There are plenty of quirky odds and ends to find living in a city as big and diverse as Austin. Some are hidden gems while others are displayed bright and lively, yearning to grab your attention as you stroll through the streets. When I’m on South Congress Avenue, I pass the same shop every time; a shop that stands out for its beautiful decor, unique name and many refreshing variants of pink.
Sweet Memes is a shop that dazzles the eye and begs to be noticed. Its Austin location is one of two in Texas and is within a short and sweet walking distance from campus. With this in mind, I finally decided to cave in and try it.
As soon as you walk into the shop, your senses suddenly overflow with a vibrancy of pink and all sorts of flowers perfectly scattered around the room. The interior alone is so beautiful, welcoming its guests, and is perfect for the cutest photo opportunities.
Sweet Memes offers a very unique menu that contains many different Asian desserts and sweet drinks. Their drink menu ranges from various coffees, frappuccinos and fruit teas. They also have a very wide selection of milk tea with boba. There were some milk tea flavors and combinations that I hadn’t seen in other bubble tea shops, such as rose milk tea and milk tea with cheese foam.
As someone who is a big fan of boba and milk tea, I was excited to pick from their wide variety of options. I decided to try the crème brûlée taro milk tea because I always love to try new, exciting flavors. The drink was unlike any boba tea I had tried before: it was the perfect combination of sweet, salty and savory all at once. Who knew crème brûlée would compliment taro so perfectly?
I decided to top off my milk tea with a dessert from their specially curated menu. The items featured are dessert waffles, shibuya toast, mille crepe cakes and their specialty: Japanese soufflé pancakes. Each dish is topped with a dollop of smooth whipped cream, a scoop of ice cream and a pinch of powdered sugar, all of which is carefully and thoughtfully arranged on quint square plates.
Next, I ordered a plate of the matcha soufflé pancakes, which are pancakes topped with a rich matcha sauce and savory matcha ice cream. I really enjoy anything that is matcha flavored. The matcha and pancakes balanced each other nicely, and the sweetness of the matcha ice cream took away from the bitterness of typical matcha.
I was unable to reach the owner, so I met with the manager, who is in charge of most things regarding this location. The manager, Daniel Quach, was a very welcoming and friendly face. This was mirrored by the other staff members that were there to greet people as they neared the front counter.
Quach has been the active manager for Sweet Memes since the shop’s initial opening. Having graduated from a hotel and restaurant hospitality program, Quach said he thoroughly enjoys being manager because he enjoys working in the restaurant industry.
The name of the shop is very clever, but also very peculiar. This was one thing I was specifically curious about. Quach explained that the owner chose to include the word “meme” in the name because the word was very well-known by the majority of people. He chose the name “Sweet Memes” because he wanted his dessert shop to be popular and known by everyone, much like a “meme”.
Quach also says that a constant challenge that he faces as manager and a worker at the shop is that there are always new things to learn and perfect for their unique menu, such as trying to keep up with new drink flavors and keeping a perfect, fluffy consistency for their soufflé pancakes.
“I really like new things, and working in boba and dessert, there are always new things to learn in the industry and they are always really interesting,” Quach said.
I went to the shop on a Saturday afternoon. There were many different guests there, chatting and enjoying their dishes. Two of the guests I
had the privilege of meeting were Gus and Arabella Campos, a friendly father-daughter duo. Unlike her father, who had been to Sweet Memes a few times prior, this was Arabella’s first time dining at the location. Arabella Campos had the strawberry soufflé pancakes and the “rainbow in the sky” tea.
“This was my first time trying anything like this,” Campos said. “And I would definitely have it again.”
Sweet Memes is a cute dessert shop that will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. The shop’s cute, comforting environment and convenience of being so close to campus made it the perfect way for me to wind down after a long day of assignments and studying. Stop by and enjoy a well-deserved treat while admiring the beautiful decorations, which are currently on display for the holiday season.
