The Best Ice Cream Shop In Texas Is A Houston Icon That Begs You Not To Order Vanilla

Cereal milk, Thai tea, oatmeal cream pie — these are just some of the innovative flavors on offer at Milk + Sugar Creamery, a Houston hotspot that's been attracting ice cream lovers since 2019. With a rotating menu that features handmade bases and mix-ins, Milk + Sugar is anything but your average scoop shop. In fact, it's because of the shop's specialties that the staff to plead one thing from new customers: Don't ask for vanilla.

Husband-and-wife duo Percy and Chou Wong opened Milk + Sugar after discovering their shared love of ice cream while traveling. When they returned to Houston, they felt like they couldn't find the exact product they were looking for: Exciting, high quality flavors you can't find in the freezer aisle. So, they set about creating the perfect artisanal ice cream, focusing on finding the right chew, melting speed, and eliminating all iciness. They ended up creating something so special it landed on Tasting Table's list of the best ice cream shops in every state.

After all of that effort, the Wongs started following a mantra that they state directly on their website and Instagram pages: "Life is too short for plain vanilla." As good as the best vanilla ice cream can be, the flavor is not on the menu and they ask that folks not to request it. There is even a sign in the store that reads, "Seriously, we ain't got vanilla." Instead, there are a variety of fun and creative flavors to choose from.

Milk + Sugar has 12 staples in its roundup, as well as seasonal options like ube and Fruity Pebbles. Some of the fan favorites include the butter pecan streusel, which is made with brown butter ice cream, and the dulce de horchata (rice and cinnamon ice cream with a caramel swirl). There are also a few gluten-free options available as well as one rotating vegan item.

Each batch takes 24 hours to make and is crafted once per week to ensure freshness, so things can run out. Lines are also common, even though the three shops throughout the Houston area that all stay open late on the weekends — But folks think it's worth it either way. "My go-to ice cream flavors are cereal milk, strawberry almond cheesecake, happy wife, and yum cha," wrote one Yelp user. "Their ice cream is smooth, rich, and decadent. The mix-ins are not only tasty and add great texture, but they also complement and enhance the overall flavor profile of the ice cream."

According to other customers, it's not hard to split flavors if you're juggling between two options. "Definitely a must-try in Houston in my opinion," wrote another Yelp reviewer. Of course, even if you are a vanilla-lover, you may still enjoy Milk + Sugar. "While I am the person who gets vanilla when trying a new ice cream place, this place doesn't have vanilla," added another on Yelp. "All of the flavors I tried were so good though, I forgot about vanilla."