It’s HOT in Austin, Texas. But ice cream, gelato, soft serve, shaved ice, acai bowls, and smoothies are here to save the day! Yes, we don’t discriminate against our cold treats here. If it’s served cold, and it can help cool us down in the Texas summer, we want it!

Thankfully, we have plenty of cold snacks, drinks, and desserts to choose from in Austin. While some of these places may have locations in other cities, the majority of these spots are local, born and raised in Austin, Texas. This list could keep you cool all summer long.

Enjoy eating through this list of 30 cold treats in Austin!

Ice Cream at Amy’s Ice Creams

Amy’s Ice Creams is a classic Austin institution. An abundance of locations around town make Amy’s easy to find. My go-to is the Mexican Vanilla with Oreos or the Sweet Cream with strawberries.

Address: 15 locations in Austin. See them here.

Soft Serve at Asahi Imports

This Japanese grocery store (the Burnet location) is the place to grab a soft-serve treat. The flavors vary but there are typically two types. Some past flavors include summer melon, peach, matcha, and black sesame.

Address: 6105 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757

Vanilla Soft Serve at Bambino

One of the only full restaurants that made the list, Bambino is where I had amazing soft serve! Just look at it! You can also order it in an affogato. A sister restaurant of L’Oca d’Oro, Bambino is known for their pizzas.

Address: 979 Springdale Rd Suite 153, Austin, TX 78702

Frozen Banana at Bananarchy

Ok, so it doesn’t look…appropriate, but believe me when I say this frozen banana dipped and topped with your choices will definitely cool you off. Chocolate and cookie crumbles, yes, please!

Address: Trailers at

• 2420 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
• 1311 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Ice Cream at Bésame

Bésame serves nostalgic flavors like cookie monster (cookie dough, chocolate chips) and my jam (pretzel and strawberry jam). This fresh-made ice cream is creative, and they have fun collaborations with other food businesses in town.

Address:

• 3901 Promontory Point Dr, Austin, TX 78744 (at Meanwhile Brewing)
• 2401 Winsted Ln, Austin, TX 78703 (at Littlefield’s)

Acai Bowl at Blenders & Bowls

Like a smoothie topped with fruit and granola, acai bowls are a refreshing and healthy cold treat. I loved the mango madness bowl.

Address:

• 3736 Bee Caves Road STE 8, Westlake Hills, TX 78746 (Westlake)
• 1625 East 6th St., Austin, TX 78702 (Eastside)
• 4200 N. Lamar Blvd. Suite 110, Austin, TX (North Lamar)

Snow Cone at Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs

This snow cone stand is open seasonally, so get it while it’s hot! Go find out what Tiger’s Blood is all about. And don’t forget the cream topping.

Address: 808 East 51st Street, Austin, TX 78751

Gelato at Cannone Gelato

Near Zilker Park is this food truck serving gelato. This truck is connected to the Italian food truck in the park nearby. Try one of their most popular flavors – chocolate – for a post-dinner treat or afternoon snack after swimming.

Address: 1720 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Ice Cream with Churros at Churro Co

Nom nom nom. Get the Date Night at Churro Co! This dish features churros tossed in popcorn sugar, topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel drizzle, and a dash of sea salt. Any of their other options can be topped with vanilla ice cream too.

Address: Trailer at 1906 South 1st Street, Austin, TX 78704; 11101 Burnet Rd # A140, Austin, TX 78758

Soft Serve at Connor’s Creamery

This trailer by the team at Garbo’s serves some delicious soft serve that can be customized with swirls and toppings. It’s located on Garbo’s patio in North Austin. I loved the blue raspberry swirl with rainbow sprinkles.

Address: 12709 N. Mopac Expressway, Austin, Texas 78727

Gelato at Dolce Neve

I never thought I liked pistachio gelato until I tasted Dolce Neve’s. This charming shop on the south side is a sweet place to stop for a snack.

Address: 1713 South 1st Street, Austin, TX 78704; 1109 East 5th Street, Suite 170, Austin, TX 78702

Egg Puffle and Drinks at Frosty Fox

One of the best places to get a bubble waffle with ice cream in Austin, Frosty Fox is a franchise shop also offering boba drinks, panna cotta, and slushies.

