N2 Ice Cream Cafe is a fairly new restaurant in the heart of Houston Chinatown at 9788 Bellaire Blvd C, Houston, TX 77036. It is located across from the H-Mart grocery store and behind Sinh Sinh Restaurant.

I arrived last Friday night with a friend. It was very busy with a line out the front door. At first glance, the interior design was unlike any of the restaurants nearby. The walls, tables and chairs were all very modern. The menu was displayed on three TV screens and had a variety of ice cream flavors to choose from, as well as several types of Asian beverages including tapioca drinks and snacks ranging from kimchi fries to popcorn chicken and bulgogi baos. The menu also had a few seasonal items. The Dragon’s Breath was one of their most popular items and the cashier explained it was a crispy corn snack infused with nitrogen, so when you bit down and breathed out, a trail of smoke came out.

The ice cream flavors were all very unique and were all made using liquid nitrogen. Some flavors were normal like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cookies and cream, but they also had several flavors with an Asian twist including matcha, ube, earl grey, red bean and black sesame. There were two ice cream and drinks sizes to choose from and the Dragon’s Breath came in one size. All items were under 10 dollars.

I had a hard time deciding, but I settled on a medium earl grey ice cream and a large thai green tea with tapioca. My friend got a medium ube ice cream and the Dragon’s Breath. The cashier advised us to read the disclaimer and instructions on the counter so we would not give ourselves a cold burn. The whole experience was very intriguing as the nitrogen gas used to freeze the ice cream seeped from below the glass barrier and we were able to feel the coolness with our hands. It was very interesting watching the employee make our ice creams as she measured all the ingredients into a beaker and then poured the mixture into stand mixers to freeze the ice cream.

We waited around 15 minutes before we received our items, which was understandable as the staff had to make and garnish all the items. The wait was definitely worth it as all the items we ordered were delicious. Both ice creams were made to the perfect consistency as they were very smooth and creamy. The tea was sweetened just right. The Dragon’s Breath was the most fun as a plume of smoke came out of our mouths right when we put the snack in between our teeth. The snack itself was lightly sweetened, almost like the taste of cereal. I look forward to coming back to try some of the other items on the menu.