UPDATE: The owners have announced a grand opening date of March 9.
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Unicorns are taking over the dessert world. No birthday party is complete without a multi-layer rainbow cake topped with edible glitter and a foot-long unicorn horn — at least in certain circles.
The owners of Chills 360, the Dallas-based rolled ice cream shop with an outpost in Montrose, noticed the same thing. They decided to capitalize on the trend with a new concept called the Magical Dessert Bar. An instant smash hit in Dallas, the sweet shop will bring its perfectly Instagrammable treats to Houston in late February or early March.
“My daughter is obsessed with rainbows and unicorn things,” director of business Usman Barbar tells CultureMap. “At every party we go to, everyone was doing unicorns. We thought, why can’t we open a unicorn dessert bar?”
He quickly discovered his daughter and her friends aren't the only people who want to surround themselves with magical creatures. Barbar says that customers waited in line for up to four hours on opening day, and that the crowds have continued to come. Given the success, a Houston location became an obvious choice.
“The food scene in Houston is crazy,” Barbar says. “It’s much better than Dallas. The foodie scene is totally different.”
Magical Dessert Bar will occupy most of the space at 907 Westheimer Rd. currently devoted to Chills 360. Over the next several weeks, the space will undergo a rainbow-themed transformation with white tables, pink chairs, and unicorns on the walls. Chills 360’s rolled treats will still be available, but, let’s be honest — rolled ice cream is so 2017.
Pink hot chocolate, flavored lemonades surrounded by cotton candy clouds, boba tea, cupcakes, cake pops, and six-layer rainbow unicorn cakes will all be available.
“The most famous is the unicorn milkshake,” Barbar says. “It’s a whole meal. It comes with a slice of cake on top.”
Expect it to be as popular with the elementary school set as Truck Yard, another Dallas import, is with 20 and 30-somethings. After all, no one can resist the power of the rainbow.
Magical Dessert Bar's signature unicorn milkshake.
