Nu Cafe
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Everyone knows and loves Nu cafe--and for good reason. We got the standard strawberry w/ strawberries on the side and whipped cream/condensed milk. Overall 5/5
We got the peanut butter mountain sized shaved ice for $9. It was such a great deal given the size and the two toppings. The shaved ice was quite flavorful and the peanut butter flavor was pretty strong.
Yummy shaved ice with quick service! The place has plenty of seating and combinations for your shaved ice. I do wish we were able to get more mango toppings with our shaved ice. Otherwise the mountain size is perfect for two people.
The shaved ice was amazing, it literally melts in your mouth. Tried the taro milk tea for the first time, it was great. The boba not really a fan of it. Def would go again for a light dessert! Def recommend!
Came in on a Friday evening around 10pm, place was pretty packed and we got the last seats. Food 6/5: we got the Taro shaved ice with banana, strawberries, mochi and dulce de leche. All of it tasted amazing. Service 3/5: super busy, really slow, took 15 minutes for it to come out Ambiance 2:5: pretty run down looking with metal chairs and dirty tables Value 4/5: pretty good value given how good it was Overall 4/5: I heavily weighed food in my rating since it's purely a dessert place and given the price, my expectations for service and ambiance were lower. Given how good it was, would come back again so didn't seem right to give it a lower rating Parking: massive parking lot that's super busy on weekends and can be difficult to find parking. Don't be the jerk that stops right next to the entrance waiting for a spot and no one else can get into the plaza
A Chinatown classic! I've been going here for years for a refreshing sweet treat that's great to share amongst friends. You get a paper slip to order and customize your shaved ice to your liking, so it's hard to leave feeling disappointed when there's enough flavors and toppings to cater to everyone's tastes. The last time I went I got the matcha shaved ice with strawberries and Oreos. It's on the sweeter side of matcha but still enjoyable nonetheless. Definitely share a mountain size with at least four people.
If you're in Houston and haven't been to Nu Cafe yet, stop what you're doing and go! Seriously, this place is a gem. First of all, their shaved ice cream is so good it might ruin regular ice cream for you. It's creamy, fluffy, and melts in your mouth like a snowflake of happiness. They have all these fun flavors and toppings, and somehow everything just works. I don't know if there's magic involved, but I'm not questioning it. The owner? Absolute sweetheart. You know when someone is so nice you just want to be their best friend? That's the vibe here. They're warm, welcoming, and make you feel like you're hanging out at a friend's house--except your friend happens to serve incredible desserts. And can we talk about how clean this place is? Like, sparkling clean. You could probably eat off the floor (don't, though). It's also super spacious, so you're not awkwardly bumping into strangers while trying to enjoy your boba. The lighting is perfect--not too dim, not blinding, just bright enough to remind you you're living your best life. All in all, Nu Cafe is the kind of place you'll go back to again and again because it just makes you happy. Plus, who doesn't want a shaved ice cream snowflake of happiness?
I love all types of ice cream treats so I knew I wanted to give this spot a try! the shaved ice is amazing, lots of flavor and the matcha one is SO GOOD! I highly recommend! My only gripe was the boba topping! The syrup was very sweet and made the dessert a little too sweet for me, so I would recommend not getting the boba topping in ur dessert! I took a star off because the ambience and service was not very good..this place gets very busy easily and as a result it can be a very long wait to get ur dessert! I waited about 20 minutes for mine, it was also just very loud because of the amount of people! They usually shout out your name when your order is ready but it can be hard to hear because of how loud everyone is.. I would recommend going during the day and not weekend evenings as that's when it's most packed!
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to shaved ice and have been hesitant to try something that looks more like ice cream. But today was the day! Yes, it's definitely creamier than ice but it still has ice crystals in the smooth texture, so you still get the feel of shaved ice. I was even more intrigued after reading their story on the wall about how all their ice blocks are made of fresh ingredients, not powder. I got the lychee hill with watermelon topping + condensed milk. Great flavor and definitely didn't need the condensed milk. Glad I finally decided to give it a try after walking past it hundreds of times! Want to try more of their flavors now that I know it's all fresh ingredients.
