Cricket’s Creamery & Café

I worked here under the original owner and while I ate here during my shifts, I didn’t really come in on my days off. Unless it was one of my friends at the counter, the service was pretty mediocre. After I left, even though it was voluntary, the owner was pretty cold to me and the rest of the employees followed suit.
Now that Cricket’s is under new management, I’ve been going out of my way to become a regular customer. The new owner, Michael, is great. Extremely friendly, and obviously has high hopes for the place. The staff has never been less than warm and efficient. There was a brief transition period where orders got mixed up and you could tell the staff was still trying to figure things out, but they seem to have settled into the swing of things now.
I’m happy to see all of the additions to the menu (the Be All You Can Be Biscuit is amazing, I order it all the time), and I think the new décor is great. I never really cared for the kitschy/​cluttery feel from before. They’ve even started making their own ice cream in-​house, which means the «Creamery» part of the name actually applies! You HAVE to try the «K-​Man» flavor, which has a whole chocolate pumpkin pie from Kraftsmen Bakery chopped up into it.
I can’t wait to see where this place goes, and I’ll keep bringing my friends with me!

Man, I had such high hopes for this place! Not that the food was bad, but it was plain and way over-​priced for what it is. The prices listed on the web are either wrong, or we got over-​charged while we were there. We also did not receive a side or a salad to go along with our $ 7.50 vegetable sandwiches. I ordered a grilled cheese and my friend ordered the avocado supreme and we switched halfway so we could taste the other. They were both good for what they were. Nothing I couldn’t make at home for a fraction of the cost. I wanted to order the gelato here and maybe throw some espresso in it, but I didn’t want to give them anymore money when I felt cheated as it was. We just walked down the street to Boomtown for a coffee fix.
In short, menu was too simple and prices were too high. Huge disappointment.

This is a review of the establishment itself and NOT the service. Service was good!
I really wanted to like this place when I walked in. The girl at the counter was friendly and prices were OK. All I had was a drink, because I was trying to use their free, open internet and get some work done on my laptop.
Unfortunately, even though there were only about 5 people in there at any given time over the 2+ hours I was there, it was so loud I could barely think. I took a work call at one point and they could not hear me over the pop-​techno radio station playing. This is clearly due to their «hip» choice to have very high ceilings, exposed brick, and concrete floors. No absorption of sound made it nearly torture to try and concentrate. Add to this the fact that out of 5 people, 2 of them were screaming babies for over an hour, and I will never return.
It is also worth mentioning that I saw a guy come in and order food, and it took about 20 minutes for him to get his 2 brown bags to go. Judging by their menu, I could make everything in under 20 minutes. What happened there?

Some friends and I stopped by after lunch on a Saturday to get dessert. We all tried several of their homemade flavors! My favorite was probably the cookies’n’cream and their peanut butter (something).
I got their version of an affogato (ice cream + espresso) with the peanut butter ice cream and it was to die for!
My friends got the marscapone and the peaches’n’cream flavors and we all agreed that they were pretty tasty. I took a pint of the cookies’n’cream home for my bf (it’s his fave!) and he told me he really liked it and that he loved how the oreo cookie pieces stayed crunchy in the ice cream!
I will definitely be back to try their other gelato/​ice cream flavors! Who knows… maybe their food too!

Went here for lunch on Sunday after we heard that they have new ownership and revamped the menu with some meat options. Their menu is small and really just has just a few of your standard sandwiches and salads that everyone else sells. My wife got the special vegetable sandwich for $ 7.50 on sourdough and added a $ 2.50 side of cottage cheese… it came out on the wrong bread, with the tiniest ramekin of cottage cheese you have ever seen, and the sandwich appeared to be kid meal sized. My chicken salad sandwich was much better portioned but when I didn’t get the side I ordered they said it would be $ 2.50. With out an itemized receipt I never knew if I actually paid for it or not. Also I have no idea why it takes 15 minutes to put some chicken salad and veg’s on bread.
While we were there we saw a few couples walk in, look at the menu, then walk out. We should have also. Carter and Cooley’s down the street is an excellent alternative for this type of food.

Nice place to go for coffee, scones, ice cream, as vegetarian/​vegan food. I’ve always had good service and it’s a good place to take kids as well. Sometimes I take kiddos there for breakfast and we chill out on the couch reading books and overall enjoying the atmosphere and food.
And to the person who earlier talked about a «crazy looking hobo guy» sitting on their porch. Well this place has been helping out said «hobo» for some time now, providing him with food, drinks, and even changes of clothes every day. Yes, every day. They’re helping a fellow human being and in my book that’s a good thing and deserves kudos and my business.

