Every morning, we send you a free email packed with Austin news, business, and entertainment. Join 16,000+ readers who wake up to Austonia's newsletter.
Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed
(Gati/Instagram)
In Texas, ice cream is a must every time summer rolls around. With an abundance of cows and locally-grown produce, it is no wonder Texans love their ice cream so much.
Austin has some excellent small-batch creameries, so here are seven to get you started.
For the classic Austin scoop: Amy’s Ice Creams
If you haven't had Amy's yet, you haven't experienced everything Austin has to offer. With a dozen locations and over 350 rotating flavors, Amy's is the handcrafted, acrobatic ice cream of Austin. Amy's has been serving Austinites since 1984 and Amy's employees have been tossing and catching scoops for entertainment for almost as long. Mexican Vanilla is Amy's world-famous flavor but you can also branch out with flavors like Butter Beer, Chocolate Triple Berry Tres Leches and Mango Habanero.
For a sophisticated scoop: Lick Honest Ice Creams
The owners of Lick Honest Ice Creams believe that ice shouldn't just taste good, it should be good. All Lick claims to use the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients, meaning no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or preservatives. As a result of using local ingredients, Lick has a large selection of unique, in-season, rotating flavors. Goat Cheese, Thyme & Honey, and Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint are staples in store but you can only get Honeyed Peaches with Rosemary or Lemon Lavender while the season lasts!
For an all-new flavor: DipDipDip ice cream
Soy sauce, crispy fried parsnips, shiitake mushrooms and black pepper are probably not ingredients you would normally put in your ice cream, but DipDipDip ice cream is fixing that. Brought to Austin by the minds behind Ramen Tatsu-Ya and known for its hyper-unique, umami-filled flavors like "Shroom of Doom," a chocolate-caramel-shiitake hybrid, and Miso PB&J, with plum jelly and miso brioche croutons, this ice cream is unlike anything you have ever had.
For an inclusive cone: Thai Fresh
Creating a cream that nearly everyone can comfortably eat, all of Thai Fresh's coconut milk-based flavors are vegan and served with traditional sweet sticky rice. The nearly two dozen handcrafted flavors are usually made with fewer than four ingredients and range from well-loved, like Texas peach and coconut lime, to more adventurous fare, like Golden Milk Turmeric, Black Sticky Rice Horchata and Texas Corn. If that still isn't different enough for your liking, Thai Fresh's spin-off ice cream joint, Gati, houses even more flavors like Coconut Ash, Thai Tea and Japanese Red Bean.
For an elevated ice cream sandwich: Baked Bear
The cookies in your ice cream sandwich are no longer just a vessel for ice cream, they are the main attraction if you visit Baked Bear. This choose-it-yourself establishment has you choose from one of a dozen original cookie flavors to sandwich around one of 13 ice cream flavors from the classic Mint Chip to the daring Blackberry Crumble or Toasted S'Mores. Once you've got the basics picked out, roll it in sprinkles, nutella, fruity pebbles and more "toppings." You'll never look at an ice cream sandwich the same way again.
For a simple soft serve cone: Connor’s Creamery
Bring on the soft serve nostalgia with Connor's Creamery truck, which offers a classic soft cone with a twist: eight different swirl flavors. Starting with a traditional vanilla base, you can swirl in bubble gum, butter pecan, chocolate, banana, strawberry, pineapple, blue raspberry or tropical orange before you cover it in toppings to your heart's delight. The truck is always on the move but you'll have better luck catching it using its calendar tool before it hits the road again.
For ice cream’s Italian cousin: Gelateria Gemelli
After traveling to Italy to learn how to make traditional gelato, ice cream's lighter relative, from the pros, Gelateria Gemelli owner Andrew Sabola offers traditional flavors, fresh variations and bougie cocktails. Fresh Strawberry Buttermilk, Earl Grey and Lemon Curd are just a few of the creamy flavors Gemelli offers but you can also get a classic Negroni or Sgroppino to drink when you stop by.
- Food exclusive and special to Austin, Texas - austonia ›
- 4/20 friendly: 7 Austin eateries celebrating April 20 in style - austonia ›
- Austin food under $10, cheap eats that are delicious - austonia ›
- 9 unique and weird foods to try in Austin - austonia ›
- 5 new Austin eats for you to try this summer - austonia ›
- 100 degree heat sweeping Austin all week long July 2021 - austonia ›
Popular
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police have charged Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, a local cyclist, for the murder of Moriah "Mo" Wilson.
Wilson, a rising star in the gravel and mountain bike community, was found dead with gunshot wounds inside an East Austin home on the night of May 11 when she was in town for the weekend Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas.
Police believe Wilson was having a relationship with a man Armstrong was also in a relationship with. The man, another gravel cyclist, Colin Strickland, has since issued a statement on the murder.
In his statement, he said he had a brief romantic relationship with Wilson in October 2021 before he resumed his relationship with Armstrong, but that he remained friends with Wilson. "There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime. I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy.
NEW: Austin professional cyclist Colin Strickland has just released a statement about the murder of cyclist Moriah Wilson, clarifying his relationship with her and expressing “torture about my proximity to this horrible crime.” pic.twitter.com/KnIna3mWrE
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 20, 2022
Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native living in Colorado, had won a slew of races becoming a fan favorite. She had just become a full-time racer this year.
Anyone with information on this crime can contact Austin police at 512-974-TIPS or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.
- Star biker Moriah Wilson found dead in Austin home - austonia ›
- Man killed in north Austin shooting - austonia ›
- 1996 Californian cold case: Murder suspect arrested in Austin ... ›
Kelly said the planned homeless housing hotel suffered months of damage. (Mackenzie Kelly)
Austin has added 24-hour security to the city-owned Pecan Gardens property, which will be converted into supportive housing for people exiting homelessness, after the former hotel was found with months of damage and vandalism May 5.
The building, which was broken into and stripped of copper and had people illegally sleeping inside of it, has been secured, Kelly said in a Friday press conference. Kelly said the city confirmed a measure to implement 24-hour security, including updates every 60 days until the property opens up as supportive housing.
"We cannot let this happen to any vacant city-owned property ever again," Kelly said. "This blatant act of disregard and criminal behavior will not be tolerated in our community."
The city bought the former hotel in August 2021 for $9.5 million with plans to renovate the property into a 78-unit supportive housing property. Those 55 or older that are experiencing chronic homelessness can qualify to live at the site once it is completed in late 2022-early 2023.
While the council was set to discuss a $4 million deal with Family Eldercare to begin converting the property Thursday, Kelly pulled the item for a later executive session due to security concerns. But the council did approve an item to authorize city leaders to begin negotiating other renovation contracts.
"I want to thank my colleagues for pumping the brakes on this contract and realizing that we owe the community not only an apology, but reassurance that the protection of the assets the city owns is vital to the success of achieving our intended goals," Kelly said.
When the building was found vandalized May 5, Kelly, who presides over the district containing the property, said damage included:
- Damage spanning all three floors of the building and is in nearly every room.
- The entire hotel was stripped of copper.
- Destroyed washers, dryers, air conditioners and electrical wiring.
- People sleeping at the hotel without permission.
On Tuesday, Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Gray apologized and said there was no security due to a delay in processing the request.
- City Council approves purchase of Northwest Austin hotel for ... ›
- Austinites weigh in on city's homeless hotel housing strategy ... ›
- Officer apologizes after break-in at homeless hotel vandalized ... ›