Address: 14005 US-183 #580, Austin, TX 78717

Rolled Ice Cream at Frozen Rolls Creamery

Have you ever had rolled ice cream? It is made fresh on freezing pans. Frozen Rolls Creamery has some delicious flavors like ube with fruity pebbles.

Address: 704 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

Vegan Ice Cream at Gati Ice Cream

If you’ve dined at Thai Fresh, you’ve probably tried their delicious dairy-free ice cream. They opened up an ice cream shop on the east side dedicated to their frozen treats and baked goods. Flavors like pandan and Thai tea will give you heart eyes! (Pictured is their ice cream dog but I recommend just getting scoops.)

Address: 1512 Holly St, Austin, TX 78702

Drinks at Gen BobaBee & Coffee House

If you’re looking for cooling boba drinks and fruit tea, try out this spot. The variety ranges from milk tea, iced tea, slushies, and smoothies.

Address:

• 10901 N Lamar Blvd A 104, Austin, TX 78753
• 1333 Shore District Dr Ste 606, Austin, TX 78741

Mangonada at Hay Elotes

This cold treat is piled so high that you’ll need a buddy to finish it. With a little bit of spice and a whole lot of cold, this treat will definitely cool you off.

Address: 2214 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702 and 1200 West Howard Lane Austin, TX 78753

Italian Ice at Jim-Jim’s Water Ice

This cold treat is similar to a sorbet: smooth, flavorful, and refreshing as it quickly melts in your mouth. Try the mango and passion fruit flavors.

Address: Order at the window at 615 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Smoothie at Juiceland

With locations around town, Juiceland will keep you cool and hydrated. Their jam-packed smoothies and juices make your taste buds happy. I love the Wundershowzen smoothie!

Address: 25 locations in the Austin area. See the locations here.

Ice Cream at KESSHŌ

If you’re looking for ice cream with Asian flavors, try this food truck. KESSHŌ started as a bean-to-bar chocolate maker, and when they made Austin their home, they expanded their food truck to also share ice cream and baked goods.

Address:

• 6726 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757
• 601 W Live Oak St, Austin, TX 78704

Mangonada at Las Mangonadas

If you like mangonada like me, stop by one of the three locations to enjoy this one. They also have other cold treats like ice cream and paletas.

Address:

• 1144 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78702
• 8776 Research Blvd suite C1, Austin, TX 78758
• 9616 N Lamar Blvd # 156, Austin, TX 78753

Ice Cream at Lick Ice Creams

My favorite thing about Lick is its unique flavor combinations made from pure ingredients. There’s always something new to try, and check out their seasonal flavors.

Address:

• 1100 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704 (South Austin)
• 6555 Burnet Road #200, Austin, TX 78757 (North Austin)
• 1905 Aldrich Street #150, Austin, TX 78723 (Mueller)

Ice Cream, Sorbet, and Popsicles at Manolis

This food truck in South Austin has a little bit of everything and it’s all made in-house. Ice cream, Italian ice, sorbet, shakes, juices, and paletas! When something has fruit in it, know that it is made from fresh produce!

Address: Trailer at 8907 Circle Dr, Austin, TX 78736

Paletas and Ice Cream at Michoacana Natural Ice Cream

This unassuming shop is a hidden gem in North Austin and provides a wide variety of sweets. There are many ice cream and paleta flavors, but know they are all made with fresh ingredients. Mango and strawberry are my go-to flavors.

Address: 9426 Parkfield Drive, Austin, TX 78758

Vegan Milkshakes at Milky Way Shakes

Edible gold stars, meringues, and glittery fruits top off these colorful milkshakes. This food trailer uses almond milk and coconut milk for its galaxy-themed creations.

Address: 2324 E Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702

Halo Halo at OKO

This Filipino restaurant has a classic dessert on its menu, and they do it very well. It has Besame’s ube ice cream with mix-ins.

Address: 1100 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Taiyaki Sundae at OMG Squee

This dessert shop in East Austin is known for its taiyaki sundaes. A crispy mochi waffle is filled with soft serve. Choose from soft-serve flavors like ube, matcha, and strawberry. They offer different flavors every month.

Address: 4607 Bolm Rd Suite A, Austin, TX 78702

Bingsu at Snowy Village 

Snowy Village serves bingsu, a Korean shaved ice topped with fruit, nuts, and jelly. They also serve smoothies, slushies, and teas.