This local dive is not just good… it’s real good! The atmosphere is very warm and eclectic and the place had great character. The owner is a friendly man and has a very welcoming demeanor as well as the waitstaff.
The food was prepared promptly and service was quite efficient. The dishes were very flavorful and had a home style feel which is why you would come here in the first place… I had the Tomato Capresse Salad Sandwich and some Carrot Cake iced with a marscapone icing… very tasty dishes.
Topped off with a simple black house coffee and my meal was complete. Will return with friends!

Stopped into this cute looking place (despite the slightly crazy looking hobo guy sitting and smoking on their patio). After passing back and forth shopping, my daughter and I decided to get hot drinks to warm up with before heading to the next shop. We walked in, already knowing what we wanted to order after looking at the menu outside. We went to the counter and the man behind the counter was on the phone. No problem, he was wrapping it up. After a minute or two, it appeared he was having issues getting off the phone and I needed to go to the restroom. I gave my daughter money and went to find the potty. Went down the back hall, only doors saying «Private Employees Only». There was a room at the end of the hall and nothing. Nope, no potty, or at least not one they wanted customers to use. I went back to the front. We waited and waited. Man still on phone. He didn’t even make an effort to let us know he realized we were waiting. A young lady came from the back put something on the counter, looked at us, then went back to the kitchen. REALLY? We waited another minute or so then I told my daughter to give me the money and we left., We walked out and the man never said a word.
This might be a perfectly good place but to be honest without basic customer service or manners, I will never go back.

Cute little place on a very nice street. Lots of interesting options to choose from. We only ordered drinks and scones, but will definitely come back to try some of the things I saw on the menu. I like the eclectic style of the place and the service was pretty good.

Ok.
I have been here at least 5 times, and have brought quite a few non vegan friends with me.
The place is very cute, and I like being able to walk into a place and tell people I’m vegan without being asked incredulously… «But… WHY?!»
The people seem to know their stuff… I’ve only gotten cheese on my sandwhich once out of 5 or 6 visits. Not too bad! The owner is a very nice man who appreciates his clientele… and is quick to tell you so.
The one thing that keeps it from being a 5 star review is that sometimes, the young waitstaff can be a bit dismissive… to the point of not looking at you while you are in line waiting… until they are ready to take your order. I am in the service industry… and this is a pet peeve. Acknowledge my presence… dang it! I need validation!
The portobello sandwich is my best friend’s favorite… can be veganized. Shepherds pie is fabulous too.

I came here looking for Gelato, which I did find in the form of Dreamsicle and Mocha crunch, BUT I got a better healthy lunch option.
My gf and I were able to split two of their vegetarian sandwiches: the Avocado supreme and Portabella mushroom on multi grain bread. I was always hateful towards vegetarian food, but now that I’ve been exploring it, just tastes better and doesn’t leaving feeling so sluggish. The restaurant itself is small but has a very historic touch to it.

Once again in hot Houston, we were left seeking a place that would provide a light, leafy lunch that wouldn’t clash with the oppressive Houston heat. Our search led us to Cricket’s in the hipster chic Heights.
The inside décor is like something out of a child’s Willie Wonka dream, with mismatched colorful furniture and funky hanging decorations.
I ordered the ½ soup and ½ salad. Yeah, it’s hot, but if you are sitting inside you can have soup. So there!
The soup was creamy potato, but I think it was mislabeled. Or I got the wrong soup, that’s always a possibility, too. Anyhow, the soup was a mottled green in color and it tasted like broccoli, not even a remote essence of potato in it, so if it really was potato, they need to cut down on the broccoli. But as a cream of broccoli soup, it was quite tasty.
We both ordered the Gorgonzola salad, but I ordered mine with the raspberry dressing and he ordered his with the honey mustard dressing. For once, he did the better job of choosing what to order. The raspberry dressing was simply too thick to mix well with the salad. It was tasty as hell, but belongs spread on toast as a jam, not in a salad. In the salad in was just a gloppy gloop of fruit that refused to mix or coat the salad greens. But the honey mustard was smooth and creamy and super tasty. It will be my choice in the future.
Finally, we both had some of their delicious house tea. Perfect for enjoying with lunch.
Cricket’s is definitely a cool find in this hot city!

