Fifty Licks

Love the flavors at fifty licks. I had the chocolate AF! It was delicious! Highly recommend! And no long line!

Solid ice cream shop with some pretty unique flavors of ice cream, and a perfect haven on a hot, sunny summer day in Portland. On top of that, the walls are lined with Tintin comics, what’s not to love?
Be sure to ask for samples prior to ordering (the caramelized honey might surprise you), but my main recommendation would be their affogato — even on a hot day, it is quite refreshing.
There’s indoors seating, pre-​packed pints to go, and an ice cream flavor for 21+ only, what’s not to like?

Boozy 21 and over Ice Cream? Sign Me Up.
I was here on a hot early summer night and had a bowl of 2 scoops. One Caramelized Honey and one of the ButterSCOTCH (yes, emphasis is on the SCOTCH). It was super tasty, with a velvety texture.
Also tried the Blood Orange Creamsicle as well which was damn good.
The kicker was the Cuban Coffee. Perfect sip of coffee after such decadence was just what I needed. Highly enjoyable.

What a charmer! Went in today with the boys. Sampled a slew of great flavors. I am doing gluten-​free right now (helps with the seasonal allergies) and what a pleasure to learn they make their own gf waffle cones. Not to complain, but this was a refreshing place after the swanky competitor up the street.
I finally made the hard choice to do Lemonade. Had a small scoop in the gf waffle — the vegan Lemonade was great and the final taste, while often a sad goodbye, was instead a wonderful surprise of strawberry jam. What a great way to end.
Jackson is avoiding dairy for a bit so loved his selection of Lemonade and Grapefruit. Tucker had malted
The wall of Tin Tin cartoons

Good assortment of dairy free that actually taste really good. Employees were patient and let us try almost everything.

This quite possibly be my new favorite ice cream shop! Party Chocolate-​Chocolate in a creamy coconut milk base, with a coconut caramel ribbon and lavender mint chocolate chip on top. Heaven in a waffle cone. Thank you for for making one of the hottest days delightful.

Pros: Decent ice cream. Cons: ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE customer service, in true, insufferable, artisanal «you-should-be-grateful-you’re-spending-your-hard-earned-money-on-our-precious-product» Portland style. Stood around while the manager told her employee to change the radio station (while the manager sat eating a sandwich at the counter). Got an unpleasant earful cause I accidentally walked my quiet 10 lb dog into the shop (have done this at other shops and didn’t hear a peep — this was an honest transgression, I truly wasn’t trying to be presumptive or obnoxious). Note to manager: a little kindness goes a long way — develop your soft skills and try not to shame your customers next time. It’ll serve you well later in life. Finally, thought my cone was going to be about five bucks — was EIGHT bucks (clearer pricing would help a lot, ya know?) And no, I don’t stand in line for ice cream cause life is way too short, so S & S is not an option.
Never again.
Ben & Jerry’s, here I come.

Found this place when we tried the Abyssinian Kitchen (Ethiopian place) next to it. tried a few flavors like Caramel Honey, Butterscotch, Cardamom and chocolate. Ended up getting the cardamom but this one had only a slight hint of the cardamom flavor. Nothing really stood out for me in terms of flavor here. I prefer the flavors in Salt and straw over this place.

Support Lactose Intolerance!
Place was amazing considering it does a lot of things similar to Salt n Straw but without the pretentiously long line.
They give free samples of their eclectic flavors. Ended up getting some kind of coffee flavor in which they served on a waffle cone with jelly squirted on the bottom to give it a little special finish. The ice cream was rich and delicious and easily equal to Salt n Straw.
I also got a Cuban coffee which they kept trying to warn me to share. Pssh this thing is suppose to equate to 5 shots off espresso? Yah right! This puny, tiny little cup of delicious dark acridly sweet liquid equates to 5 shots? No way.
Anyways, great little ice cream store. Staff was so super friendly, and I definitely will be back.
That Cuban coffee also kept me up till 5AM so yah I’m a believer.

Q: How many licks does it take to finish your ice cream?
A: 50 licks: p
(50 licks makes me think of the tootsie rolls commercials. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop)
Having a good day? Eat ice cream!
Having a bad day? Eat ice cream!
That’s what they have displayed in their store and it’s so true!!! Any time is always a good time for ice cream.
Ordered:
*Affogato– freshly made to order. You get the option to pick which flavor ice cream you want in your affogato. The espresso is pretty strong and there’s plenty leftover for you to drink on the side if you choose. Cute presentation.
*Coffee and orange creamsicle. I liked the coffee flavor more than the orange creamsicle. Wasn’t overly sweet. Overall ice cream texture is great.
Overall: Did I love the flavors? It was so-​so from my perspective. I’ve just personally had better in my day. Would I say don’t go to 50 licks? No, I say go because they have really good customer service and unique flavors. Ice cream wise I thought it was better than salt & straw.
Tips:
Street parking.
Cash and credit card accepted.
Indoor seating
Offers free water.
Restroom for customers is available.
Music is really loud.
Offers free samples.
Sells their ice cream in pints as well.

