Trendy Australian Soft Serve Chain Gears Up For New Orleans Debut

Aqua S, an Australian ice cream shop known for soft-serve creations that only the most imaginative of children could dream up, is expanding to New Orleans, with owners Loan Le and Yen Truong planning to open this summer at the corner of Girod Street and O’Keefe Avenue in the CBD.

The specialty shop that originated in Sydney first announced the New Orleans location in March, making it just the second in the U.S., after debuting in Houston last year. Aqua S will join a Starbucks, the neighborhood’s tenth, in moving into the ground floor of The Beacon apartment building.

Aqua S’s cotton-candy-wrapped, lychee-topped soft serve cones and vibrant aesthetic have made it a hit on Instagram, and that concept is partly what drew Le and Truong to pursue opening a franchise in New Orleans. The sisters-in-law visited the Houston location and loved the atmosphere and flavors, which include monthly rotating offerings like horchata, pandan, and blueberry milkshake, alongside the signature sea salt flavor, and loved the idea of being able to bring their own kids to a place like it. It will be a career shift for both women, who previously worked as an engineer (Le) and a medical technologist (Yen).

Aqua S is expected to open in July or August, but check back for details on official opening date and hours of operation.

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• Cotton-Candy-Wrapped Ice Cream Hits Houston Next Month [EHOU]