Mediocre food. But I believe its m.o. is vegan. I’m no vegan. I got a vegan shepherd’s pie and I liked it a lot. She got a… corn soup that looked really weak and a caprese sandwich – I felt it was pretty weak. The thing I really didn’t like about this place was I didn’t feel it was friendly enough. I know I am stereotyping and I would hate for someone to stereotype me but I thought vegans were supposed to be super nice and all that. I think the person who took our order was pretty rude.
However, I don’t really blame them because right after we ordered a line, 20 people deep formed, there was leftover/​finished food on various tables, and they didn’t seem to be handling their shit too well/weren’t prepared for the rush.
I probably will come back here again just to try some of their drinks. Place seems more like a café (Starbucks style, that serves some lunches) rather than a Panera (serves lunch primarily/​drinks on the side) kind of place but I will double check.
Interesting part of town.

Cute, quirky café in the Heights, right among the 19^th Street businesses. There is a tiny patio-​ish area to dine and a water bowl for puppies. My partner and I came after church one fine Sunday to take advantage of a Google Deal coupon. We stuck with the breakfast menu. Nothing really jumped out or seemed particularly special. I went with the Belgian waffle with strawberries and he got the quiche with a fruit bowl. My Belgian waffle was quite plain — it was literally the waffle + strawberries. No whipped cream, no powdered sugar… I’m glad it was less than $ 6. The quiche seemed better with a buttery, flaky crust, but a small-​to-​medium portion and few veggies. The fruit bowl seemed quite lavish with a variety of fruits and dollop of Maple-​flavored cream.
It is a bright, cheery place. There are lots of ads for local businesses and events. They offer plenty of high fashion magazines for perusing. Also, it seemed very kid-​friendly with several families enjoying lunches there. I barely looked at the regular food menu, but there were a few salads and different sandwiches. I think I would come back for coffee or ice cream, but probably not for a full meal.

If restaurant reviews were based solely on atmosphere, Cricket’s would no doubt get five stars. It’s in the heart of the Heights – one of the coolest areas in Houston – and looks like the type of place that was transported straight out of Austin. They’ve got a wide variety of food options as well as tons of gelato options – perfect after spending the day on 19^th Street.
That all being said, I was a little disappointed with their coffee. I usually expect good coffee from a place that calls itself a «Café» and has an extensive menu of hot and cold coffee drinks. But sadly, this coffee was only mediocre. Oh well, I guess you come here for the atmosphere and gelato, not the coffee.

This place is so cute! I wanted to find a small café to study and this place is perfect!
There are plenty of seats inside and out. And there’s a hidden area behind the kitchen on the way to the bathroom which would be perfect for small groups. Oh FYI the bathroom is behind the door down the hallway. I felt sketchy walking back there my first time bc it felt like a scene out of a movie where a character walks through a small business to a private room to gamble illegally or something. But no, I did not find anything exciting. Just a one stall bathroom with 2 sinks. This place is really clean and a perfect place to relax with a good book.
I tried the quiche and it was DELICIOUS. So good that I got it again for lunch. Yes, I did. Don’t judge. Also the fruit cup that comes along with it was so fresh! I wasn’t really a fan of the sauce (sorry John, if there really is a John). I will come back just for the quiche. I saw that they had Shepherd’s Pie! Oh and GELATO!!! Too bad I gave up sweets for lent or else I would’ve been all over that. It looked really tempting though. CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!

This place is kitschy, cute, girly, and reminiscent of a 60’s style dinner with the red booths, and sweet music playing. I came in on Sunday wanted to grab a quick bite before hitting the shops on 11^th. I didn’t realize it was a vegetarian place until i got inside. No worries, I have slowly tried to get rid of most red meat from my diet, so this could be a good thing. I opted for the 2 and 2 with two cage free scrambled eggs, and 2 Belgian waffles. I also got a small vanilla latte. The latte was excellent. I wish I could say the same for the food and service. It’s not that the service was bad, but it was two younger high schoolish girls that didn’t seem too friendly. They seemed more interested in chit chatting than helping me. The food came out fairly quickly, and quite honestly if it wasn’t for the atmosphere, and InStyle magazine I read while having breakfast, I may have to go down to a two star. It was non memorable. The eggs had absolutely no salt or pepper, or spice, and the waffles were dense, and no amount of butter or syrup was helping. In the end, I left a bit frustrated being that I felt so comfortable in the surroundings, but the food was meh.
I would try again based on the review, and possibly come in for a muffin or scone next time.