Fifty Licks is a delicious ice cream parlor that surveys gourmet ice cream. You’re allowed to go to a tasting station and sample a variety of interesting flavors. «Thai coffee» was one of the more exotic ones. Being the straight arrow minimalist dude I am, though, I just went for chocolate, which they call «Chocolate as #@!*» I said the actual word when I ordered it. Tee hee.
Why only four stars rather than five? As all of you know, the Price-​to-​Portions (P2P) test is extremely important to me, and this one didn’t quite pass it. You get a pretty tiny scoop about ¹⁄₃ of the size of what you’d get at Baskin Robbins or Ben and Jerry’s. On the flip side, this is portion control administered by the all-​mighty dollar. Want more? You’ll have to pay up. Considerably. Given that it helps me control weight, I’m not going to take off too much for P2P here.

What a cute (and delicious!) little ice cream shop. You need to stop by!
These were the flavors avaliable when we went:
Vanilla as #@!*
Chocolate as #@!*
Water ave coffee
Thai rice
Lavender mint chip
Blood orange creamsicle
Caramelized honey
Chocolate malt
Cardamom
Butterscotch
G.o.a.t
Coconut lemon saffron
Grapefruit rose sorbet
Rhode island frozen lemonade
Party chocolate
Lime sorbet
Prices:
Classic scoop– $ 3.50
Mini scoop– $ 2.25
GF waffle cone $ 1
Pints to go $ 8
Cuban coffee $ 3.75
Affogato cubano $ 6.50
Beer float $ 7.50
Root beer float $ 6.50
We tried the thai rice, which is very subtle and not too sweet, the lavender mint chip, which was delicious, but we settled on the butterscotch (21+)
We got it in a beer float, but they accidently gave us a root beer float and were kind enough to remake it for us and let us keep the root beer one too! They were both delicious– you can’t go wrong with a float.
Kind and friendly service. Indoor and outdoor seating! Definitely worth a try.

Probably the thickest and creamiest ice cream I’ve ever had in Portland. A lot of ice cream has air in it but I think fifty licks’ ice cream had less air compared to other ice cream shops. Flavors are interesting and tasty, staff is very nice and friendly, and line isn’t as long as salt and straw. The Blood orange creamsicle was the right amount or sweet, tart, and creamy and the G.O.A.T. was reallllly good as well. You’re just gonna have to come here and try it!

Fifty licks is a delicious ice cream spot! I came here during a food and biking tour, and this was our final stop. I was already really full, but the unique flavors were really tempting! Best decision, because it was one of the best ice cream scoops I’ve had. I’d say it even parallels the popular Salt and Straw ice cream shop also in Portland.
I got a split scoop of the lavender mint chocolate chip and dark chocolate ice cream flavors. I would highly recommend this combination if you like mint and chocolate. It was very refreshing and the chocolate added that extra sweet. Four people after me ended up getting the same combination (trend setting?)
The lady at the store said their ice cream is more egg-​based vs. cream based like many other ice cream places. Overall, I’d highly recommend going to this ice cream place!

There was only one guy working and I felt bad for him because there was a line. But props to him because he was scooping, making fresh waffle cones and taking payments! I had the Thai rice and caramelized honey on a waffle cone. The Thai rice tasted like this Asian candy that’s wrapped in edible paper with a bunny on it (Props to anyone who knows what I’m talking about). The caramelized honey tasted like burnt honey, but Ina a good way. It was sweet with a burnt taste at the end. It’s a good option for dessert if you’re in the area.

Skip the line at some of the more popular places and come get ice cream here! I love their caramelized honey and chocolate malt traditional flavors.

Seriously the best ice cream ever! I tasted a few but landed on Blood Orange Creamsicle in a warm waffle cone. To die for! Now where I’m headed every time I’m in town. The young lady working was super nice, and we loved the atmosphere. Now I’ll be craving this from California!

Try the vanilla affogato! I tried many ice cream flavors out (all delicious!) and finally decided on the vanilla — tastes like fresh vanilla beans were used, so good! — because it would go well with the espresso poured on top. To die for!

They have really good ice cream! One of the best ice cream shops. The Thai Rice is my favorite flavor from their menu. I really liked the vanilla flavor as well.

