This was actually my first time having shaved ice so I don't have anything to compare it to. Two serving sizes: hill and mountain. Hah. We ordered the green tea flavor with strawberries, mango, mochi, and condensed milk on top. Was not disappointed omg. The ordering system is a little confusing if it's your first time. You grab a clipboard from the cashier's station to customize your shaved ice order while you're standing in line. So grab that first! Or you can ask the people in front of you if they're done with theirs. Seating can get crowded and limiting if you go on the weekends. Noise can also be loud depending on their music and crowds. But it's a fun entertainment and great with friends! Highly recommended. Parking is pain. I hope luck is on your side. read more

I've been here multiple times, but I can't stop getting the green tea nu ice! It's so refreshing! And I love that it basically melts in your mouth and it's a light dessert so you don't feel too stuffed and disgusting aft Toppings: Red bean - not that sweet. I love red beans, but it didn't really go well with the green tea ice, IMO. Mochi - just mochi. Nothing special. Flan pudding - Eh, saw a bunch of pictures of this, so I had to try. I've tried all the different fruits and they're always fresh tasting. Some days the fruits aren't sweet, but that's not their fault. read more

Friendly service and lots of options to choose from. You can pick which flavor shaved ice and what toppings you want. A little pricey and they could have been more generous with the amount of toppings they serve. Service is fast and the place gets busy. I enjoyed my visit! I would come back. read more

Nu Cafe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

OMG....this place is AMAZING! I have never been here before and my kids have been here and told me about it. When we walked in the kids knew what to do while I didn't! I asked the guy behind the counter how everything work and he explained everything to me. While my kids were just filling out what they wanted. Overall the experience here was fantastic and we will be back! My kids said that this place is much better then Bahama Bucks read more

Nu Cafe - Strawberry with boba and mango poppers - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Uh, disappointed. It's just ice cream... albeit, thinly shaved to a fluffy texture.. but it's just ice cream!!?! I wish they would give more fruit/toppings. The taro flavored ice cream is pretty unique and yummy. You should try it while you're here. I would rather take the shaved ice and generous portions of different fruit that they offer at JuiceBox. The focal point of the dessert here is the shaved ice cream, whereas the star of the show at JuiceBox is fresh fruits! So take your pick. read more

Nu Cafe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

Nu Cafe definitely makes for a great place to chill with some friends while catching up with life and the likes especially with its modernized and contemporary interior design and playful assortment of desserts and beverages! It absolutely did not fall short of my expectations. The overall condition of the toppings offered seemed relatively fresh unlike some places where they would actually serve overly ripe fruits thinking it would go unnoticed. Naturally, the only factor keeping me from giving this place a 5 star rating is that service could have been better; not that they had bad service, but just that the employee taking our orders and ringing us up was pretty much silent throughout the transaction making the experience slightly awkward...but that's why I recommend coming here with friends ha~ read more

See all

Nu cafe is my favorite place to go for dessert!! I'm from out of town and every time I come I HAVE TO stop by here at least once or my trip is incomplete! They've updated their menu and instead of "small, medium, or large" they do "hill size, or mountain size" now. To order: go straight to the register and grab a little clipboard with the paper and fill out how you want your order to be. Sometimes it tends to get crowded and there might not be anywhere to sit! So make sure to scout out a table right away and have a friend stake out there as soon as you walk in! read more

Nu Cafe - Updated menu! As of 2/15/15 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have to say, they have some pretty legit shaved ribbon ice here. It's a nice change from the traditional shaved ice which gets its flavors purely from the toppings and the condensed milk. I honestly wasn't too impressed when I first heard but shaved ribbons. They also looked kind of weird visually. But after trying them, they have an interesting texture, much firmer, compared to regular shaved, and they are not as flaky as they look. We tried the green tea and the mango flavors. The green tea one was really good but I guess the mango flavor didn't go well with the sweetness of the condensed milk. If you're tired of the normal shaved ice from Juice Box 2 doors down, come here instead. read more

Nu Cafe - mango ice with egg pudding and tapioca - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

I got to try this place when I was down in Houston for the holidays. I tried the lychee shaved ice with a drizzle of condensed milk and a side of chopped strawberries and mochi. It was nice and refreshing! I also tried the milk green tea -- it was absolutely delicious... not too sweet at all! This place also has snacks and ramen so I will definitely have to come back and try that. read more

