Keep Cool at These Six Portland Scoop Shops

Who doesn’t love ice cream? And here in Portland we are lucky that there’s a scoop shop catering to everyone in the family, and our dietary restrictions and paletes. We’ve got dairy-free flavors — so smooth and rich, you won’t even miss the cream — fruit flavors showcasing Oregon’s bounty and super sweet, fun flavors that kids absolutely love. So keep cool and indulge your sweet tooth with a scoop or two of homemade ice cream from one of these classic shops in the Portland-area.

Salt & Straw
Much has been written about this popular ice cream company, and for good reason. With 20 locations — four in the Portland-area — and a menu bursting with rotating, innovative flavors (including tasty vegan ones!), there’s something for everyone at Salt & Straw. This month’s flavors are all about those bite-size summer fruits: berries! There’s the spicy “goat cheese and marionberry habanero,” the vegan “boysenberry oat milk sherbet,” and kids will love “birthday cakes and blackberries.”

Fifty Licks
Freshly-made waffle cones. The consistent, yet creative menu. (A scoop of Golden Milk? Yes, please!) The artful cafe cubano. There’s a lot to love at Fifty Licks. This small-batch scoop shop with three locations does dairy and non-dairy ice cream right. Kids especially love the aptly named, “Chocolate AF,” made with chunks of homemade chocolate ganache.

Eb & Bean
Eb & Bean set the new standard for froyo in the city when it opened its frozen yogurt shop in 2014. And while the rich, all-organic flavors taste like soft-serve ice cream, it’s the fun toppings that really win us over. Fan favorites include cookie dough bits from Sift Bakery, and organic gummy bears and roasted hazelnuts from Freddy Guys farms in Monmouth. Don’t forget the hot fudge sauce!

Cloud City
Cloud City is known for its quality, small-batches of beloved ice cream classics like mint chip, cookies n’ cream and moose tracks — or Sasquatch Tracks, as this iconic flavor is known at Cloud City. Kids gravitate toward “Circus Friends,” loaded with Mother’s brand pink and white frosted animal cookies and rainbow sprinkles. The Woodstock shop also has vegan and gluten-free flavors, including fruit sorbet, made with local fruits like strawberries and marionberries.

What’s the Scoop?
This Boise-Eliot ice cream shop is perfect for families: there are both kid-approved flavors and a few just for the adults. “Cereal and Milk,” and “Nutella” are sought-after scoops for children. And the “Spiced Chocolate Tequila,” infused with cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and Sauza Tequila or the “Bourbon Toffee,” with Maker’s Mark, gives parent’s just enough kick to deal with their small one’s inevitable sugar crash. What’s the Scoop? also offers sweet add-ons like house-made fudge brownies and cookies, hot fudge and a toasted marshmallow topper.

Cool Moon Ice Cream
Cool Moon Ice Cream has your ice cream shop standards — vanilla, chocolate, Oregon berry flavors — but what this Pearl District place is known for is its unique “Kulfi” flavor, made with pistachio, cardamom and rosewater. It’s just as refreshing as it sounds. For the younger, likely pickier, ice cream lover, fear not, the birthday cake and chocolate chip flavors will surely satisfy.

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Tiffany Hill

Tiffany Hill is our Managing Editor. She is from Honolulu, Hawaii, but loves calling Oregon home. She lives in Northeast Portland with her husband, son and their scrappy, adopted dog. When she’s not on assignment, you can find her playing roller derby or exploring the outdoors with a scenic hike.