Most folks recommend this place for its ice cream. And this place does have good ice cream flavors — such as noggin boots, rum raisin or the more traditional chocolate flavor. In addition, they make fresh ice cream cones which bring out a wonderful aroma.
However, the thing that really set this place apart for me was their Cuban coffee which was surprising as I didn’t expect an ice cream shop to have such great coffee. And the icing on the cake was the fact that the owner showed us and gave us tips on how to make similar Cuban coffee at home.
Between the coffee, the ice creams and the amazing friendly service, anything less than 5 stars won’t do this place justice.

Favorite ice cream spot in Portland!
Much better in many ways than some of the other big ticket ice cream spots… you know the ones. Love the truck when it shows up to all of PDX’s best events, and recently visited the shop on Division. It was late, just before they were closing down on Superbowl Sunday, and I felt a bit guilty when I asked to have two pints packed for me. But the gal on staff was happy to load me up with Thai Rice Pudding (I have no clue how something that seems so minimal can taste SO GOOD) and the Caramelized Honey.
Major bonus points that this spot is open later, and is a bit off the main drag of Division. No wait for amazing ice cream = 2 thumbs up!

I’ve held off on reviewing Fifty Licks for a long time out of fear that it would become another Salt & Straw — I love having a neighborhood spot with great ice cream, great hours and no lines. But it’s too good to try and keep secret.
Fifty Licks’ ice cream isn’t for the faint-​hearted. The flavors, even the «classics» like vanilla, are intense (which should be pretty clear by names such as «vanilla as f$&@!»). This shop doesn’t have crazy combinations — there’s no bone marrow & bourbon cherries here — but its classics typically have a twist and deliver tons of flavor, whether it’s the blood orange creamsicle, caramel apple or, my current favorite, blackstrap gingersnap.
It’s hands-​down the best ice cream in Portland, plus no lines. What more could you ask for?

Small batch ice cream with unique flavors. Everything is made in house with local ingredients. Sit and stay with a comfortable, creative atmosphere or get your cone to go and walk around beautiful Clinton Street. The best ice cream in Portland (and yes, it is better than Salt and Straw).

Delicious creamy ice cream and top notch customer service. Having lived in Wisconsin where frozen custard was popular and so much better than ice cream, I think the custard base they use here is why they are miles above the other local ice cream competitors. The frozen lemonade was also really good.
They clearly label which flavors are vegan or gluten free. We don’t follow either of those diets, but this is important for those who do, so I’m mentioning it.
One suggestion to the owner (s): it’s fantastic that you don’t mind giving samples of as many flavors as customers want to try, but consider offering a «sampler» of micro-​mini scoops (like two bites each or something) with the option of «choose 4» or «try them all» for different prices. It’s great for those of us who can’t make up our minds ;-), and some people are more comfortable purchasing samplers than asking for free samples. For the «try them all» one, you could even offer a coupon for a discount off their next scoop of their favorite flavor or something cute like that.
Just a suggestion, though, you are perfect just the way you are :-).

Let me just start by saying that I live one block from Salt & Straw on Alberta, but when I want ice cream and it’s Friday at rush hour, I will still make the trek, with my toddler, all the way to Fifty Licks for ice cream. It’s just that good.
The real problem with this place is trying to figure out which ice cream you want when all ten flavors you tasted are equally delicious. I decided on the gingersnap one, which, if you’re a gingersnap fiend like me, will be the best damn ice cream you’ve ever had.
The owner was serving us tonight and he was so genuinely personable and answered all our many questions about the flavors and processes behind making such good ice cream.
Hands down, best ice cream in Portland, and best experience. No throngs of tourists (though, maybe there should be), no weird gimmicks.

Fifty Licks is a cute little shop with ice cream which is rich and creamy and full of flavor. The menu is varied enough to cater to anyone’s taste, but by no means is overwhelming. The flavors are exciting and creative (flavors like Thai Rice Pudding or Toasted Milk). The shop itself is fun too — they have an entire wall of Tintin cartoons.
Situated on relatively quiet SE Clinton, just off of bustling Division, Fifty Licks usually has short or no lines, an added plus compared to other places. With ice cream this good, and with this little wait, Fifty Licks might be the best ice cream shop in Portland.

