Many people in the Bay Area may not have heard the hype about the Mexican ceviche chain Mango Crazy, but it has been expanding like crazy throughout the pandemic. When most businesses were struggling, Mango Crazy seemed to be capitalizing.
Mango Crazy now has 14 locations in Central and Northern California, and they just opened their second and third Bay Area locations this month. One is in South San Jose at 5892 Santa Teresa Blvd. The other is in Campbell at 475 E. Campbell Ave. The chain also has a shop near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (51 Jefferson St.) which opened in early 2019.
Mango Crazy co-owner Larry Rivera spoke to the Mercury News last week about the chain’s menu. “It’s Mexican street food brought to mainstream America,” Rivera says. The menu centers on fresh mango, which Rivera says gets purchased from farmers in California or in South America. And the menu delivers both sweet and savory offerings.
On the sweeter side, their biggest seller is the Mangonada, which is loaded with fresh mango, along with their homemade mango sorbet, mango nectar, their signature hot sauce, and other toppings. They also offer more traditional favorites like shakes and smoothies, fruit cups, and pineapples filled with fruit.
As for their food, Mango Crazy’s shrimp ceviche is the hottest seller.
“Our ceviche changed a few times until we felt it was perfect,” Rivera told Mercury News. Other unique items include Churroslokos, Flour Chicharron, and Corn in a Cup.
“We developed our menu with much customer feedback. We catered to their taste buds. For example, the Mangonada has been around for quite some time, but our twist makes the difference,” Rivera says.
Several of the newest Mango Crazy shops were opened during the height of the pandemic. Many of the locations opened in spaces that had been occupied by “Rita’s Ice” stores. “The Rita’s franchises were available for purchase and it fits our concept. It was an easy decision for us to accumulate as many as possible while the deals were present,” Rivera told Mercury News.
If you want to try out the menu at Mango Crazy, the Fisherman's Wharf location and the two new South Bay locations are all open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
