Over the years, we’ve written about all sorts of your favorite foods in the Lake Travis area, from must-try burgers to the best pizza. In honor of summer fun, we did a round-up of the best spots for a refreshing treat.
If you’re looking for ice cream, frozen yogurt, snow ice or shaved ice, we’ve got a list of 10 places that will make your taste buds happy. And possibly give you brain freeze.
Orange Leaf
It seems like only yesterday that you were eagerly waiting for The Oaks at Lakeway to open. Do you remember the date? It was right around August 4, 2016, when “Coming Soon” signs were going up.
Two of the spots most of you were excited about made this list – Orange Leaf and Creamistry. At first, we didn’t understand why one shopping center needed two ice cream joints. Now it makes perfect sense.
Orange Leaf is a frozen yogurt shop that offers fresh ingredients and service with a smile. In addition to frozen yogurt, menu items include smoothies, shakes, cakes, and more. The store is conveniently located with two entrances, so parking is a breeze, and there’s a little courtyard next door where the kiddos can play. Plus, their reward program is easy to use and comes in handy.
Creamistry
Think of Creamistry as a chemistry project you can eat. Also located in The Oaks, this one-of-a-kind ice cream parlor lets you create made-to-order ice cream. They prepare fresh ingredients right before your eyes with a unique twist — liquid nitrogen.
This is what sets Creamistry apart from others – the options can accommodate lots of different dietary needs. You can choose from a variety of “bases” for your ice cream: Premium, Organic (non-GMO), Sorbet (non-dairy) and Coconut (non-dairy, plant-based & gluten, and egg-free).
It’s hard to beat fresh ice cream when it comes to taste. You pay more for these premium scoops, but they are quite delicious.
Bahama Buck’s
If you didn’t know, Bahama Buck’s is open for business in Bee Cave. They’re known for “the greatest Son on Earth.” This isn’t your ordinary shaved ice; it’s island-inspired Sno® — ribbons of soft, fluffy shaved ice bathed in any of their 91 proprietary flavors.
They offer shaved ice, smoothies, frostalattes, sodas, limeades, lemonades, and Paradise Fruit. You can get “Sno2Go,” and other fun finds that are also tropical and delicious. In early June, they launched their mobile SNOmobile. You can follow the joy and the flavors on their Facebook page.
SnoMo
Oh, SnoMo! You came to slay, and we died. LTers who were unfamiliar with this Taiwanese dessert are now hooked. These delicate thin strips of ice expertly shaved into long thin ribbons are just divine. SnoMo is unlike other frozen treats because it’s fluffy like fresh snow but creamy like ice cream.
You can get your snow ice flavored with fresh ingredients like almond, chocolate, coconut, coffee, Macha, Taro, and Milk Tea, to name a few. There’s also soy ice, fresh ice, tapioca puddings, smoothies, teas, coffees and a Snow Waffle that is sinfully delicious.
If you haven’t been, check out SnoMo by Finley’s Barber Shop in Lakeway Commons. The dining area is adorable, and you’ll find a large covered patio outside overlooking Yaupon Golf Course.
Frost Gelato, A Gelato Shoppe
This adorable gelato shop is located in Hill Country Galleria, and it’s a treat for all of your senses. First of all, when you walk in, you can’t believe how beautiful the display case looks. It’s like so pretty; you don’t want to mess it up.
Frost offers authentic Italian fare like gelato and sorbet. The gelato and sorbet are made from scratch daily with ingredients from Italy (except for sugar, milk and fresh fruit for the sorbet) – that’s why it’s authentic.
Plus, the machines are from Italy, including the espresso machine. The gorgeous custom display case was made in Italy. And the tables. And the chairs. Not to mention, the master gelato chef, Nazario Melchionda, is also from Italy. He taught the owners of FROST, so they perfectly replicate gelato and sorbet as though it were crafted in Italy.
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
Located in Steiner Ranch, Menchie’s has a loyal cult following. It could be the fresh, quality ingredients or the fun flavors or all of the options beyond frozen yogurt. They have delicious non-fat, low-fat, sugar-free, and gluten-free options as well, so they can accommodate almost any diet.
They offer cakes that are a hit at parties and catering if you need an extra hand. There are multiple Menchie’s located throughout Austin, and some of them offer delivery. Frozen yogurt delivered? Yes, please! The closest one to the Lake Travis area that does delivery is the Menchie’s at Lakeline Mall.
Amy’s Ice Cream
“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” Ahh, you have to love Amy’s marketing.
Austin’s one-of-kind ice cream shop is still going strong at Hill Country Galleria. Tenants may come and go, but Amy’s Ice Cream stays securely in place. Thank goodness for that. They may serve the most famous scoops in Texas.
Frozy’s Shaved Ice
Everyone’s favorite snow cone food truck is still out here in the Lake Travis area; they just moved over to 12701 Nutty Brown Road. Over the years, Frozy’s has grown to be a hometown hero and not only because they sell snow cones. They’ve raised more than $15k for local organizations since they opened in 2011.
And about the snow cones – yum! Frozy’s is proud to offer 45+ flavors made with pure cane sugar, so no high fructose corn syrup. They also have four sugar-free flavors and many dye-free flavors. As Frozy’s says, “Make it a Snowday!”
Crepeful
If you haven’t had a crepe lately, you’re in for a treat. A UT alum opened Crêpeful in the Oasis shopping center on Lake Travis. The menu at Crêpeful is Japanese inspired with all sorts of flavors, and these crêpes are portable. They’re meant to be enjoyed on-the-go. The crêpes at Crêpeful aren’t just sweet either; they’re savory too.
And you get all of the excellent lake views at The Oasis. Bonus points for that.
#10
Wait a minute, where’s #10 you ask? You tell us! We know we’ve missed someone serving up frozen treats in the Lake Travis area. Let us know in the comments section on our Facebook page.
