We Try New Orleans-Style Sno-Balls at Cedar Hill’s Sneaux Nola

At Sneaux Nola in Cedar Hill, don’t call ‘em snow cones. They’re sno-balls. They even have a sign at the order window breaking down the difference. And more specifically, what Sneaux Nola specializes in is New Orleans-style sno-balls.

If you weren't aware of what a New Orleans sno-ball is exactly, it’s all good — we weren’t either.

First, let’s establish the key difference between a sno-ball and a snow cone. It’s simple. A snow cone uses crushed ice. A sno-ball, on the other hand, uses shaved ice. Capiche? Cool.

Like a snow cone, a sno-ball is flavored with various syrups (which Sneaux Nola has a myriad of, from cotton candy to sour apple to blue bubblegum). But unlike a snow cone, which seems awfully mundane now after experiencing a New Orleans-style sno-ball, a sno-ball comes stuffed and topped. As in stuffed with cheesecake or ice cream and topped with cream. Damn, OK.
Sneaux Nola owner Kelly Bolding opened her sno-ball stand last September. She came to North Texas from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, so she brings certified Big Easy DNA to these trademark Louisiana sno-balls. The stand is in old downtown Cedar Hill, where Bonnie and Clyde were once linked to a bank heist, as Bolding’s father (who is arguably the most delightful human being ever) told us. The stand sits feet away from Phat Girlz BBQ, which we recently visited (to rave reviews).
Before heading over, we did some Google review homework to see what other customers were saying, and on the very first review we saw, we were sold. Mentioned in that review: A strawberry cheesecake flavored sno-ball stuffed with cheesecake and topped with Creole cream (sweetened condensed milk).

Umm…what??

Yes, it’s as mind-bending as it sounds. The shaved ice was perfectly fluffy, and mining this sno-ball with our spoon, where a sizable, glorious core of cheesecake hid — well, let’s just say this hits a lot different than your traditional snow cone.

We also tried a root beer float sno-ball (root beer syrup and vanilla ice cream stuffing) and Chantilly cake sno-ball (wedding cake syrup, cheesecake stuffing, strawberries, blueberries and whipped and Creole cream). The Chantilly cake sno-ball is on Sneaux Nola’s specialty menu, and Bolding told us this item is so popular that the Sneaux Nola faithful might “kill her” if she ever took it off the menu. Predictably, Bolding doesn't plan on removing it from the menu anytime soon. Both, for the record, were wonderful.
Some pro-tips before you go: It’s prudent to know what you want before you step to the head of the line, because lines are known to build quickly here. Pick a size (baby, small, medium and large), pick your flavor(s), and add your stuffings and toppings (cheesecake and ice cream are $1.50, Creole and whipped cream are 75 cents). Prices range from $4 to $8.

As we reach peak summer temps, it should go without saying you’ll want to be brisk in finishing off these decadent summer treats. But after you taste these, we’re confident finishing them in a timely manner won’t be a problem.
Sneaux Nola, 109 S Main Street, Cedar Hill. Monday – Thursday, 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.