Portland has always had a penchant for flamboyant frozen treats. Even before the era of olive oil swirls and goat cheese berry scoops, kids and adults alike poured into places like Farrell’s for comically enormous sundaes (paraded to your table with sirens and singing) and the Carnival (later “the Carrousel”) for circus-themed blackberry shakes on animal-themed seats next to a koi pond. Back then, the flavor choices were simpler, but our passion for dessert spectacle ran just as deep.

Fast forward a few decades, and Portland’s ice cream scene has only gotten weirder, wilder, and more expansive, with vegan paletas, black sesame gelatos, and pints infused with everything from beer to bone marrow. With peak ice cream season now upon us, a handful of new spots are continuing the city’s legacy of ice cream pageantry, feeding our deep-rooted love for frozen indulgence.

In the spirit of civic duty, I set out to taste-test three of Portland’s newest icy offerings. 

Black Cat Frozen Custard

Black Cat Frozen Custard is a moody new custard parlor in Old Town that taps straight into the city’s enduring goth soul as soon as you walk through the door. Like its parent establishment, Raven’s Manor, the all-ages custard shop is a theatrical nod to Portland’s penchant for dark whimsy and vintage kitsch. General manager Alonzo Esquivel describes the space as “witchy, metaphysical, and eclectic,” complete with moss-draped walls, handmade brooms, antique portraits, and oddities sourced from estate sales.

On the menu, you’ll find silky, ultra-dense custard in three base flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and vegan oat milk vanilla. From there, the magic begins. You can enjoy the custard plain, dress it up as a sundae or float, or transform it into a concrete (think: ultra-thick DQ Blizzard), which can then be loaded with seasonal mix-ins like pistachio drizzle or local marionberry. When I visited, I sampled a berry concrete, a banana split sundae, and a custard-based root beer float (my personal favorite), each of which was decadent without being too sweet.

Beyond the spooky aesthetic, Black Cat’s atmosphere gives hints of speakeasy vibes, reminiscent of Voysey or the dearly departed Circa 33. To get upstairs, for instance, you have to whisper a rotating passphrase, which grants you access to a secret wardrobe leading to the “Conspirators Lounge” above. According to Esquivel, the hype around the password spread so quickly on social media that they had to change it within their first few days of opening. “It’s meant to feel like a secret society,” he says. “A space you can lounge in for hours, almost like a little hidden bubble.” 

For now, it offers espresso and traditional coffee, with plans to add cocktails this summer. All told, Black Cat is a bold new standout in Portland’s frozen dessert scene, offering sweet treats and theatrical adventure all under one enchanted roof.

Black Cat Frozen Custard, 133 SW 2nd, #100, instagram.com/blackcatfrozencustard/

Cinnabon Swirl

At first glance, Cinnabon Swirl might seem like just another suburban strip mall stop. But this new Hillsboro dessert spot, which opened in mid-June, serves surprisingly high-quality soft serve paired with unique, gooey treats — making it worth venturing a few extra exits down the highway.

The concept takes the beloved sticky-sweet mall treat cinnamon roll and smashes it together with ice cream, creating a menu of melty, indulgent, hot-cold desserts that are equal parts messy and irresistible. The standout “Bonini” (a portmanteau of “Cinnabon” and “panini”) ice cream sandwich is unapologetically sticky, drippy, and chaotic — like a cinnamon roll gone rogue. Watching the cinnamon rolls get hot-pressed before your eyes is like a mini cooking demo, and biting into the crispy-warm exterior with cold ice cream oozing out is half the fun. “It’s something you can’t get anywhere else,” owner Akhtar Chishti says. “People love that mix of warm and cold, and they get excited watching it come together.”

I sampled almost everything: towering sundaes dripping with chocolate and nuts, unhinged ice cream sandwiches, and the signature rolls doused in caramel or peanut butter sauce. The Carvel soft serve, an East Coast cult favorite, lends a high-quality backbone to all these over-the-top creations. Of these, the birthday cake ice cream sandwich stood out especially: nostalgic, joyful, and impossible to eat gracefully (bring napkins and humility). The recent Hillsboro opening marks only the second Cinnabon Swirl location in the US, making it feel like a rare treat for Portland-area dessert fans.

It may live in a suburban plaza, but Cinnabon Swirl is a playful little gem that makes you feel like a kid again, even if you have to drive out to Hillsboro to find it.

Cinnabon Swirl, 3631 SE Cornelius Pass, Hillsboro, OR

Tipsy Scoop

No one embraces millennial nostalgia better than Portland, which has been giving grown-up remixes to childhood fun long before it became a national trend (e.g. dodgeball leagues, drunk spelling bees, pinball barcades, etc.). Given that, it’s surprising that we’ve never had a boozy ice cream shop until now.

Tipsy Scoop delivers with frozen cocktails and alcohol-infused ice cream that offer an adults-only sugar rush. Part of a New York-based chain that launched back in 2014, the new Mississippi Avenue outpost is the first on the West Coast, bringing the “barlour” (bar x ice cream parlour) concept to Portland. Owners Ebony Amato and her brother, Juan (known as “Tiger”), opened the Portland shop in May. “People come in excited because it’s something different. It’s dessert, dinner, and cocktails all in one,” Ebony says.

The core ice cream is churned and infused with alcohol out east, with flavors like hazelnut tequila and raspberry limoncello. You can order it by the scoop if you’re feeling basic, but the real joy is in the elaborate sundaes and over-the-top ice cream cocktails topped with things like donuts and tiny cookies.

When I visited, I tried a good portion of the menu: a sorbet float with prosecco and chewy fruit gummies (the “Day Drinker”), a mashup of cake batter vodka, rosé, and a sprinkle-rimmed glass (“Party Like It’s Your Birthday”), plus a boozy flight of assorted scoops. The flavors were bright and fun without veering into sugar overload, and the textures swung from creamy to icy to fizzy, all with spirited kicks underneath. For the truly committed, there are Hennessy-laced cakes, ice cream sandwiches, and to-go pints.

Blending tipsy thrills with big, showy sweets, Tipsy Scoop is another fresh new addition to Portland’s impressive frozen dessert lineup and a worthy stop on any Mississippi Avenue bar crawl.

Tipsy Scoop, 3987 N Mississippi, tipsyscoop.com/pages/portland