Hawaiian Ice Cream Shop Opens First-Ever Mainland Location on the Drag

Hawai’i-based ice cream shop Tropical Dreams is opening its first mainland location right here in Austin. It is now open on 2001 Guadalupe Street in West Campus as of Friday, August 16.

The Hawaiian ice cream shop’s Drag menu will feature ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets ranging from fruit and tropical flavors like mango-lychee, toasted coconut, ube, and peanut butter and guava jelly, along with the standards like chocolate and Tahitian vanilla. Everything will be available as scoops, sundaes, flights, and take-home pints. For drinks, there will be Kona-style coffee. Currently, it’s hiring for ice cream scoopers and servers.

Tropical Dreams opened in Waimea found on the island of Hawai’i (aka the Big Island) over 25 years ago. Helming the company, which had gone through various owners through its time, now is Lewis DuBois and his family, who are based in Austin. Overseeing the Austin store are Dwight DuBois and Rick Miller

“Austin is a city that appreciates quality food and small businesses,” DeBois explained why they chose Austin for this shop to Eater. The city “is ready for new and interesting experiences, and embodies much of the spirit of ‘aloha’ that makes Hawai’i so special in many ways.” Hence, the Texas capital location.

While this is Tropical Dreams’s first mainland location, it does provide ice cream to San Diego shop Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream.

This article has been updated to reflect Tropical Dreams’s opening date.

• Tropical Dreams Austin [Instagram]
• Ice Cream Scooper/Server [Poached]
• Tropical Dreams Ice Cream [Official]
• Tropical Dreams [Facebook]