Address: 1700 W Parmer Ln Ste. 244, Austin, TX 78727

Ice Cream at Sugar Pine

For ice cream with Asian flavors, visit this shop in North Austin. Black sesame, taro, matcha – the gang’s all here!

Address: 8578 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78758

Ice Cream at Tiny’s Milk and Cookies

This ice cream window is serving some fresh frozen treats that you will love! Their signature milk and cookies flavor features chunks of their chocolate chip cookies. The strawberry flavor is refreshing! (Ok, this is the only stretch on this list; this company originated in Houston instead of Austin.)

Address: 1515 W 35th St Building C, Austin, TX 78703

Ice Cream at Zeds Real Fruit Ice Cream

Fresh fruit ice cream is here at Zeds! They take vanilla ice cream and blend in your choice of fruit. Mango, pineapple, strawberry, and blueberry are some of your choices. Then choose a drizzle like chocolate and/or topping like toasted coconut.

Address: 1814 Harvey St, Austin, TX 78702

Honorable Mentions

While this list focuses on Austin-owned small businesses, I wanted to share a business that might not have originated in Austin but is a fan favorite.

Jeni’s Ice Creams is a popular chain from Columbus, Ohio that has locations around the U.S. They have three locations in Austin – South Congress, Domain, and Triangle. You can get ice cream flights here! Some of my favorite flavors are brown butter almond brittle, wildberry lavender, salty caramel, and brambleberry.

Andy’s Frozen Custard is originally from Missouri, but there are four franchise locations in the North Austin area. If you love concretes – frozen custard with mix-ins – you need to try this spot!

I know this list is only a taste of the abundance of cold treats in Austin. No matter how you do it, stay cool out there this summer!

Cold Treats in Austin Map

Use this handy map to find the closest place to get a cold treat.

Please note: some companies have multiple locations, so if they have more than three locations, I’ve only marked one of the locations.

Where are your favorite places for cold treats and what treats do you love? Let me know in a comment below!

P.S. Looking for more Austin food suggestions? Check out:

• Best Cupcakes in Austin
• Best Desserts in Austin
• Best Chocolate Shops in Austin

P.P.S. Still hungry? I post monthly about my food adventures in my ‘Flavors of the Month’ series and showcase Austin restaurants in ‘Austin Eats’ features.

The post 30 Best Cold Treats in Austin – Ice Cream, Soft Serve, and More appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Summer time means lots of cold treats (mostly ice cream) and seafood! In August I went to one of my favorite foodie events in Austin, tried a famed burger, a new bbq trailer, and a new brewery!

Bites at Pay It Forward
The Pay It Forward with Daniel Curtis event has been one of my favorite annual “sip and stroll” events in Austin. It benefits the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation and includes an A-list lineup of restaurants.

Soft Serve at Sweet Daze Dessert Bar (Dallas)
I didn’t try many new places on this month’s 24-hr trip to Dallas but we did wait in line for late-night soft serve at this buzz worthy ice cream shop. Sadly, they were out of their “designer donuts” but they had ube (purple yam) soft serve. It’s Insta-worthy for a good reason!

Ice Cream at Heritage Creamery (Waco)
We stopped in Waco for some ice cream when coming back from Dallas and happily enjoyed cookie crumble cones. SO GOOD. It’s going to be very hard not making this a regular stop on the Dallas/Austin road trip.

Fish Taco Tuesday at Quality Seafood
Quality Seafood has a wide selection of fish and Tuesdays means fish tacos. They weren’t my favorite but they were still good. I got two tacos – grilled shrimp and blackened black drum fish.

Thai-Style Ice Cream at Holla Mode
While Holla Mode has two locations, their 45th Street location only serves dairy-free coconut milk ice cream. I opted for Oreos and fresh strawberries. For now I like Ice Scrapers more but I’ll have to give a final word after I try Holla Mode’s dairy ice cream. [See this post for more of my favorite cold desserts in Austin.]

Beef Cheek Sandwich with Kimchi at LeRoy and Lewis
This dish was disappointingly a bust for me but the bite of my friend’s mac-and-cheese stuffed quail was great. I’m looking forward to giving them another try.

New England Seafood Bake at The Bonneville with Harpoon Brewery
I had such a fun time at this special event at The Bonneville with Harpoon Brewery! We ate clam chowder, clam steamers, whole lobster, and Boston Crème Pie paired with four of Harpoon Brewery’s beers. My favorite beer was the Camp Wannamango, a mango pale ale that was divine! Harpoon Brewery is from Boston, so it was fun trying their beers!

