To anyone outside of Philadelphia, the term “water ice” might seem redundant.
For Valerie Paige, co-owner of OMG Burgers near Recreation Park, it means a frozen treat that’s synonymous with summer.
“It’s similar to shaved ice, but it’s made like ice cream,” Paige said.
That consistency helps water ice stay frozen a little longer than shaved ice, Paige said.
She and her husband, William Paige, serve the frozen treats out of a window on Seventh Street across from Woodrow Wilson High School.
OMG Burgers also serves smash burgers, patty melts and, of course, Philly Cheesesteaks with Cooper sharp cheese and fresh bread from BREAD Artisan Bakery in Santa Ana.
The cheesesteaks are $14.99, burgers are $7.99 or $8.99 for a cheeseburger and the water ices range from $4.99 to $6.99.
Valerie’s favorite flavor is OMG Sour Swirl, but she also recommends the Sour Apple or the Pineapple Sunrise.
For those craving some extra sweetness, you can order the water ice as a gelti, which is a water ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
At OMG Burgers, they changed the name to Jo-lati in honor of William Paige’s late mother.
She died shortly before the restaurant opened four months ago.
“She was really excited about this,” Valerie said.
Valerie and William decided to start the restaurant when they spotted a “for lease” sign at the property along Seventh Street near Roycroft Avenue.
They had been talking about bringing water ice to Southern California ever since the pair moved to Long Beach from Philadelphia, where William had agreed to move before the winters got the better of him.
The restaurant is within walking distance from their home and has become their de facto home six days a week.
The building isn’t perfect. Its electrical system doesn’t allow them to add a fryer to make fries, but they advise customers to walk down to the adjacent Buffalo Spot if they really can’t go without them.
The Paiges are working on renovating the front to be more inviting with a newly designed menu.
They learned the hard way that they can’t keep too much fresh bread stored inside the eatery because it grows mold in just three days.
But the limited storage space also means Valerie can get creative with some limited availability menu items.
If the supplies are available that day, she can make customers a salmon cheesesteak with broccoli, spinach, green bell pepper, onions and bean sprouts, or a hot honey chicken sandwich with much of the same.
Valerie said she’s most proud of her Mac n’ Cheese ($5.99), which is a hit every Thanksgiving and took years to perfect.
Also on the menu as sides are baked beans ($3.99), potato salad ($4.99), a Philly pretzel ($4.99), turkey chili bowl ($7.99) and chili cheese fritos ($4.99).
The name OMG Burgers comes from the Paiges’ previous venture, hosting events at a warehouse in North Long Beach.
Valerie described the decor as “like a sports bar” with pool tables and TVs for watching whatever sporting event is on.
When they weren’t using the warehouse for events, William would hang out there with his friends smoking cigars, playing pool and watching sports.
Valerie started calling the crew the “Old Man Gang” and the name stuck.
OMG Burgers and More, 4712 E. Seventh Street, is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.