I had a friend in town from Austin who is a Vegan. We looked for vegan friendly restaurants for 5 days straight. There were very few. This place was the number one best place of all of them.
First of all, the décor is absolutely adorable. As soon as you walk up, you get a good feeling about it. Cute picket fence, bright furniture, and the menu posted on the door. The walls were bright colors and the tables were all unique and different.
The food was EXCELLENT. My friend asked the girl at the counter about vegan options and the manager/​owner came out from the kitchen and told my friend everything that she could have. It was so nice to have someone understand her dietary needs and also be nice about it.
I am not a vegetarian, but I didn’t even notice or miss meat here. I had the breakfast sandwich the John’s Special. It was so good! Eggs, Vegetarian sausage, melted mozzarella, fresh tomatoes on sourdough. I ate the whole thing even though I was super full.
Everyone else loved their food too. We sat in the back room and played Chinese Checkers while we ate and were never bothered.
I’d love to go back and get some Gellato next time. This place was amazing.

Great place to loiter with a cup of coffee and some gelato. Not really a fan of their gelato flavors but they have have a nice creamy texture.
The place is kitschy cute with plenty of personality but at the same time it might be too cluttered for some… to the point where it’s got that grimey feel? haha, sorta reminds me of south congress area in Austin where all the funky stores are located
I’ve been here a few times. One time I had a great vegetable soup in a tomato broth. This time I had a tomato bisque while bf got the split pea, the accompanying lemon thyme bread was yummy/​nice and chewy. The bisque on the other hand tasted like they took a campbell’s tomato soup and put in cream? Very generic tasting. BF finished his split pea and thought it was fine.
Lots of families going in and out of here. The place itself is visually entertaining enough to amuse your kids while they gobble up their gelato.
You park on the street and there’s a free parking lot close by. they also have outdoor patio seating.
Service was fast and friendly.
overall, a cute place in the heights… though I’m slightly turned off by the animal print button down shirt wearing gangly hobo who walked in probably to use the facilities quickly. pretty sure he’s harmless and none of the other customers seemed phased

After a particularly torturous summer day of thrifting in the Heights, my friend and I stopped by this adorable little establishment because I was parched with thirst and overheating and her adorable little girl had to go potty (TMI, but you know how kids are! Darn them!).
I actually had this place bookmarked for months prior and wander in without actually noting the name of the establishment. Pretty neato! Anyway of course I expected this place to be all kids of cute because it’s situated in by a some vintage and accessory stores. And I was right.
I ordered the frozen lemonade — which consisted of blending the syrupy concoction with a bunch of ice into a uniform slush. It did me right! My friend’s daughter had some gelato and she seemed pretty enamored by it, shocking, I know!
I browsed the menu and noticed several vegetarian options, not too much default vegan options, but they were vegan cookies (I resisted, I was brave!).
The general dining area is super adorable — books and toys for the kiddos, magazines for the adults. Free wifi. The adults-​only area right before the restroom felt slightly more proper — kind of neat they have an «adults-​only» area (um, that sound dirty, but calm yourself!) in case you need to get some serious work finished. It was quite sparsely populated this particular Wednesday before 4 p.m. so it was quite a calm and pleasant respite from the heat.
Basically a pretty neato place to stop by for a little break from the heat or a light meal. I really found it quite adorable and wouldn’t mind coming back here.

What what what??? This exists!!! A funky/​quaint veg café with delicious ice cream AND brilliant service?
It’s true my friends, here’s the run-​down:
LUNCH: All vegetarian w/​plenty-​o-​vegan options and daily specials. «John’s Shepherds Pie» was as comforty as comfort food can get @$ 7.85. One of my sisters ordered the quiche & fruit plate, a substantial amt of food she swears she’ll get again, for $ 5.85. My other sister chose the avocado sandwich ($ 5.85) with the smokey tomato sauce per owner recommendation and, while normally a picky eater, was definitely pleased.
DESSERT: Was too focused on the delicious ice cream and gelato to try the pastries but plan to, they looked great. Tried many flavors but to me, the lemon biscotti gelato takes the cake @ $ 2.95/cup.
PEOPLE: John, the owner, was there and he was so helpful and genuinely interested in the quality of the food and our welfare that I can’t help but immediately give this place 5 stars. HIs assistant was great as well, in fact, she was the one who recommended the lemon biscotti!
Thanks team, we’ll def be back–