Nu Cafe - Lychee with Mochi and Strawberries - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

Half order portions are pretty large and very busy even though it was cold outside. There was also a wait to find parking as it was evident a busy Asian plaza parking lot. Service was prompt and there is available WiFiro post your yummy photos. read more

Nu Cafe - Bubble Tea shaved ice with mango and strawberry add on - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

After seeing pictures all over my friends' various social networks of their mountains of shaved ice I decided to make the trek all the way to bellaire to give it a try. I definitely was not disappointed. You walk up to a counter at the back and if you're only there for shaved ice you grab a little clipboard and start checking off what you'd like (size, flavor, topping, fruit toppings, syrups). While they're known for their shaved ice, they do offer food, although I'm not really sure what since I'm there for one reason and one reason alone. After you pay you grab your napkins and spoons and find a booth or table to sit at and they'll bring it to you. They make the shaved ice at the counter so you can watch the process. The shaved ice is the perfect amount of flavorful, not too sweet which is great since they heap on toppings that will provide for the right amount of sweetness, texture and taste. The interior is clean and has lots of seating. They offer a wide variety of shaved ice flavors, so far I've tried the green tea, taro, durian and my personal favorite: almond. You have the option of selecting what kind of toppings you'd like including: fresh fruits, different types of jellys, popping boba, mocha and some others. And then select a syrup to drizzle on top. It's a really fun place and theres no shortage of combinations. Overall, I'd say this is a great place to pick up dessert after dinner with a group of friends. It gets really crowded weekend nights. I'd definitely say this is a more favorable dessert option than Juicebox (conveniently located right next door) since it's light and refreshing. They also have a $10 credit card minimum. read more

Nu Cafe - Almond shaved ice - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Visiting from Dallas (3/29/15) and while I hadn't been here since year or two ago it is still as good as I remember! Albeit perhaps a bit more expensive sadly. I got the mango shredded ice with mochi and condensed milk regular size which can be eaten by one though if you're feeling generous and don't want to feel fat share for two! The shredded ice is one of the thinnest flakes I have ever seen. This is atypical shaved ice that's more velvety and flakey rather than the traditional Taiwanese crushed shaved ice. Definitely worth it! read more

Nu Cafe - Mango shaved ice in ribbon form with mochi and condensed milk :) delish! Regular size - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

We had a hankerin' for some shaved ice and Juice Box was closed, so we came here instead. I was definitely excited to see that it was shaved snow, and although it was refreshing, it really wasn't that impressive. I'm definitely a big fan of shaved snow, so here's what disappointed me about it here: 1. Wait- did we order split pea soup? The shaved snow is way too watery! It melted too fast and didn't have the fluffy shaved snow texture that I love and am used to. It definitely didn't have much staying power, and before long, we were left with a pool of green liquid and some cut up fruit. 2. I thought everything was bigger in Texas?! The serving size for the shaved snow is definitely unsatisfactory for the price. Maybe I'm spoiled and used to massive amounts of it from my favorite place (sorry Texans, it's in California. Check out my review for it! It's a MUST if you ever visit). Anyway, goodness gracious :( maybe it's meant to be a single person serving? Or maybe I'm just gluttonous when it comes to dessert! :) Sorry, Nu Cafe! Just 2 stars from me..nothing really stood out to me. read more

Nu Cafe - Green tea with mango and strawberry - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

By far my favorite shaved ice place that makes amazing dessert! The tapioca is also great! I love their pina colada but I never finish my drinks because its so much. But the amount is worth it! Great place for friends as well! read more

Nu Cafe - Coffee flavored shaved ice with mangos, strawberries, lychee jelly and flan pudding with chocolate drizzle - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Their shaved ice is like snowfall in your mouth - in a good way. This is probably not a sensation Texans are used to. But it's pretty awesome from a texture standpoint. So, why the low rating? I ordered their sea salt caramel flavor. I don't think caramel is supposed to look vanilla white, or taste suspiciously like vanilla, but mine did. When I asked, they basically blew me off. I'm still pretty sure I paid for and ate a bland dessert which I did not want, but whatever. I was so disappointed, I ended up ordering a Half and Half drink (yeah yeahhhh I gave them more money despite being terrible...listen, I was desperate for SOMETHING good) and that was much much better. My friend ordered the green tea flavor and hers was much stronger and pretty tasty, so give that a try. read more

