New ice cream options

Houston newest ice cream parlors: Cool off with lots of flavors, liquid nitrogen frozen treats

After a mild, rainy spring, this summer has been a hot one, including a 44-day streak of temps above 90 degrees. While staying inside with the air conditioning turned up is the most popular method of beating the heat, it couldn't hurt to sample something cool, too.

Thankfully, Houston has a number of recently-opened ice cream options to choose from. Of course, staples like Cloud 10, Fat Cat, and Hank's all continue to offer appealing confections, but a new favorite flavor may be just a scoop away.

Lee's Creamery
This new line of ice creams from Cherry Pie Hospitality offers a rotating lineup of 50 flavors. Fruit flavors like lemon-blueberry and peaches and cream taste strongly of the fruits they contain, and cookie and cake flavors like buttermilk chocolate chip contain a hefty amount of the corresponding baked goods. While owner Lee Ellis is looking for a dedicated locations, diners can choose from 12 flavors at the company Petite Sweets dessert shop in Upper Kirby or four flavors at Lee's Fried Chicken and Donuts in the Heights, where it's also available as two scoops sandwiched into a glazed doughnut.

Steel City Pops
This Birmingham, Alabama-based mini-chain recently opened its first Houston location in the Heights (it's already in Austin and DFW). The menu of Mexican-style paletas offers fruit flavors like blueberry-basil, pineapple-jalapeno, and strawberry lemonade as well as creamy flavors like avocado, chocolate, and vanilla bean, and cookie pops (ice cream with pieces of cookie); all are gluten-free. Even by ice cream shop standards, Steel City is family friendly, with a large room that's basically just for children to run around in. Flavor are vibrant, and the pops are affordable — a four-pack only costs $11.

Creamistry
Hailing from California, this chain just opened its first Houston location across from the Galleria in the Centre at Post Oak. Each order is frozen with liquid nitrogen, which reduces ice crystals, ensures a creamy texture, and provides a bit of theater as the liquid hits the bowl and evaporates. The process takes about three minutes, so expect a line at peak times. In addition to the usual flavors, Creamisty sets itself apart with cereal options like Captain Crunch and Fruity Pebbles.

Sub Zero
The Galleria isn't the only place with a recently-opened liquid nitrogen ice cream shop. In Sugar Land, international chain Sub Zero has opened near Whole Foods. With seven bases to choose from — including lactose-free, sugar-free, and vegan — and over a dozen flavors and mix-ins, the possibilities are virtually limitless. Sub Zero also offers shakes and smoothies made with liquid nitrogen.

Wsup Cafe
Chinatown remains Houston's premier destination for innovative frozen treats. A few years ago, everyone headed to Nu Cafe for shaved ice. Earlier this year, rolled iced cream at Class 502 dominated Instagram. Now, the bubble waffle trend has landed at Wsup Cafe. Just look at this picture and try not to rush out to order one.

Any day that ends with this is a great day. #wsupcafe #eggwaffle @wsupcafe

A photo posted by Chic Chick Meets Chic Eats (@chicchickeats) on

Jul 3, 2016 at 4:27pm PDT

Milkshakes, milkshakes, milkshakes
The last few months have seen a few new burger joints open across Houston, and that means new milkshake options, too. Killen's Burgers recently introduced four flavors (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and salted caramel) created by Killen's Steakhouse pastry chef Samantha Mendoza. Hopdoddy offers six flavors, and diners can combine any two together (see picture above of Orea-Chocolate Stout). In Greenway Plaza, Kuma Burgers offers a number of options include sweet corn and a seasonal fruit (currently blueberry).

Sub Zero in Sugar Land uses liquid nitrogen to whip up frozen treats.

Photo courtesy of SubZero

Sub Zero in Sugar Land uses liquid nitrogen to whip up frozen treats.

ice-cream desserts lists

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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