly and they were willing to dole out samples for those of us who could make up their mind. I had the Strawberry Lemonade flavor, which was very tasty and refreshing without being overly sweet or artificial tasting. Plus with all profits going to charity, how can you go wrong?!

The shop is friendly and will give you samples all day long. The ices have a great texture, favor is dominated by sugar and had very little acid or fruit flavor in the strawberry lemonade or cherry. Personally not my taste but I think kids would love the high sugar taste profile.

My daughter loves this place. Every time we come downtown she asks to go there. The chocolate is her absolute favorite flavor, she also likes the lemon! It’s so refreshing and is great on a sunny day. I have had the Swedish fish and it’s amazing! I think it is so great if it’s super hot out, it’s so great!

As I am no fan of desserts made with ice, I did not have high hopes going into this place. However, I can’t help but be blown away by the smoothness and flavour of these creations. This is like Taiwanese shaved ice on steroids! It’s like silky, buttery sorbet.
Definitely try them out especially when the temperature outside rises. One suggestion would be to includes some real fruits in these. It would bring it over the top!

Great! Love Rita’s when visiting my brother out in Philly and this is just as good (better if you care about the fact that their recipe uses less sugar). We went their first weekend, everyone was very friendly. We will be back!

Want a deliciously refreshing treat that’s sweet, yet reasonably good for you? Detroit Water Ice Factory, at your service. Densely shaved ice in a variety of flavors, from chocolate to root beer to berrylicious. I had Bo’s Black Cherry Bordeaux, which has tons of large, REAL (non-​maraschino) cherry chunks in it. Your biggest issue will be committing to a flavor. Wait… you can mix more than one variety in your cup? Problem solved. YAS, Detroit!

WATER ICE? Outside of Philly? Alright!
So what is water ice? It is similar to a snow cone, but somehow, the ice crystals are much finer, and the flavor is evenly distributed throughout. The consistency is fluffier than a sorbet and usually doesn’t have pieces of fruit (but I bet that would be delicious, too)!
I ordered the kid’s size, which is still a pretty generous cup. Detroit Water Ice Factory had many flavors to choose from, including orange creamsicle, cotton candy, and watermelon. I got the chocolate peanut butter flavor, because I had only ever had fruity flavors. Now I don’t want to say I regretted my decision, but I kind of wish that I had gotten something fruity, just because the chocolate peanut butter flavor became too much for me after a few bites! You also have the option to add soft serve to your water ice, which is a very authentic way to enjoy water ice.
Either way, all the flavors I tried were super delicious, and I love the idea of having another option available for a quick treat. Particularly Downtown and within walking distance of Campus Maritus, I anticipate that Detroit Water Ice Factory will do quite well for itself in its chosen location.

I was very excited when I heard that Mitch Albom was opening up a water ice shop in Detroit. My wife has family in Philly which is where we first had it. We’ve also had a craving for Shave Ice since visiting Hawaii. This place is the real deal! I had the black cherry and Swedish fish flavors. They were both very good and the consistency was spot on. This is not snow cone type stuff. The best part of this it’s that all the proceeds go towards local charities that help at risk youth. The turn around in Detroit is starting and Mr. Albom is doing his part!

Delicious water ice flavors! I had the salted margarita and the mango. It taste like a refreshing slurpee lol. It’s awesome on a hot day, or just after dinner.

All profits go to charity, how awesome!
Water ice is a favorite from Philly (like Rita’s!), creamier than snow ice and you can add the soft serve for an even creamier texture!
Love that they have mini cups too, sometimes you just need a lil pick-​me-​up, but the best bang for your buck is at least the medium. Tried the black cherry, which I love because it’s a bit tart and has real cherries, and my friend had the mango which was also yum. I will have to return to try the Swedish Fish, Mint, and chocolate… oh my!
A great addition to the Campus Martius area, welcome!