Burger at Café No Se
I love a juicy burger! This one at Café No Se did not disappoint! I also love the pastries here. Kouign amann is my go-to but the croissants are great too.

Breakfast at Elizabeth St. Café
Speaking of pastries, I also love them at Elizabeth St. Café. On this occasion, I tried the ham and gruyere croissant and it is now easily my go-to dish. I liked their version of the beignet also.

Happy Hour at Chicon
For August’s Austin Food Blogger Alliance Happy Hour, we met up at Chicon. They spoiled us with complimentary drinks and an array of snacks, including charred avocado with pickled beet mayo and kale kurikake, carrot hummus, smoked trout dip, and Szechuan chicken wings. I want to go back for a full plate of charred avocado!

Homemade Rum Cake
Ever since Boyfriend came back from the Bahamas with a souvenir rum cake and I got a taste of that deliciousness, I’ve been dreaming about rum cake. Well, I finally made it! And it was AMAZING! MOIST.

Pizza at Little Deli & Pizza
It’s been a while since I’ve been there but now I can’t believe it’s been so long because it is fantastic! I enjoyed a slice of pepperoni and mushroom, a Greek salad, and a shortbread cookie. Nomnomnom. I would say it’s a best-kept secret, especially since it’s tucked into the neighborhood but everyone in the neighborhood knows how good it is; it was packed!

Craft Beers at Hi Sign Brewing
Surprisingly, the IPAs weren’t my absolute favorite on the day we visited Hi Sign Brewing. It was viciously hot outside, so the Blonde Ale was more my speed. They do have a strong double IPA and a fruited blonde ale. They also have wall art by one of my favorite Austin artists, Mike Johnston. Yes, Jay-Z as an astronaut.

Lunch at Clark’s Oyster Bar
We popped into Clark’s one weekend while we were in the neighborhood. It was around 3 pm, a weird hour for food, but it was packed! Since only their cold menu was available, we enjoyed fresh oysters, ceviche, and beef tartare, all very good! If you like seafood, you should give this place a try.

Mochi Bar at Whole Foods
Is this a dream or what?! Whole Foods in Austin now has a mochi bar where you can fill up a container and pay per ball. Yep, it’s as good as it sounds. For those unfamiliar, mochi ice cream is a glutinous flour wrapped around ice cream. The outside is a bit chewy. My favorite flavors were pineapple coconut, strawberry, and green tea. I also tried salted caramel and vanilla.

Lunch at Pizzeria Sorellina
This heirloom tomato dish changed my life! It’s got coconut “stracciatella” cheese, green coriander vinaigrette, and shaved serrano chili. The tomato flavors were vibrant and strong, and I never thought tomatoes could taste this way. We also tried a margherita pizza and the panna cotta with marinated watermelon. That heirloom tomato salad though. I would travel for that!

Try any new restaurants lately? Have a recipe I should try? Comment below!

P.S. What’s on your food bucket list? Check out what some of my favorite foodies had to say.

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Flavors of the Month: August 2017 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Fried Chi’ken Sandwich at Chi’lantro
My friend Aaron sent me a promotional photo of this chicken sandwich and I responded with tell me when. A few hours later we were at Chi’lantro having dinner and splitting a burger and the limited edition chi’ken sandwich. It was a party in my mouth and I don’t usually say that about savory food. The crispy breading was so light. They should put this on the menu permanently.

Horchata and Peaches with Rosemary Scoops at Lick Honest Ice Creams
One of my favorite dessert spots, Lick, opened a new location up north! I HAD to try their horchata (because I love drinking it) and their peaches with rosemary (because peaches). I loved both! Also, it was my first time trying their waffle cone and exclamation marks! If this were how everyone did waffle cones, I wouldn’t have disliked them. Their cone is more like a vanilla wafer instead of tasteless cardboard, which is what I usually associate with waffle cones. I’ll be getting those from now on!

Bites at Pay It Forward
I got to attend the Pay It Forward with Daniel Curtis event (thanks, work!) and ate many fantastic bites. This Peaches and Mascarpone from Olive and June was one of my favorites.

Brie and Fruit Board at Dolce Vita
Happy hour at Dolce Vita is great! This plentiful brie and fruit board was $4. They also have drink specials and other food options.

