Indulge In The Best Ice Cream In Portland
I just got back from Portland, and looking through all of my food photos from my ten days there, I realized, I ate A LOT of ice cream. It was hard not to, as Portland has some of the best ice cream spots around. I didn’t even make it to all the ice cream spots I wanted to, but here were my favorites. Here’s where to find the best ice cream in Portland.
The Best Ice Cream In Portland
1. Sugarpine Drive-In
Ok, technically the Sugarpine Drive-In is in Troutdale, not in Portland, but I had to include them on this list because they have the best soft serve ice cream, I’ve ever had. And then the toppings they have, well, they are just decadent. I’m actually glad they aren’t open every day, or I would have to stop here every time I hike in the Columbia Gorge. My latest favorite was the miso caramel with the Thai tea whip (though the Thai tea flavor could have been stronger). I also love the matcha magic shell and all of their seasonal sundaes. They always offer chocolate and vanilla along with a seasonal vegan selection.
2. Soro Soro
I will say that Soro Soro had the ice cream experience that most made me feel like a kid again. Their snow affogato is ice cream topped with cotton candy that you pour espresso over. The espresso caramelizes around the cotton candy and mixes with the ice cream making for a delicious and sticky experience. I was definitely on a sugar high after this one!
3. Cornet Custard
Cornet Custard, started by Mika Paredes and the late Naomi Pomeroy, serves the richest, most decadent custard. There are 12 egg yolks in every quart! I had the blood orange dreamsicle when I went which consisted of a blood orange sorbet swirled with their Madagascar vanilla custard. It was incredible. You can visit their scoop shop on SE Division or buy pints inside of Colibri on NE Prescott.
4. Cheese & Crack
Of all the ice cream in Portland, the one that’s hard to beat is the $4 soft serve at Cheese & Crack. There’s chocolate ganache in the cone and it’s free to add matcha dust, espresso dust, or beet dust. They also have incredible sundaes. You can also get your cone topped with a chocolate cowboy hat if you’re so inclined.
5. Pronto Gelato
Pronto Gelato is a small batch gelato shop in the Cully neighborhood. I had a scoop of the olive oil and a scoop of the chocolate gelato on my visit. You can also get an affogato made with any flavor here. It’s owned by the owner of Spella Caffe and the owner of Campana Restaurant, a great pairing for a gelato shop.
6. Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko
I fell in love with matcha soft serve when I lived in Thailand. The mall by my house sold it for $1, and I ate it almost every day. This cafe opened it’s first store in Hawaii, and I’m so glad Portland has a location. This is the place to get all things matcha from soft serve to shaved ice to matcha tea floats. Last time I was there, they also had ube soft serve, and it looks like they will have a yuzu soft serve for a limited time soon.
7. Salt & Straw
Judging from the long lines, many Portlanders consider Salt & Straw to have the best ice cream in Portland. The lines often deter me, but if they are ever short enough, I’ll stop. The unusual flavors rotate, but my favorite flavor they ever had was years ago when they had one called Alma’s Toasted Milk with Assam Tea caramel. I also like their vegan mint chip. Stand in line if you dare!
8. Pinolo Gelato
I think Pinolo Gelato has the closest thing to gelato like you would find in Italy. It’s absolutely incredible. My favorite time was when they had the ricotta fig and I combined it with almond orange. Most recently I had the Oregon strawberry with fior de latte and hazelnut. They always have seasonal flavors, and I love that they are open until 10:30 pm! They also always have sorbetti, if you’re looking for a dairy free experience.
9. Nong’s Khao Man Gai
I absolutely love the coconut soft serve at Nong’s Khao Man Gai. I used to love it even more because it was infused with pandan and lemongrass flavors. But, it’s still great, and you can even get a Thai tea topped with the ice cream.
10. Fifty Licks
I’ve been enjoying the ice cream at Fifty Licks since it was a food cart. Sadly, the Burnside location caught fire, but you can still visit the location on SE Clinton. Two of my favorite flavors are the mango sticky rice and the honey lavender. They always have seasonal flavors along with that delicious coconut lemon saffron and the chocolate AF. Their house made waffle cones are also gluten free, and they offer many vegan flavors. Don’t miss this ice cream? It’s some of the best ice cream in Portland.