This shaved ice was pretty good and the green tea flavor was exactly was I was hoping for. The boba was very chewy and soft which I loved. It came out so quick too. The ambiance was very family friendly and cheerful. I would come here again for a sweet treat.
Can't go wrong with a mountain of shaved ice with jelly and actual fruit. went to @nuiceus which is a Taiwanese Cafe serving "Nu Ice" which is a cross between shaved ice and Gelato. we ordered the Lychee flavored with Lychee jelly and pieces of Mango. overall it was delicious, the texture did actually feel like a cross between shaved ice and Gelato. overall a great spot
This is one of those must try places. It is not a shaved ice, ice cream or yogurt. It has a light creamy texture all its own. It comes in a hill size and a mountain size. The hill is big enough for two. They also have Boba teas here. The King Kong is my Favorite. Feel free to ask questions, the staff is very helpful and know this place is different that you may need help with your choice. It can be quite busy but the line always moves quickly.
Nu Cafe has been a personal favorite for shaved ice! The ordering process is very fast! You'll just need to fill out a small slip to designate and customize your order for the base and toppings. We try there matcha base and coconut based shaved ice with drizzles of condensed milk and mango respectively. I really enjoy the consistency of their shaved ice because it carries a very fluffy, light, and airy texture unlike other shaved ice cafes. The flavor is well imparted and on point. The base flavor is done well and not overly too overpowering so that your drizzle and toppings help highlight the flavors of the dessert in between bites. This is definitely a major standout and I look forward to coming back! As far as room goes, there's a decent amount of tables and chairs that aren't too highly contested. But sometimes you may have to be a little patient on super busy weekends. But this is usually not an issue.
4 years ago
Been here a million times, always busy on the weekends but you can find a table if you wait a bit. They have clipboards with paper menus, pick here or to go, size, snow, toppings, and drizzle. It's always good, the snow is very flavorful and the toppings are numerous. Highly recommended, my fav snow in town! read more
2 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Thank you, Celine! We're thrilled you enjoyed our service and…
6 years ago
1st time visit and was not disappointed, good afternoon treats and some of best tasting we had . Definitely recommend read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
Richard, first impressions are everything, and we're thrilled we left…
4 years ago
If you're looking for something refreshing then this place was perfect. Shaved ice wasn't too overwhelmingly sweet, which I liked. Strawberries could've been sweeter, maybe it's just not the right season for it. Great service. Very quick to get our food. Normal ambiance, chill quiet vibe inside. read more
3 years ago
Went to Chinatown on a busy Saturday, everywhere was packed. Luckily, found a table at Nu Cafe. Table was dirty, but staff cleaned it when we asked. Tried mango and salted caramel shaved ice, both were good. Friend said the oreo topping felt old, but I didn't notice. Flavors were great, would go back again. read more
4 years ago
Shaved ice here was good, we both ordered hills. Durian with lychee jelly & condensed milk drizzle & strawberry with watermelon & mango drizzle. read more
When you're down and feeling BLU And your girlfriends all dumped YU As did your boyfriends and transfriends TU It's time to look for something NU Instead of moping, feeling DOWN Get your ass to ChinaTOWN One taste will erase your FROWN Cause it's the best dessert AROUND Bring along a friend or TU Or some dude you barely KNU Or the old woman next door who has the FLU Just like she has since 92 And if you have no friends or CRU And you want company but can't think WHU Bring me, and if you don't like it (or if you DU) Then I promise I'll make out with YU WHAT I asked to use the bathroom, but they told me to go nextdoor instead to "Loo Cafe." I asked if they had any by the hour rooms in the back, they said to go to "Screw Cafe." I asked if they had any mansions full of blonde girls a quarter of my age, they told me to go to "Hugh Cafe." What to get: Salted Caramel shaved ice with Flan and Mochi and Caramel drizzle, or anything that takes your fancy. Where is it: It's in Dun Huang, and if you like shaved ice desserts, then Dun Huang out in Dun Huang without trying this. I asked if they had any dessert, they said no. I'm renaming it "Untru Cafe." I got a little angry and ended up in a sticky situation, so it was Glue Cafe. But I got out of it. Whew Cafe. I have had many many snow ice snow cream shaved ice type Asian desserts all over the east coast and the Midwest and at other places in the country. I have never had one as good as Nu Ice and their partner business - Nu Cafe in Chinatown - which is what this review is