See all

My favorite shaved ice cafe. Came here so many times especially during summer when it's super hot. We tried matcha, coffee, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, etc... with lots of toppings. My favorites are the matcha and chocolate shaved ice. The coffee shaved ice strangely tastes too sweet for me. Toppings that I'd go for are mochi, pearls, lychee jelly, chocolate chips. I tried one drink before but didn't like it so I never order drinks from then on. But the shaved ice are great. You can choose the size of your shaved ice which are hill or mountain. We usually choose either 1 mountain or 2 hills if we wanted to eat 2 different shaved ice at once. read more

See all

1. I love coming here after a heavy Chinatown dinner - the "ice" is so refreshing! 2. Favorites are the almond, green tea and coconut. Strawberry takes like strawberry candy :] 3. Consistent service, very easy to get what you want with no mistakes! 4. They usually try to be good about cleaning the tables after customers - which is hard because when a group leaves, immediately after, another group sits down. read more

Nu Cafe - Strawberry mountaim with lychee poppers and aloe vera! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

I went here in June. It's kinda small but still nice. They're very fast and their placement is nice . I love going here. I will be going back next month when I'm on that side of town . I've been to both locations! It's gray for a date or family time. Not very costly ! It's worth it and it's sooo good ! read more

This is a great place to get a drink or shaved ice in Chinatown. I would highly recommend a visit here after you have lunch or dinner in any of the other restaurants nearby. Their shaved ice is great. They have numerous flavors and toppings you can get. The green tea shaved ice is delicious as it's not to sweet and has a bitterness that makes the flavor so authentic. The many drinks that they have are also fantastic too. Overall, if you have a sweet tooth after you dinner in Chinatown, GO HERE. read more

Came to this place after dinner, recommended by a local friend. This place has a fun atmosphere and full of energy. Coming from Southern Calif., I've been many snow cream places. The selection of flavors and toppings here at Nu Cafe is very impressive. Their snow creams are the freshest that I've had. Found out from the charming owner, that was because their snow creams were made with real fruits. Ten of us ordered ordered 9 different flavors, and we shared. My personal favorites are Sea Salt Caramel, Mango, Taro and Strawberry. The Taro shave were so creamy, yummy. I like snow cream over ice cream because it's ice based and lighter. In this case, with real fruits, it's more nutritious as well. read more

See all

a unique experience. This shave ice is so good. We got the peanut butter with condensed milk and chocolate sticks. It's great to share and so much for your money! The way you order is a little funny, you fill out a card... but they don't forget your order that way!! read more

See all

Not even sure how to describe the dessert but it's amazing! A hybrid of shave ice and ice cream with lots of options for toppings, it's definitely worth a try and it will have you coming back more! We had the strawberry flavor, topped with strawberry syrup and fresh mangos and honey bobas. I would definitely recommend this combination. I also ordered the matcha green tea milk tea with bobas and it was delicious! Best I've had in Houston. FYI, this place was packed when I went but luckily a booth cleared up right when we walked in. I could see now seating would be difficult but still, it's worth it! read more

Nu Cafe - Matcha green tea milk tea with bobas - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

I used to be a huge fan of Juice Box's Mixed Fruit Shaved Ice with Strawberry and Mango but Nu Cafe has become my new favorite! The snowflake ice here is so soft and delicious. It melts in your mouth. I usually get the Condensed Milk Snowflake Ice with Strawberry and Mango or the Coffee Snowflake ice with Coffee Jelly and Egg Pudding. The small is really small so I would recommend the large if you plan on sharing. The fruit at Juice Box is fresher but the ice here is so much better! read more

Nu Cafe - Coffee Shaved Ice with Egg Pudding and Coffee Jelly - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Please tell me how my review does not follow in the guidelines of yelp. This is a personal experience with this business. Been here and I didn't like it at all. Seriously? This place is a complete joke! I only came here because juice box was closed! The shaved ice wasn't good at all and they were shiesty with the aduzki and the ice wasn't really flavourful. read more

Dropped by after dinner with my family for their durian flavored snow with red azuki beans. It was amazing. Definitely a place to go and hang out after dinner. The place is lively with music and gets even better when your dessert is ready. Will definitely recommend it to any friend that visits Houston. read more

