The ol' razzle dazzle

7 sweet Austin shops dishing outrageous and dazzling desserts

It used to be that desserts didn’t need much more than a mint leaf to impress Austin diners. Now, unadorned treats look as outdated as flip phones and CD burners. Today’s treats have gone extra with kaleidoscopic colors and a never-ending assortment of toppings. At the Capital City’s most outrageous sweet shops, guests are only limited by their imagination.

Be More Pacific
Long before Instagram made over-the-top confections de rigueur, Filipino chefs were piling on the ingredients to create one of the world’s wildest frozen desserts: halo-halo. This North Austin eatery has a killer version that starts with shaved ice and Amy’s ube ice cream, then adds jellies, coconut strips, sweet beans, leche flan, corn, and evaporated milk to create an intriguing mix of flavors and textures. Thanks to its vivid purple hue, it also happens to take one heck of a beautiful picture.

Churro Co.
While traditionalists can order churros tossed in cinnamon sugar, the fun at this South Austin trailer comes from the inventive originals. Campfire is a nostalgic mix of graham cracker sugar, Mexican chocolate sauce, and torched marshmallows, while Date Night’s caramel popcorn flavors will make anyone swoon. Better yet is the Wake-N-Bake, a classic churro topped with rum-pecan sauce, frozen banana slice, espresso whipped cream, and waffle cone crumbs — and the cure for even the most gnarly case of the munchies.

Fluff Meringues & More
Few Austin desserts are as adorable as the pastel drop meringues in Fluff’s case, but that’s just the start of the cute overload. The personal pavlovas charm with colorful fillings and toppings like lemon curd, passionfruit mousse, balsamic razzleberry drizzle, and seasonal fruit. The shop's strawberry shortcake Eton Mess — a contemporary take on a Victorian classic — layers scones, lavender whipped cream, vanilla meringue bits, and plenty of fresh berries.

Holla! Mode
Like most rolled ice cream spots, this pun-loving Barton Springs food truck offers a dizzying array of toppings like cookies, nuts, fresh fruit, and candies. What sets it apart is its creative flavors. Remember the Alamode kicks up dark chocolate with red chilis and a touch of sweet honey, the Sticky Mango nabs the flavors of the beloved Thai dessert, and the Cha Yen Tea is especially a treat when drenched with sweetened condensed milk.

Ooga Booga Waffles
If Leslie Knope knew about this Burnet Road food truck, she might not have spent so much time at JJ’s Diner. After all, Pawnee’s best restaurant never served cinnamon swirl waffles stuffed with cream cheese frosting or a chocolate cake variety with caramelized coconut and pecans. It most certainly never dreamed up sweet and savory creations like a recent special bursting with baked brie, bacon onion jam, and blackberries.

Sweet Ritual
Sticking to a plant-based diet doesn’t mean forgoing outrageous ice cream desserts. This cool Airport Boulevard parlor skips the dairy but none of the joy in cheeky flavors like Unicorn Poop or Death Metal by Chocolate. Guests can customize cones with adders like a peanut butter magic shell, edible glitter, or rainbow sprinkles or visit on Tuesdays for a Cone-Nut made with soft serve and a Wheatsville Co-op doughnut.

Taco Sweets
Located in the same food truck park as Ooga Booga, this mobile shop offers dessert tacos that can be customized with more than two dozen toppings. Go for a DayGlo effect with gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids, and a drizzle of electric blue funfetti syrup or go full unicorn with Fruity Pebble, Froot Loops, frosted animal crackers, and a drizzle of pink white chocolate. Either way, the sweet treats will make you feel like a kid again.

Churro Co. offers both traditional and new-school churros.

Churro Co Austin TX/Facebook

Churro Co. offers both traditional and new-school churros.

where-to-eat desserts ice-cream

Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

Tancho Sushi interior The airy space takes advantage of its surroundings outside of the city.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Offerings at Tancho are simple.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

The open hand rolls are a signature for the restaurant.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi exterior This restaurant is meant to be approachable.Image courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

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