about. Technically I think it's ribbon ice, but I'm not counting. Unlike that Transylvanian dude on Sesame Street. The first time I came here I got so excited, that parts of me "Grew Cafe." I'm not gonna tell you how many times I've been aroused by these desserts, but it's a "Few Cafe." It's so good that it gets my girl very very excited. She calls it "Goo Cafe" - not sure why. Er. They are the absolute gold standard for this form of dessert. The SnoCream Bus (no longer a bus) in Northern Virginia is one of the runner ups, and used to be my favorite because of its uniqueness before it moved off the bus. But for product alone these two cafes are the very best. They also both have late opening hours and extremely friendly employees. There's always a long line (Queue Cafe). Probably because the employees talk too much. The servers are always like "I'm from China HBU?" "I'm 23 HBU?" "I'm a student at Rice HBU?" I'm considering renaming it "HBU Cafe." They have an eclectic extensive menu which features lots of crazy drinks, but I highly recommend staying away from those drinks, because they are really nowhere near as good as some of the bubble tea places around here (Cha Boba in League City being the best, and Tapioca Place, Sharetea, and so many others, being good too), whereas the incredible snow ice shaved ice desserts are both enormous and great value for money. Not to mention absolutely delicious. Every flavor I've had has been great, especially the lychee and the incredibly wonderful salted caramel flavour. The Mango is also great with all the mango toppings. Anyway so one time I ordered here and while waiting, Travolta and Nic Cage came sliding into the room, in slow motion, shooting various semi-automatic weapons at each other, but failing to hit each other (or anything). They must have been firing blanks (your boyfriend knows all about that, lucky for you, your Daddy didn't). So anyway, for that night only, it was "John Woo Cafe." Make sure you make sure you try Mochi as a topping and some salted caramel drizzle. The sizes are really enormous so watch out. Speaking of enormous, I have to go, I have a play date. I also adore the Flan topping. And any of the puddings. Puddings work much better as shaved ice toppings, rather than bubble tea sinkers. I gained 10 lbs since coming here regularly. I rue the day I ever discovered it. I might rename it "Rue Cafe." I'll let the adult star finish this review, since for once she doesn't have her mouth full. (Of Nu Cafe, there was no other implication there get your mind out of the Chinatown gutter). "Nu Ice is so good! I love the lychee ice with lychee drizzle and mochi topping! The small portion gives you a generous serving of shaved ice. I can't speak to the drinks. The shaved ice is amazing!" I asked if they sold rain dances, and they redirected me to Sioux Cafe. The only issue is that sometimes the ribbon ice goes right through you, which is why it's also known as "Dudu Cafe" or "Omfgineedtopu Cafe." read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
7 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Our coffee flavor is a great way to add a delicious little pep to our…
Mango flavor. Wasn't bad. Never was like "daaayyyuumm". It was just, good. I also had Jasmine tea with tapioca. And also. Eh. Didn't have a clean taste. It was good. But not impressed. It's a cute small place definitely. The ice shaver machine is cool as hell. But didn't wow me like I would have liked. read more
3 years ago
This place is all about the shaved ice! Their shaved ice is so unique and different, great vibe and great service. Flavors were excellent! We had a green tea mountain with lychee poppers and mochi. And a mango shaved ice mountain with mango and mochi. Both were awesome!!! read more
3 years ago
I absolutely love the way nu cafe makes their shaved ice. I'm a long time customer and have been going for years. It's manages somehow be so creamy, yet not so icee and also full of flavor. I always get a big size of their shaved ice and share amongst friends. I also very much enjoy their strawberry splat drink. If you're a fan of sweet drinks with strawberry, egg pudding and tapioca this is the drink for you. Overall I will continue to be a loyal customer and trying more of their desserts. Next time I'm very interested in trying their crepes! read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
It's always lovely to hear from long-time customers like you, Thione!…
3 years ago
Tried going back to Nu Cafe after a long time, hoping to relive my childhood favorites. Unfortunately this hope didn't last for long. After filling out the sheet for my order, me and my friend stood at the counter for a whole minute just to find out the worker was sitting behind the food display, not saying a single word, showing she doesn't care for her job. Once she finally got up and took our sheet, I saw a nasty ass roach run across the counter. The lady taking our order saw the roach and decided to try and hide it and disregard it. There were many signs that we should've left this place. Our shaved ice didn't take long to make, however the strawberries were browning and completely frozen. The marshmallows were also quite stale, hard, and just overall shit. It's obvious they left these out for way too long. Would not come back. read more