Highly recommend this place. Ok, to start off the shaved ice is super light, refreshing, smooth and delicious. You can tell this is their signature treat. Mangonada smoothie is perfect. Nu iced coffee is strong and sweet. If you're ordering shaved ice, they give you a form to fill out so you can specify the way you want it. Everything else you order directly to the cashier. The staff is friendly and the older woman(might be the owner?) is the absolute sweetest. We'll definitely be back. read more

Here's what you need to know: 1. If you want ice (which is the only reason why we come), you need to grab a mini clip board from the register and fill out the items that you need 2. Once you fill it out, give it to the girl and she will shave the ice for you 3. Pay and enjoy So when my husband and I came here for the first time, we were trying to order the shaved ice. The girl at the register interrupted us and threw a mini clip board at us, telling us to fill it out. Um, okay. So we did, and with a scowl on her face, she made the ice and finished our transaction. No tip for her! Whenever we go, we get the coconut ice with mango and condensed milk. This place follows the Taiwanese trend of freezing flavored ice and shaving it, making the shaves ribbony in texture. It's definitely different than Juice Box next door. But! The portions are a heck of a lot smaller for being a little more expensive than JB. My husband, however, likes it more than any shaved ice out there (even House of Maam's! I know, who is this stranger I married???), so whenever we want a refreshing treat, we'll come back. It's called marriage. You know, sometimes you make sacrifices. I do like the taste and texture, and I don't mind a happy husband. But if you ask me, I wouldn't mind downing a large Juice Box bowl all to my lonesome for cheaper than a small shaved ice here! read more

Nu Cafe - Coconut Nu Ice with mango and condensed milk. Look at the texture! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Drove from Arlington to Houston and kept emphasizing to my boyfriend that I needed to come here to eat some shaved ice. I was pretty disappointed when I got here. The guy at the front counter sort of shrugged my friend and I off when we asked about the menu. He just showed us the two different plate sizes for large and small, then told us to fill out a paper and just give it to him when we were ready to pay. It's a pretty simple way to do things, but I felt they had that process just to make things efficient if the store got busy. Definitely not for the sake of giving people good customer service with the extra time that they had. The pictures on the menu are extremely misleading, The amount of shaved ice and fruit that they gave us was nowhere equivalent to the amount that we saw in other Yelp photos. On the plus side, the shaved ice does taste really good, especially with condensed milk drizzled on top. Melts in your mouth quickly and leaves a pleasant and light taste. Fruit wasn't very fresh, but shaved ice was good. Not worth driving 250+ miles though. read more

Nu Cafe - Large green tea - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

My friend took me here for my first time having shaved ice. It was delicious! We first tried popping in on Sunday around 2, but the line was long with lunch goers getting dessert. So we ran a few errands and came back an hour later and didn't have to wait in line at all. I had the traditional vanilla ice with strawberries and chocolate sauce. Classic and delicious. The only disappointing thing was that we got it to go and it doesn't look nearly as cool squashed in a to go cup as it does on the plate. But I imagine it tastes the same. I will definitely being going back to try the other flavors. Just came here again and it was equally delicious. I had chocolate shaved ice with bananas and condensed milk... So good! read more

See all

Definitely will come back here when I'm in town again! What I had was: Green tea - texture that just melts into your mouth and pierces your heart to remind you of the fondest childhood memories that make you smile and want to stuff your face with this delicious flavor Lychee - The subtle sweetness falls into your mouth and begins to caress your tongue and soul until you find yourself singing the melodies written by the shaved ice gods and goddesses and you reach a profound new state of happiness. Kind difficult to eat these cause there was such a lumbering mountain of shaved ice that it kept on breaking and falling everywhere, but whomever complained about a lot of a yummy treat? read more

Nu Cafe - Green tea and Lychee - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

I came here for the taro shaved snow. It didn't have much taste in it like other shaved snows that I've had. Because of this, I probably would mosey mosey on to the place next door--another place that has shaved snow and other tasty things. Basically, if you have to pick between the two, go to the other one first. I liked how this place has this vertically-long TV on the wall. Maybe I'll give this place another chance someday? read more

