Booza — Restaurant in Houston

An incredible ice cream shop with a storied history in the heart of Houston is not something you expect to find when you are trying to sate the sweet tooth craving, yet Booza, with their unique, sumptuous, scrumptious, creamy creations is doing just that. The shop is brightly lit highlighting both traditional and unique flavor profiles of the ice creams, gelatos and sorbets they serve. Vanilla, and chocolate are surrounded by flavors such as Ashta , Lemon, and Rosewater. The shop proudly highlights their almost 100 year history which took them from Ramallah to Houston. The type of gelato they serve is rooted in an old recipe dating back to the last days of the Ottoman Empire. This shop is a must visit for any local or visitor to Houston, where biting into their stretchy gooey creations is bound to bring joy, happiness, and a smile to your face, and connect you with a...

The place was empty. But it was a drizzly and dark day, so that’s understandable. Inside was clean. Pleasant, except quiet. A little too quiet. No music. Still not enough to deduct stars on this spot. The employee was prompt to greet, yet seemed a little melancholy. “Could just be the grey weather,” I thought. I ordered a cone with two scoops. One of the Turkish chocolate. The other, salted caramel. Do you know how ice cream normally melts quickly so that you’re licking the sides of the cone in a way that makes it impossible to be appropriate? Yeah, this ice cream is so creamy, it doesn’t melt at the same rate. The taste was delightfully smooth, flavored with a depth of ingredients not usually experienced at such a low price point. Overall,...

This place reminds me of the ice cream back home in the Middle East. It's very identical. The owner and workers speak Arabic and are very kind. I always buy extra for later.

The word Booza, stands for "ice cream" in Arabic, which was developed over 500 years ago in the Middle East combines exotic ingredients like sahlab (ground orchid root) and mastic (a resin) to make a gooey, stretchy textured ice cream. “Booza" is the original stretchy ice cream.

It is made by stirring milk with some sugar and a whitish powder (the actual sahlab), which is extracted from a flower and gives the drink its characteristic creaminess and fluffiness; the actual sahlab powder. One can easily find it at middle-eastern or...