3 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Dear Kathleen, thrilled to hear you enjoyed our unique ice-cream and…
3 years ago
9 years ago
While waiting for our foot massages in Chinatown my fiancée and I walked around and stumbled on Nu Cafe. There was a line out the door so we figured this was the place to get some boba and shaved snow. First, the shaved snow is phenomenal here. Instead of adding the flavor over the ice, Nu Cafe puts the flavor in the ice first making it pure awesomeness. Second, the varieties and flavor are practically unlimited and a bit overwhelming. We asked our order taker what she recommends and she gave us the most popular choices. She didn't disappoint! My fiancée tried the vanilla shaved snow with condensed milk over the top and crushed Oreo's on the side. Shaved snow comes in 2 sizes: Hill for $5 or Mountain for $7. The hill was huge and more than enough for both of us to share. Their smoothies and shakes are extremely tasty too. I had a coconut ice milk smoothie with honey boba added. There were bits of different tropical fruit inside. Size was large for $5 (added boba was .50 more). Highly recommend Nu Cafe. The pickiest person can find something they like here. read more
2 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Pankti! We're glad you enjoyed the…
4 years ago
Viet coffee was just ok. Presentation of the shaved ice cream was cute. I personally don't like shaved ice cream but I this place was 7/10. Not sure if the AC was on but it was a bit too warm for us to sit and enjoy it. read more
7 years ago
First time having this type of ice cream ! My husband and I really enjoyed it ! I like how you order on a small clip board and the size you get ! Perfect to share ! My only negative was they the pineapples were either canned or old and were not appetizing other then that I had no issues. It was so good my husband wanted to go back a few hours later lol read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
Wonderful to see we made your first experience trying shaved ice a…
Houston definitely has bomb Asian food, including their desserts. I love the shaved ice at Nu Cafe. The texture is ribbon-like but melts in your mouth. Flavors are also really good and they don't skimp on their portions. Got the green tea shaved ice with strawberries and mochi and mango with pineapples and strawberries. Both were delicious but I enjoyed the mango flavored one more. The lychee is also very good! They also have a variety of milk teas, smoothies, and slushes. This place never disappoints! read more
7 years ago
Nu Cafe is my favorite shaved ice place. I actually don't think I've found any other place that has similar type of shaved ice with comparable flavor. You can choose either the hill size or a bigger mountain size but I recommend ordering two hill sizes than ordering one mountain size because you can choose two flavors! One order of hill size comes with 1 free topping and drizzle. For vanilla milk shaved ice, we got tapioca and strawberries as extra and had drizzle of condensed milk and these were really good combination. The green tea was good too but all four of us who went all preferred the vanilla milk. We went around 7 on Saturday night and there were 2-3 free tables and the rotation was pretty fast. Summer is coming and I recommend Nu Cafe to cool yourselves down! read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
Shirley, summer is on our doorstep! Glad to hear we'll be one of your…
When the temps stretch into the hundreds, you can still count on 100% chance of snow at Nu Cafe. Yummy, soft, sweet and icy snow. They only come in two sizes - small and large - and they are both perfect for sharing. The menu kinda confused me; I didn't find out til later that I could have made up my own combination rather than selecting what was already offered on the menu. With an assortment of flavors, I opted for the condensed milk flavored ice topped with a strawberry syrup and all over a bed of fresh strawberries. Next time I'm definitely going for the chocolate-strawberry variety. It was all served fast, with a smile and the place wasn't as busy as others stated. Keep in mind it was a late Thursday evening. I'm excited to try more of this awesome ice that makes my favorite raspa stand look weak. Small enough for two peeps. Large could feed three to four. (Unless you're a cow like me and can eat it all with the help of a friend.) read more
3 years ago
last time i came was five years ago and i loved their nu carousel drink which was a coconut based drink with fruit bits. they didn't have it on their menu today but still made it for me which i thought was very nice. unfortunately it didn't taste the same but it was good for the mems. the lychee shaved ice is perfect on a hot day and is so refreshing. overall this place is nostalgic to me which maybe makes me slightly biased in my review but i still think it's good read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
