Among the many other things Portland excels at, we make terrific ice cream. So cool your ass down this summer by paying a visit to the following local ice creameries and try what, in our valued opinions, are the best dairy and NON-dairy varieties!
BEAUX BERRY
3707 NE FremontBEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Everyone comes here for the âreal fruit ice cream,â in which your choice of fresh Oregon berry is swirled into vanilla ice cream. I wonât argue against that common wisdomâhowever, if they happen to be serving lemon chiffon ice cream on the day of your visit, ask them to swirl your real fruit into that instead of the vanilla. Itâs sweet, itâs sour, and itâs summer on a freakinâ cone.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: You can have any of the berry optionsâthatâs raspberry, marionberry, strawberry, and, for someone unknown reason, blueberryâswirled into a vegan coconut-based vanilla. Still summer on a freakinâ cone, but without the cruelty, or the gas. BLAIR STENVICK
CHEESE & CRACK
22 SE 28th
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Whoâs ready for a cheese snack? Everybody. While Cheese & Crack isnât a straight-up ice cream shop, their luscious, pitch-perfect vanilla soft serve is an insider secret (youâre welcome) and comes with dusting options of chocolate, strawberry, matcha orâstay with me hereâBEET. Do not pretend you do not love this, Portland. I get that beet flavor every time (mixing it with matcha is good too). Cheese & Crackâs vanilla soft serve tastes like scientifically perfect custardâthick, not too sweet, and deeply satisfying. SUZETTE SMITH
CLOUD CITY ICE CREAM
4525 SE Woodstock
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: A strong contender for best ice cream joint in Portland, Cloud City has too many bests to choose from! Okay fine, go for the Sea Salt Cookie Dough... or better yet, the Chocolate Toasted Coconut... or to top âem all, the Unicorn that pairs red velvet cake and a swirl of strawberry in creamy vanilla. Goddammit, just get all three.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: I also absolutely adored their large non-dairy selection, with their Blueberry Coconut Crumble being the stand-out winner. Crunchy crumble paired with fresh bloobs and sweet coconut? So much love there. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
COOL MOON
1105 NW Johnson
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Cool Moon is the one true king of Portland ice cream. Flavors change weekly, but I recently destroyed the game with a combo scoop of Spicy Thai Peanut and Earl Grey. The Spicy Peanut dominated the initial scarf, but the Earl Grey left a delicious, smoky aftertaste for nearly an hour afterward.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: Cool Moonâs approach to chocolate sorbet is, damn, basically chocolate. Itâs so rich you have to keep reminding yourself itâs sorbet. SS
DAIRY HILL
1428 SE 36th, 6352 SW Capitol Highway
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: SPUMONI! Dairy Hill serves spumoni, the only dessert that is as fun to say as it is to eat. Thatâs how I found myself sitting in a mostly empty mall food court in the middle of a weekday, mouth full of pistachio ice cream and bits of gelatinous dried fruit, yelling âSpumoni!â at various passersby. Seriously, this spumoni is good.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: The vegan Salted Caramel Chip crowds your mouth with different tastes and textures in a style charmingly reminiscent of a discontinued Baskin-Robbins flavor. Ice cream has gotten alarmingly serious lately, and eating vegan is often imbued with such heavinessâlighten up a little and indulge in this saccharine mess. BS
EB & BEAN
645 NW 21st, 1425 NE Broadway, 3040 SE Division
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: The home of quality local frozen yogurt with a kick-ass toppings bar, Eb & Bean has lots to love, but I prefer the Hazelnut Praline. Itâs soft-serve perfection thatâs a match made in heaven when paired with caramel.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: Like Reeseâs Pieces? If not, youâre a monster, but if you do, then hit up the Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter thatâs full of robust, chilly, candy shop flavor. WSH
FIFTY LICKS
2021 SE Clinton, 2742 E Burnside, 1647 NW 21st