Their "snowflake" (Taiwanese) shaved ice is really finely shaved and softer than the typical shaved ice you might find at other places. The original milk flavor is a classic and is tasty- goes well with just about any toppings. However, the portions of fruit on the shaved ice are small compared to what you get at Juice Box a few doors down. Overall, not bad but could be a better value. read more

Over the past few years, I have developed an insane love for shaved snow ice in Taiwan, and was excited to hear that the trend had finally reached Houston. When I go for shaved ice in Chinatown, my friends and I typically go to Juicebox a few doors down. But once I heard Nu Cafe was offering shaved snow ice, I knew I had to try it immediately. I ordered the green tea shaved ice with a few toppings (I think coffee jelly and mochi), and ended up being pretty disappointed. Maybe I'm spoiled from living in LA, but the ice was extremely watery and lacked the flavor and fluffy texture I consider characteristic of snow ice. So I'll probably have to hold out until more snow ice places open in Houston, upping the competition and hopefully the quality. read more

Tasty snowflake ice with a pleasant, light texture and perfect sweetness. With such a name I was anticipating something more icy or grainy in texture but it was nice and creamy. Wide variety of flavors and toppings. There is a form that you fill out when you place your order which lists all the possibilities. The "fresh" fruit toppings could be a little fresher, but I was happy that they used fresh fruit rather than syrupy, canned toppings. I look forward to trying more combinations!!!! read more

Nu Cafe - Looks interesting. Can't wait to try it. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

The sheets of shaved ice is pretty interesting. Definitely a nice visual and melt in your mouth, shaved ice. The flavors are more on the exotic side of Asian flavors - not your Hawaiian shaved ice though. I tried the mango - which was eh, it tasted a bit off (not refreshingly mango). The green tea was not my thing (I love tea, but green tea shaved ice..nah), taro was a bit weak but best of the three. The paper that you have to fill out to see which flavor of ice, toppings, and drizzles - I wished the drizzle section was more comprehensible. Even my brother who has been there couple of times, couldn't give me a good explanation. So he just circled condensed milk for me. All in all, this was is a nice hangout. As usual, only one restroom per male/female. And I do not see myself coming back to visit again. read more

I usually get the green tea or coffee flavor:) I love this desert because it's different and tastes good. Their drink (milk tea) was good, a little sweet, it was my fault to not ask them to cut back on the sugar. read more

This is a cute and colorful place in a vibrant Chinatown complex. This was the first time I had tried their shaved ice. Ordering was simple - pick a flavored shaved ice, two side toppings, and a sauce to drizzle over the ice. Our group tried the green tea and chocolate shaved ice, which were both doused with condensed milk. The side toppings weren't memorable flavor wise. But, we did get custard jelly, red bean paste, strawberries, and almonds. I think the chocolate shaved ice was fantastic and very fragrant. On the other hand, the green tea shaved ice was bland. I wished they put more tea flavor in there. Otherwise, it's a great place to hangout and enjoy a nice refreshing snack! read more

Nu Cafe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

let's just put it this way: this place is an Asian version of frozen yogurt dessert. Nothing is really special about this place, except for super cool and appealing pictures of food. You have to fill out an order when you go to the counter, check whatever you like to put on your dessert. I was confused when I go to the counter tho so this should help lol. The shaved ice tastes ok I guess + all the fresh fruit topping that they offer. when I put it all together, it tastes just like frozen yogurt to me, but way more expensive. If you want healthy fruit and smoothie, go to Juice Box, their dessert is better in my opinion. read more

Doesn't beat shaved snow at Nu Ice! Love love love the consistency and the portions are huge! Almond, Duran, coconut.. They're all wonderful! The milk tea was a little overly sweet but the consistency of the boba and pudding was perfect! read more

Nu Cafe - My hazelnut milk tea with boba and pudding! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

This was my first time here in a long time but it tasted the same as I remember. Me and my friend got the green tea ice with rainbow and mango jelly. It was creamy and soft and one of the best green tea shaved ices I've had. I'm not a jelly fan but my friend likes it so we got it. It was empty since it was an afternoon weekday which I liked because when I normally go, it's nighttime and on a weekend. I hate crowds and this place is always packed. I like that the spoons and napkins are opposite of the cashier now so I doesn't block everything off when people are in line. The tables could use a wipe down though. read more

Nu Cafe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Houston, Texas