Hansen's Sno-Bliz

The plan was to go on a mini "sno ball" tour but we only made it to two stops and this was the second. Seeing the line form down the side walk let me know this was the place to be. Luckily it wasn't a terrible wait bc we went in October, but I imagine in the summer months you'd melt before ordering your sno ball. I made it to order and it was worth the wait! I ordered a Peach cream and nectar. First let me say the ice in these things is the best ice you'll ever have. I'm from SATX and we have "raspas" that ice is crunchy nothing like this. This is waaaay better ice. It's like velvet ice! The flavorings were peak and the combination was everything. They have so many flavors and I wish to one day try them all or at least spend my life trying to try them all because I doubt I'd experience a miss everything would be a winner. Cheers, enjoy!

Hella flavors and affordable prices! You can get ice cream with it too! Such a nice treat on a hot day. So many flavors that it was hard just to pick three. Place gets packed with people enjoying their snowballs outside the shop. There is street parking available. Staff are efficient and friendly too.The ice cream was good, but nothing beats that pineapple dole whip like the ones you get in Hawai'i. The shaved ice is perfection. They are generous with their syrups as to cover the entired thing esp when you get to the bottom. There was no clear ice left in our cups. Definitely getting one of these whenever I'm in town! I can't believe I only discovered this on my most recent trip!

Definitely needed this after a day of exploring in the hot humid weather. The blueberry tasted delicious. I got the strawberry shortcake one. It had a faint taste but still good.

Not a usual spot for me bc of the location. But when I do visit, it always hits the spot! Brought some visitors here with me for their first time experience and they loved it. They got the chocolate chip cookie snoballAnd I got the nectar creambow. So good!

Awesome place, best snoballs in town. I usually get cream of almond or cream of wedding cake but all of their flavors are exceptional.

The best snow ball place not just in Nola but ever! This is reflected in the perpetual line. It is a no frills snow ball standard with the same menu for decades except for the addition of seasonal flavors. The decor has an antique shop feel starting with the patented ice shaving machine. What sets Hansen's apart is the ice which is the finest ice that makes it almost creamy in texture once the syrup is added. Another great thing is they have fresh fruit based syrups without the toxic dyes like other places. Service is quick and friendly and both cash and card (with a fee) is accepted. I always aim to come visit anytime I'm in town bc it's the quintessential taste of New Orleans.

Every year at Springtime, I hear the hype about Hansen's Sno-Bliz. A few months ago, I tried a Sno-ball from a different vender. It was good but it didn't blow me away. I recently had the opportunity to try one from Hansen's. The business started in 1939 by Mary Hansen. In 1934, her husband, Ernst Hansen, designed the Sno-Bliz machine, which creates fluffy, delicately shaved ice. Mary & Ernst's granddaughter is the current owner of this iconic shop.They have a wide variety of flavors to choose from ranging from classics like cherry or coconut to creative options like Honey Lavender, Thai Tea, & Watermelon Ginger. The texture of the ice is very fine, soft & fluffy as opposed to the other one that I had, which was the consistency of small ice pebbles. What also sets Hansen's apart from the rest is their technique of alternating layers if ice & syrup as opposed to filling the cup with ice and pouring syrup on top. It really makes a difference. The Sno-balls are also served in souvenir cups designed by local female artists and change yearly, so locals collect them. Interesting fact: During the summer they go through more than two tons of ice weekly. That's how popular they are. After trying a Sno-Bliz from Hansen's I totally get the hype and understand why there is always a line.

Incredible!Never even heard of a sno-ball until I started researching places for my trip to NOLA. So glad I got to try one. In my opinion it was better than Hawaiian Shave Ice.

First snoball of the season!!! And boy was it good. Line was unusually short so that made it even better! I don't get snoballs anywhere but at Hansen's for their homemade craft syrups and fine powdery ice.

When you're in New Orleans, be sure to hit up the person behind the front desk at your hotel at least once after check-in and before check-out to ask what the best place to grab a snowball (Sno-ball? Up in the air...) is.And if you're lucky, there will be two people behind the front desk, so they can have a fierce debate about it. My decision was made after hearing that Hansen's gave you a souvenir cup with your sno-ball.It was 90+ degrees the entire time we were in NOLA. Without taking the humidity into consideration. So it came as no surprise that the first thing our Uber driver said to us was "Hansen's? I could really use a sno-ball today too!" (We invited her to join us but she declined because of the sugar content. Which... fair.)Plan and time your visit well. Hansen's is a little out of the way and is guaranteed to have a line. I found myself awkwardly craning my neck at times to catch the shade. It's a tiny mom-and-pop place (it's been in the Hansen family for three generations) and the fans inside won't do much to cool you down until you take your first bite of a sno-ball.It tastes nothing like shaved ice. The texture is softer -- truly snowlike. I got satsuma (a tart citrusy flavor that you'll find on the menu of many NOLA institutions, whether edible or in candle form) and cream of earl grey. I could barely taste the earl grey, so I think I should've gotten another flavor, but the satsuma was heavenly.