We're thrilled you've found some nostalgia in our place, Madeline!…
I love this place! Very unique and different! We had so much fun sharing a green tea mountain with red beans, tapioca, and mango drizzle. Our friend at the counter helped us so much! I felt so bad when my mountain tipped over! I won't let that happen again! Thanks for such a memorable experience with my friend. I'll definitely be back! read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
Giving you a unique culinary experience is what we love to do,…
5 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Thanks for the high praise, Troy! We can't wait to continue to…
7 years ago
Came here looking for something NU to try. We happened to come on a day of promotion. Buy one get one free as long as it's the same drink. And they were select drinks. I let my sister pick and she picked the wild berry green tea. Don't get me wrong it was good. But it just tasted like cranberry juice. They also put a lot of ice to make it refreshing. But it would have been ashamed if I actually liked my drink and wanted just the regular scoop of ice. I see that they are known primarily for their snow ice, so that's what we should have tried but we had just got done eating a buffet and couldn't hold it down lol. Anyways, the service was really good. You got two people working at a really great pace and took down a rush smoothly. Place is a little run down but suitable to sit and enjoy your delicious delicate desserts. Will be back to try more drinks and snow ice. read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
We appreciate you giving us a try, Henry. Even though our service was…
I was eating dinner at a restaurant in this complex and stopped in here to try one of their bubble teas. I ordered the Oreo milk tea. It was delivered about 5 minutes later. It was good and my impression of this place is positive. They also serve shaved ice here. I went back a couple if weeks later and had the shaved ice in mang. I added mango sauce and mango poppers. Very good value for $5. It was very mango flavored and very sweet. Next tIme I might delete the sauce to reduce sweetness. read more
Business owner information
Ming C.
Thank you so much for the great review, Mike! We're so glad that you…
I've come back here a few times since I wrote my original review. They still don't give you a whole lot of toppings as compare to Juice Box. However, I've grown quite fond of their durian flavored shaved ice and the texture of the shaved ice. It's so smooth and flaky, unlike your typical shaved ice. As many have mentioned, you write your order down on a piece of paper with your name on it. Once your order is ready, they'll call your name out loud. The last time I was here, I was having a little fun and I put down "Sexy" on the line. It was pretty amusing to see the worker called out "Sexy....???" :-D This place still gets pretty packed over the weekend so I' highly recommend you come here during the week - no need to deal with all the Asian drivers, the traffic, and the parking nightmare. read more
3 years ago
Business owner information
Ming C.
Thank you for that delicious recommendation, Sigrit. We hope to see…
11 years ago
Ordered the half and half pudding boba tea -- disappointed. The drink was incredibly sweet and the pudding was cold. I initially ordered it to reminisce about the delicious (and famous) Half and Half boba place in California, but was completely let down. This review is bumped to 4 stars because of the milk shaved ice, which is not to be confused to Juice Box's shaved ice. The milk shaved ice at Nu has much more flavor, BUT it doesn't have as much fruit or condensed milk as it's competitor which could be a good or bad thing. I personally liked the lack of calories on my "hill". read more
Nu Cafe, or Nu Ice as some people call it, has the finest shaved ice in Chinatown (at least so far). They call it ribbon ice. Compared to the usually shaved ice that is more icy and crunchy, the ribbon ice here is more finely shaved so that it has a smoother, silkier mouthfeel. You pick your size, ice flavor, solid topping(s), and liquid topping (the condensed milk option is the classic shaved ice liquid topping FYI). Take a seat after you order and pay at the counter, then wait for your name to be called. We tried the Milk Tea flavored ice tonight, and it was good! The tea flavoring was decently strong but in a good way. Not as strong as HK style milk tea, but stronger than your standard milk tea drink. Overall, a fun place to grab dessert with your family, friends, or significant other. read more
More info about Nu Cafe
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Ste 112A
Houston, TX 77036
Chinatown, Sharpstown
Directions
(713) 771-7771
Call Now
Visit Website
http://www.nuiceusa.com
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