Snocone News

Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood nets truly authentic snocone stand

Summer is snocone time.

Photo courtesy of iStock

Oak Cliff gets an authentic New Orleans-style snowball stand with NOLA Snoballs, opening at 345 W. Jefferson Blvd., in the former, short-lived Carnival Barkers Ice Cream space.

Owner is Maureen Ehrlicher, a New Orleans native who's been doing pop-ups for the last year, as well as a temporary stand at a prominent spot at Texas Discovery Gardens.

"I was lucky to know the director of Texas Discovery Gardens because our daughters went to school together," Ehrlicher says. "We were talking one night and I said that I really wanted to start the stand, and he suggested we do it at the Gardens during the State Fair of Texas."

So she debuted the stand in 2016. "I set up in the lobby, and then on busy days and weekends, we'd go out on the front porch," she says.

It went well, and she's gone back for spring break and holidays; she's also done a couple private events as well as Bishop Arts' Bastille Day celebration.

Her signature is a chocolate snocone that's so creamy, it's like ice cream.

"New Orleans-style snocones are known for being creamy," she says. "With regular snocones, you combine ice with concentrate and simple syrup, but with the New Orleans style, you add evaporated milk into the syrup. We do the big seller from New Orleans, which is chocolate made with Hershey's chocolate syrup. You don't see it often around here."

Opening day is July 1, from 1-9 pm; regular hours will be 2-9 pm Tuesday-Sunday, and closed on Mondays.

Maureen and her husband David are true O.C. locals, having lived in the Winnetka Heights neighborhood for more than 25 years. Maureen is also known for her cakes, and as her neighbors testify, she's an avid collector with "the coolest and most impressive Pez collection in Oak Cliff and possibly the entire state," some of which will be on display at the shop.

Her storefront is actually half a space, which she is sharing with Electric Eye, a tattoo shop.

"Their entrance is in the back and my entrance is on Jefferson Boulevard," she says. "It's changing so much now, I'm glad to be a part of it."

ice-cream desserts

Beverage News

Bubble tea shop Chatime from Taiwan opens at convenient Dallas address

Chatime

Chatime drinks

A bubble tea shop from Taiwan has debuted in Dallas: Chatime, a global bubble tea chain specializing in modern bubble tea beverages, has opened a teahouse in a very convenient centrally-located spot in the Medallion Center shopping center at 6464 E. Northwest Hwy. # 316, next to Salata and near the Target store.

Chatime was founded in Taiwan in 2005 and has helped bring bubble tea to the global stage. According to a release, they began franchising in 2006 and currently have more than 1,400 locations worldwide across Asia, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. There are now locations in Baltimore, Nashville, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Florida, Georgia, and Kansas.

Dallas represents the third location in Texas, following Frisco at 11955 Coit Rd. which opened in 2024, and another in the Houston area, which opened in 2025.

Their success draws on decades of tea expertise with an emphasis on real ingredients, bold flavors, and contemporary tea culture. Their menu centers on customizable premium boba tea including milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies, and brown sugar pearls.

Signature drinks include:

boba tea
brown sugar boba milk (no tea)
peach green tea with strawberry popping pearls
lychee green tea with lychee jelly
mango slush with mousse
Thai with boba
taro milk tea with mousse

They also have cold brew coffee and energy drinks. You can order drinks in three sizes, ranging from 16 to 32 ounces, and you can also specify level of sweetness. Prices range from $6 to $9.

The Dallas location, part of a wave of openings for the chain in 2026, is a family operation owned by Dallas husband-and-wife duo Sanket and Ekta Gulati, two professionals who are opening their first franchise, with their sons running the day-to-day.

"Chatime felt like the right opportunity for us because it offered a strong global brand with real recognition, even though it is still growing in the United States," the couple says. "What makes it even more meaningful is that our younger son is managing the store and has become a key part of the operation, while our older one proudly calls himself the HR guy, leading the hiring and onboarding efforts. It has truly become a family affair."

On May 30-31, the store is hosting a two-day opening celebration, wherein the first 50 guests each day will receive a free 16-oz Premium Boba Milk Tea, presented in a limited‑edition Charm the World Cup. Each cup comes with a mystery plushie, adding a collectible that reflects Chatime's global fan culture. They'll also be doing a Buy‑One‑Get‑One promotion on certain flavors, on both days, all day.

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