This summer, Portland showed us how hot it can get! And while we seem to have made it through the record-breaking temps, our city is certainly staying warm. There’s no better way to stay cool than with a sweet scoop of ice cream. These awesome shops serve up some of the best ice cream, gelato, froyo, and sorbet in the city. You’ll want to try them all before the temps start to drop again.
Sugarpine Drive-In:There's nothing sweeter than getting your soft serve cone from a retro drive-through after a day on the Sandy River. Located in Troutdale, Sugarpine serves up great lunches, but it's the cones that'll make you beg for more. Go for the Larch Mountain, a chocolate and vanilla swirl topped with crumbled brown butter blondies, blueberry lavender sauce, and homemade pine nut honeycomb crunch. Also, they serve froze (frozen rose) popsicles.
1208 East Historical Columbia River Hwy.
Troutdale, OR
Online: sugarpinedrivein.com
Fifty Licks: Fifty Licks started as a food cart then swiftly moved into the spotlight at their two locations (both currently open for takeout). Quality ingredients mixed into a custard base means flavors like Hood Strawberry or Toasted Milk shine through. The vegan options are coconut-based and will not disappoint anyone, like the turmeric-yellow Golden Milk or the Mango Sticky Rice.
Multiple locations
Online: fifty-licks.com
Salt and Straw: Portland’s ice cream craze basically kicked off with this shop and their curious flavors--you can find their shops flung far in LA, San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, and even Disneyland (yep). Closer to home, it’s still massively popular. The one good thing about 2020 is that you can now skip those heinous lines by ordering online ahead of time for pickup (or delivery!). They keep a list of favorites like strawberry and balsamic, olive oil, and sea salt and caramel, but their monthly rotating flavors are surprisingly unique, but crazy good— like goat cheese marionberry habanero.
Multiple locations
Online: saltandstraw.com
Pinolo Gelato: Founded by a native Italian, Pinolo Gelato lets ice cream’s European cousin shine. Gelato is mostly made without eggs--because it has less fat and is also served slightly warmer than ice cream, it’s argued to be more flavorful. Take a Roman holiday with classic flavors like chocolate, stracciatella or pistachio, or enjoy the seasonal rotation like almond fig. They also serve Cafe Umbria espresso.
3707 SE Division
Online: pinologelato.com
Ruby Jewel: Delicious ice cream, sandwiched between two thick cookies. It’s the dessert for when you can’t decide if you want ice cream or baked goods, and nobody in Portland does it like Ruby Jewel. Try the Double Chocolate and Peanut Butter, or the Lemon and Honey Lavender, or test out a new flavor! The four store locations are town are open for business this summer, and perfect for your warm-weather breaks.
Multiple locations
Online: rubyjewel.com
Cloud City Ice Cream: This gem in the Woodstock neighborhood of Southeast Portland has been impressing kids of all ages since 2011, using natural and local ingredients to serve up a prolific menu of dairy and non-dairy scoops, sundaes, and shakes. They’ve simplified their menu to the classics (like Golddigger with chocolate ice cream and peanut butter ripple, or the honey lavender), and are offering scoops and pints to go. As it says on their door, everything is made with equal parts love and magic.
4525 SE Woodstock Blvd.
Portland
Online: cloudcityicecream.com
Eb and Bean: The froyo from Eb and Bean has taken the city by storm the last few years. The swirling cones of goodness come in fantastic flavors (dairy or non-dairy, without artificial sweeteners, flavors, preservatives, or corn syrup). It’s then topped with seasonal, all-natural goodies, many from local Oregon companies. They have three locations around town, making it the perfect spot for families wherever they may live.
Multiple locations
Online: ebandbean.com
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