Homemade Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler
Family dinner is one of my favorite activities because my friend and her BF (who happens to be my BF’s brother) and my BF and I all get together to make dinner and hang out. This dessert was a group decision because it needed to be gluten-free, I wanted peaches (surprise, surprise) and my BF loves cobbler. As I mentioned on Instagram, it disappeared pretty quickly. What I didn’t mention is my BF ate half of it himself. Ha! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it.

Thai Meatloaf and Home Fried Chicken at Kin and Comfort
We’ve gone to Kin and Comfort a bunch this year because it’s so darn close and so darn good. My favorite dish is the Thai Meatloaf and we also tried the Home Fried Chicken.

Cold Meat Board at Dai Due
We went to lunch at Dai Due for my boss’ birthday. We were all looking forward to trying it because of all the great press the restaurant has been getting this year. We started with the Cold Meat Board, which had a variety of pate, rillette, sausage and slices. I thought this was the high point of the meal because the meats all tasted great! Each meat was unique in its own way. For the entrée, I had the American Breakfast (eggs, venison sausage, potatoes, biscuit) and my co-workers ordered the Pastrami Sandwich and Chili Hot Dog. For dessert we had the Pear Upside-Down Cake with Hoja Santa Ice Cream and the Caramel Tart.

Homemade Pavlova
I hadn’t heard of pavlovas until I saw the Camille Styles recipe. I made it for my DIY Marbling Party and it was pretty and delicious! Find more photos and the recipe in this post.

What yummy things have you been eating lately?

The post Flavors of the Month: August 2015 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Sweet Potato Hash
As I mentioned in the February Flavors post, Boyfriend and I have lots of fun with weekend breakfast. This sweet potato hash with kale, mushrooms, bacon and an egg on top was the bomb.

Pho Dan
We had some chillier days at the beginning of the month, so a bowl of pho was what I craved. This one with brisket and meatballs is one of my favorites.

Spun Ice Cream
Coming soon to Austin is this liquid nitrogen ice cream shop and they had a demo at a SXSW event. The owners are super fun and really know their flavors and the process. The one we tried was themed to the BBQ event: buttermilk ice cream with bacon fat powder, pickle glass, and cornbread nuggets. Yum!

Fennel, Celery, and Pine Nuts Salad
After Fennel Night, Boyfriend had leftover fennel, so we decided to experiment with a new salad recipe. I loved this recipe! It was crunchy, light, refreshing and flavorful. It’s simple too: cut up fennel and celery to your desired proportions, mix in lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkle roasted pine nuts on top.

Little Barrel and Brown
I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this restaurant before a friend posted a photo a few weeks before I went. Dinner was fantastic. I enjoyed bites of the cheese fries, chicken liver toast, kale salad, beer-battered shrimp, Parmesan truffle fries and the steak. My entree – the buttermilk fried chicken – was delicious. I loved the apple pie with fennel ice cream dessert: crisp apple pie, slightly sweet ice cream, sweet icing and the caramel were perfect.

The Modular
I grabbed a quick bite at The Modular, a food trailer from Houston, in the SouthBites Trailer Park before a SXSW session. These pork dumplings were great.

Jeni’s Ice Creams
I knew this Los Angeles-based ice cream shop was in town at the SouthBites Trailer Park and had to try it again. Two delicious scoops: salted caramel and peanut butter chocolate chip. You can get the ice cream in grocery stores across the country or you can buy pints online.

JuiceAustin
Also in the SouthBites Trailer park was JuiceAustin and I’m glad I got to finally try them. I enjoyed the limited edition Watermelon Crawl: watermelon, mint, lime, and pink sea salt.

Blackbird & Henry
This was a pretty way to end lunch: cheesecake with blueberry compote and ginger snaps.

Bribery Bakery
As I mentioned in the last Captivations post, I’m excited that Bribery Bakery is open. I stopped myself from getting one of everything when I visited and picked up: a pineapple blondie; potato, ham, & Parmesan egg cup; strawberry lemon cake; spinach, tomato and feta quiche; and a big ole cinnamon roll. I highly recommend the blondie!

I also ate lots of delicious things in Costa Rica this month. I’ll share all of the things we ate and drank in an upcoming post!

The post Flavors of the Month: March 2015 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.