Finding delicious ice cream in Portland is not difficult, and we’re not just referring to Salt & Straw.
Although Portland is known for its eccentric ice cream parlor from the 2010s, which has now spread to several other major cities and Disneyland, the city has a much larger ice cream scene, with excellent scoop shops opening up all around the city.
However, for whatever wonderful reason, several of the best ice cream shops in the city have started to congregate in one area: Southeast Division Street.
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ice cream
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We did a one-day ice cream crawl to some of Portland s best scoop shops. This is what we found
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These are the 5 best places to get ice cream in Portland
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This witchy frozen custard shop in downtown Portland has a secret coffee lounge if you know the password
This section of Division between Southeast 50th and Southeast 29th avenues is officially recognized as the Richmond neighborhood, and it is home to five of the city’s most popular ice cream businesses. There’s a sixth a few blocks away. This ice cream corridor is not only practical, but essential for anyone wishing to experience Portland’s frozen treat renaissance.
These are the five (well, six) places to visit in Southeast Portland’s ice cream corridor, regardless of whether you’re just looking for a scoop or two after dinner or you’re someone who takes ice cream tasting seriously and intends to visit them all in one day.
Eb & Bean
This little frozen yogurt store receives praise for its roomy decor, plenty of seating, and extensive selection of flavors and toppings. After a mandatory taste test of their assortment of dairy and non-dairy flavors, the real fun here is creating your own combos. A swirl of Matcha Lavender and Blueberry Tart with crushed Oat Streusel on top was a delectable and visually appealing combination that we sampled during our stay. The big winner, though, was the Marionberry Pancake flavor, which our child taster chose to garnish with tiny colorful chocolate candies.
Eb & Bean is open from midday to ten p.m. at 3040 S.E. Division St. Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Friday; ebandbean.com.
Salt & Straw
Every month, Salt & Straw rotates a variety of flavors, some of which are unique and some of which are good. However, the traditional, always-available flavors—particularly Gooey Chocolate Brownie, Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper, and Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons—are generally decent to great. An additional bonus from Salt & Straw? You can even get a scoop on a Monday before lunch because it’s open every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Salt & Straw is located at 3345 S.E. Division St. and is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (saltandstraw.com).
Kate s Ice Cream
The only surprising aspect of Kate’s Ice Cream is that it wasn’t developed sooner. After establishing a devoted customer base in North Portland in 2022, the plant-based ice cream store expanded to the west side of town and, this year, to Southeast Division with a summer pop-up at Better Days Cafe. Along with some innovative creations, such as the fragrant Rose Water Cardamom Almond, Kate’s menu offers twists on traditional flavors, such as their strawberry ice cream layered with strawberry jam. Kate’s lets their freak flag fly throughout the seasonals. We weren’t particularly like of this summer’s Strawberry Chocolate Potato Chip, but you have to respect the swing.
Kate’s Ice Cream, noon to ten p.m., 3551 S.E. Division St. Midday to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday. Kates Ice Cream, Sunday.
Pinolo Gelato
We still stand by our decision to identify Pinolo Gelato as our favorite ice cream shop in Portland, which we made earlier this month.The gelato is prepared in-house every day, and the pinolo flavors are flawless. In the best case scenario, gelato has a softer texture because it is not quite as cold and contains less sugar and fat than ice cream. The best case scenario is pinolo. What do we advise? Choose a few flavors that appeal to you after trying them all. You can’t go wrong with Hazelnut or Cioccolato, but don’t miss the special flavors, which change roughly every two weeks. Earlier this summer, there was Foresta, a smooth gelato made with foraged new growth fir tips that felt like you were entering a forest.
Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Pinolo Gelato is located at 3707 S.E. Division St.; their website is pinologelato.com.
Cornet Custard
Another variation on ice cream that uses more eggs is custard. Because 12 eggs are used to manufacture each quart of Cornet Custard, the tastes are incredibly creamy. If you find anything you like, grab a pint because those creamy flavors change often here. Regardless of the flavor you choose, you can anticipate a pleasantly generous amount of mix-ins, a ton of taste, and elegant, imported cones. All of Cornet’s offerings are excellent, but if they have anything with peanuts on the menu, such the Chocolate Peanut Butter or Peanut Hot Fudge Sundae, order it. You may recreate the magic on your street by using DoorDash pints and a four-pack of cones if you are unable to attend Division Street for this event, though you should definitely try.
Cornet Custard is available from noon to 9:30 p.m. at 4529 S.E. Division St. Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 8:30 p.m. Cornetpdx.com on Sunday.
BONUS: Fifty Licks
Fifty Licks has established itself as a Portland landmark. The company began operations in a bright blue truck on Southeast Belmont Street and has since grown to three locations throughout the metropolitan area—four if you include the Southeast Burnside location that burned down last year. Its lone eastside scoop shop, Fifty Licks Southeast Clinton, which operates consistently only two blocks off the main strip on Southeast Division, was destroyed by the fire. The tastes are a bit more popular than founder Chad Draizin’s original inventions, so don’t expect a lot of turnover. Don’t overlook the Mocha Mudslide, which may be the greatest flavor available at the moment. Oregon Strawberry and Lavender Salted Caramel form a lovely floral combination.
Fifty Licks is open from noon until ten o’clock at 2021 S.E. Clinton St. Midday to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. Fifty-licks.com, Friday-Saturday.
More
ice cream
-
We did a one-day ice cream crawl to some of Portland s best scoop shops. This is what we found
-
These are the 5 best places to get ice cream in Portland
-
This witchy frozen custard shop in downtown Portland has a secret coffee lounge if you know the password
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