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: TIRED: Salted Caramel. WIRED: Soy Sauce Caramel! This sodium-rich sweet proves that umami isnât just for the main course anymore. Honorable mentions go to Lavender Mint Chipâan ice cream that will help you remember mint is an herb, not a confectionâand dreamy blood orange creamsicle.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: Fifty Licks has some lovely, creative vegan options (the wonderfully delicate Coconut Lemon Saffron; the curry-infused golden milk). But the top prize has got to go to Cho-coco-melâa rich, satisfying dark chocolate that will have you screaming, âI canât believe itâs not dairy!â BS
HURRY BACK ICE CREAM
SE 13th & Lexington
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: This ice cream cart deep in the heart of Sellwood may seem unassuming, but theyâre pumping out some of the best ice cream in Portland. While thereâs a lot to choose from, start off with their Rocky Road, filled with chocolatey richness, macadamia nuts, and marshmallows. Easy to see why this is a fave for kids and adults.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: If push came to shove, Hurry Backâs dairy-free Pineapple is one of my favorite flavors in the city. Expect insanely fresh pineapple goodness that tastes like sweet, sugary air. WSH
LOVELYâS FIFTY FIFTY
4039 N Mississippi
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Thereâs an obvious farm vibe to wood-fired pizza spot Lovelyâs Fifty Fifty: Their ingredients are seasonal and sourced from nearby farms. Their ice cream, available to go at the front of the restaurant, or for dessert after dinner, is housemade and changes with the influx of local farm bounty. The Mint Stracciatella was put on this earth to cure what ails, with mint perfection and delicate, broken-up ribbons of chocolate. But I'll mess around with that Fennel Vanilla Bean too. Thereâs something about the way this ice cream is made that brings the ingredientsâ flavors right to the front. SS
PINOLO GELATERIA
3707 SE Division
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Known as a place to get your authentic gelato and espresso fix, Pinoloâs clear crowd favorite is the Stracciatella, which combines the Fior De Latte (AKA âthe flower of milkâ) with a rich, intense chocolate. The Cioccolato is great too, for people who love their chocolate deep, dense, and not so sweet.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: There are usually just a handful of dairy-free specials here, and the Blood Orange flavor is the stand-out. Itâs light, sweet, and complexâhey, just like you. WSH
STACCATO GELATO
232 NE 28th, 931 NW 23rd
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: The real scoop is that Staccato Gelato took over the former Alotto Gelato spot on Northwest 23rd. And while they always bring their inventive flavors game, Staccatoâs Thai Iced Tea gelato is always in the case and is truly their finest.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: Recently I had a Turmeric Sorbetto that turnt all the right corners of my mouth, but donât overlook your steady BF4LYFE coconut either. SS
22 BELOW
615 SW 19th
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Thereâs a lot of hype around this âhandcrafted rolled ice creamâ because 1) weâre excited to go to a place that isnât Cold Stone Creamery, but will nevertheless mix candy into our ice cream, and 2) itâs rolled? The wildest avenue available is obviously the Hot Cheetos, but at the end of the day itâs not that exciting to eat: salty, sweet, not even that spicy. My hearty recommendation goes to the Campfire, which involves a toasted marshmallow (toasted right there!), mixed in with chocolate and graham cracker. You can taste the smokinessâand you can have another toasted marshmallow on top for free!
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: The Southwest Portland location only has fruit-based vegan options, and they were out when we visited. SS
WHATâS THE SCOOP
3540 N Williams
BEST DAIRY FLAVOR: Vietnamese coffee is already a dessert in and of itselfâthat luscious condensed milk, that hair-bending espresso kickâbut Whatâs the Scoop ice cream-ifies it to new heights. Honorable mention goes to the cereal and milk flavor.
BEST NON-DAIRY FLAVOR: âCool as a Cucumberâ livens up the most boring produce (cucumber) with the most elegant liquor (St. Germaine). Whatâs the Scoop also offers up a dense, wait-are-you-sure-this-is-vegan vegan chocolate sorbetâpick up a pint and some oat milk, and youâre suddenly on your way to a homemade milkshake. BS