Don’t let society’s renewed obsession with thinness – or the Republican financial “experts” who insist millennials’ avocado toast and Gen Z’s iced coffee are to blame for our ever-dwindling monetary independence – fool you. A little ice cream every now and again isn’t going to make you fat (and if it does, who cares), and an eight-dollar dessert isn’t the reason no one can afford to buy a house. The world is, quite literally, on fire. Why not get your licks where you can? 

This week’s special issue celebrates the local ice cream shops, sno-cone stands, paleterías, neighborhood truck drivers, and forward-thinking chefs that provide Austinites sweet sugary relief year-round, and especially as the dog days of summer descend. 

Fast Freeze 

Quick, delicious licks wherever your sweet cravings hit

This article appears in July 17 • 2026.

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Carys Anderson moved from Nowhere, DFW to Austin in 2017 to study journalism at the University of Texas. She began writing for The Austin Chronicle in 2021 and joined its full-time staff in 2023, where she covers music and culture.