Commonly known for its bars, restaurants and nightlife, 6th Street is now home to a magical land of sweet treats and a picturesque atmosphere — Austin’s first Unicorn Magical Dessert Bar.
With its original location in Houston, the dessert bar opened its doors to the public on Sept. 21. Unicorn Magical Dessert Bar claims to be the original and only unicorn-themed dessert bar in the country. The franchise has gained wide popularity, entertaining the likes of thousands of Instagram followers and being featured in shows such as drag queen Alyssa Edwards’s “Dancing Queen.”
The owner of the franchise, Jimmy Sheikh, said the inspiration for such a unique concept came from a similar franchise overseas.
“It spirited from Japan, and we thought, ‘Why not bring it up here?’” Sheikh said. “There is a huge market for this kind of industry.”
Marketing representative for the franchise, Jessica Nancy, believes that the dessert bar has grown in popularity due to its large target audience and versatility.
“There’s a lot of young people around Austin, and there’s a lot of students,” Nancy said. “They should have a spot where they can go for a date night, where they can go for a birthday party (and) where moms can take their kids for a birthday party in the downtown area.”
Already taking advantage of the Unicorn Magical Dessert Bar is customer Laura Hoernera, who said she brought her family to the grand opening on Sept. 21.
“I just thought it would be a fun outing to take my twins to give them a treat, surprise them with some cotton candy or something that they don’t usually get to have,” Hoernera said.
Sheikh said the goal of creating the franchise has been to bring families together through this unique dessert experience.
“We saw so many places that are available for the adult group, but they are very few for children as well,” Sheikh said.
At the Unicorn Magical Dessert Bar, Sheikh said there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Nancy said the goal behind the aesthetic was to create an “Instagrammable” environment to attract patrons.
The complexity of the desserts is what attracted customer Luisa Rivera.
“Nobody serves you a milkshake with cake on top, or a lemonade and a cake,” Rivera said. “It’s colorful, in fashion with unicorns and it’s yummy.”
Although the main attractions of the desserts are the unusual colors and eccentric style, Nancy Sheikh said the quality of the desserts are the most important.
“We try to maintain our quality, we don’t compromise our quality, the decoration, this special unicorn effect,” Sheikh said. “We are trying to do the best we can (to) bring (it) to Austin for people to really appreciate and have a great time with this dessert bar.”
After opening its doors, the franchise hopes to continue to grow and that the unusualness of the dessert experience will keep people coming back.
“You can have a milkshake anywhere, but if the decor is cute and the ambiance is cute, and the look of the product is appealing, then it is unique,” Nancy said. “There’s nothing out there that can compete with the unicorn.”
