Five Frozen Treat Places to Beat Houston's Heat
It takes a valiant soul to brave the heat of a Texas summer. As Houstonians, we all seek a little comfort from a cold treat on a hot day. Thankfully, our culture-rich city is home to artisans, entrepreneurs and families churning up some unique frozen commodities from scratch. I love the emphasis on local and organic that you’ll find across Houston.
1. Yeti Sunshine Shaved Ice
Snow cones go by many monikers, depending on where you are geographically. If you’ve ever had a fluffy, airy, shaved ice snowball, you will accept nothing else. Serena High-tower at Yeti Sunshine started with a cart and a used ice shaver, purchased on Craigs list. She wanted to create something truly refreshing and natural. All of her scratch-made syrups are contingent on season. Yeti’s popular Lime & Thai Basil flavor is bright in both color and flavor—paired with her Texas Strawberry, it’s pure heaven drizzled over a cloud of ice! Yeti Sunshine is available for private events. Serena plans to use the Yeti Sunshine truck for community outreach and will donate a portion of her proceeds to benefit local schools and charities.
832-916-4423
2. Aqua S. Soft Serve
Aqua S. is an elevated soft-serve experience. Every tiny detail in the décor and flavors is noted, down to the light bulbs and color of the custard. This adorable shop is tucked away in a corner of Chinatown. Yes, it’s a selfie/photo op hot spot, but Aqua S. embraces a worldly culture beyond their attractive Instagram profile. The signature Sea Salt flavor is by far the silkiest soft serve I have ever enjoyed and not overly sweet. If sweet is your thing, go ahead and get the full setup: a soft-serve cone of your choice with caramelized popcorn, cotton candy halo (aka Fairy Floss), Pop Rocks and a toasted marshmallow.
9889 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. D23
3. Popcart Ice Pops
In the summer of 2014, Rebecca Lynch was laid off from a major oil company and decided to pursue popsicles, thus Popcart Ice Pops was born. Working out of a commercial kitchen in Cypress, Rebecca prefers small-batch production and always uses whole fruit—organic and local when available. The Popcart crew even grows their own pesticide-free herbs and citrus. You won’t find anything artificial in these pops! You can’t miss the neon-green vintage popsicle cart, every Saturday at the Memorial Villages Farmers Market and Tomball Farmers Market. Try the Vietnamese Coffee or Mango Lava, but Rebecca will surely have something new and seasonal. This mom-and-pop shop will also hand-deliver to your event, school or office.
281-799-6005
4. Sweet Cup Gelato
Jasmine Chida, owner of Sweet Cup Gelato, is conquering the cold confectionery scene. After a trip to Italy nearly 10 years ago, she found her passion. Jasmine took over an abandoned ice cream shop in Montrose. I’m happy Sweet Cup moved in, because their gelato is truly authentic and she features some really fun flavors. Vanilla Bean Tres Leches Gelato is Sweet Cup’s flagship flavor, but don’t overlook any of her other 200 regularly rotating flavors, like Rose Milk, 3 Amigos and dairy-free Dirty Coconut Sorbet, just to name a few. You can get a scoop (or two) at her shops in Montrose and Oak Forest, or pick up a pint to take home from Whole Foods Market. 3939 Montrose Blvd., Ste. L;
3444 Ella Blvd., Ste. B
5. Chocolate Wasted Ice Cream Co.
Born-and-raised Houstonian Susan Garcia grew up in her grandmother’s restaurant in East End. Susan is always seeking ways to turn her experiences and cultural background into flavors. I love the stories behind her ice creams. The figs for her popular fig ice cream are sourced from one tree, which belongs to her father. The highly sought-after Mole flavor is inspired by her grandmother’s kitchen. In five years, the small bus has had four facelifts, painted by a handful of local artists. The Chocolate Wasted bus can be found on Sundays at the East End Farmers Market on Navigation and the First Saturday Art Market on 19th Street. This creamery on wheels is available for events too.
281-935-4099
6. Amy’s Ice Cream
Amy’s is an institution for ice cream cravings. We all know and love the rotating flavors and quirky staff. Unadulterated ice cream at its finest, it’s made in-house at the Houston location, tailoring to customer favorites and requests. Don’t worry about being boring if you get a scoop of Amy’s signature Mexican Vanilla: One in every five customers orders it, so you’re not alone in this love affair. Mexican Vanilla is my personal favorite, but if you want to shake things up, ask for a hand-spun milk shake, topped with homemade whipped cream.
3816 Farnham St.