My dad had been raving about this place for a while now, so after viewing the light show at the Portland International Raceway, we decided to stop in at about 8pm. There was no line and the girl working behind the counter was more than willing to offer us samples. I was going to get the basics, Chocolate as %#&* and Vanilla as %#&*. My dad had mentioned before that their flavors were more «normal» than those at Salt N Straw. I had to respectfully disagree with him on that point because I felt almost all of the flavors were adventurous. If Thai Rice Pudding and Coconut Saffron aren’t your thing, this may not be the place for you! I decided to at least try the Blood Orange Creamsicle before I went with the basics and I am incredibly glad that I did! Blood Orange Creamsicle is one of the best ice cream flavors I’ve ever had, it was the perfect balance of creamy and tangy. One of the only problems I have with this place is the price. If I wanted to get two scoops of Blood Orange Creamsicle in a waffle cone, it would be $ 8. A pint is the exact same price… Something is wrong here. I get that you’re paying for high quality ingredients but it’s difficult to justify $ 8 for ice cream! But nonetheless, the ice cream flavors and texture at Fifty Licks are to die for! Plus, the vintage décor complete with TinTin cartoons is very charming. I will definitely be back, after pay day of course!

Y’all…this place has the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. It is so creamy. I tasted almost all of their flavors, before finally deciding on Toasted Milk and Thai Rice Pudding in their best-I’ve-ever-had waffle cone. It was a dream. I dreamt about it that night. I couldn’t stop myself from going back a couple days later to buy several pints of their ice cream. Now, I get to enjoy it every day.

Another ice cream discovery, another fan! Fifty licks is located right on Clinton St, so parking is along the street. The inside is cute and hip with a whole wall of tin tin comics! Also, custard base is HANDMADE FROM SCRATCH!
When we came in around 10:30pm, we were greeted and immediately told we could sample any of the flavors we wanted. So of course, we took advantage.
There are so many creative and gourmet flavors that were must-try’s. It looks like they rotate their coffee flavor with different local brews. The night we went, it was Water Ave. coffee.
Out of the ones I tried, thai rice pudding and grapefruit rose were my favorite
–Thai rice pudding isn’t too sweet, but it’s creamy and kinda reminds me of rice water. Not that I’ve tried it. but you know how rice water smells after you wash your rice? It reminds me of that but with some sweetness! Sorry lol, that might not be the best comparison.
–Grapefruit rose was so refreshing! I got a scoop of this in a waffle cone (which are gluten free btw!) and I loved every lick. Again, not too sweet. maybe a little tart even, but not too sour. The rose flavor was very subtle and I think helped cut the tartness of the grapefruit
They also offer ice cream COCKTAILS! whaaat: O
My friend got the Velvet Shiso, which comes with the coconut lemon saffron sorbet. Not a huge fan, but it seemed like he enjoyed it!

We took some friends to fifty licks and as expected they were pleasantly surprised by these great tasting ice cream flavored. While they explored the ice cream, we ordered the Cuban coffee and it was fantastic!

For the flavors that they had when we went (which is still on the menu now), the flavors were well played out. Every flavor tasted as they would normally taste and more so. We had Thai Rice Pudding, Hibiscus & Lime, and ButterSCOTCH. If I was feeling up to it, I would have had the last, but thankfully a friend ordered it, so I got a few tastes.
If I could, I would have asked for a small scoop of every flavor as many of them were refreshing and different than your day to day ice cream. Toasted milk and Water Avenue Coffee are still on my list, even if they’re not absolutely amazing. For a hot day, we really enjoyed Fifty Licks.

Wow a great find thanks to Unilocal.Loved the ambiance especially the wall decorated with Tintin comics. Growing up in India, I used to love Tintin comics and collected almost all of them. The wall brought back nostalgic memories. Of course the ice cream here is really food too. So many unique flavors like the rum chocolate ice cream and the honey ice cream. Overall a really cool place that sells excellent ice cream

Yum my friend and I both got the grapefruit rose sorbet with gluten free homemade waffle cone! The cone was delicious, the sorbet was so good and it didn’t taste like rose at all which I appreciate. Inside of the store there is a wall filled with comics, how cool is that?! Highly recommend!

No lines?! That’s already worth at least 3 stars in my book.
Like many of the other Seattle/​Portland ice creamery, Fifty Licks has the customary funky original flavors like Thai Rice Pudding (what I got) and toasted milk (what I tried). Both were SUPER creamy and I was extremely pleased with my servings.
What sets them apart, however, is their cocktails ice cream (with real «will get you drunk» liquor) and Cuban coffee sundaes that’ll keep you energized till the wee hours of the morning.

Blood Orange Creamsicle you guys! Do I need to say anything else? My husband and I tried this place on a whim, we are devout Salt & Straw lovers but we were in the area and were feeling adventurous. We sampled a few flavors and I immediately settled on the blood orange creamsicle, it was a little tart with all the creamy dreamy goodness you want in a creamsicle. My husband got a hot fudge sundae. The sundae was a little unorthodox, chock full of crunchy and dark cocoa nibs, but he seemed to enjoy it.
A couple weeks later my friends were visiting and I knew one of them would just die for the blood orange creamsicle. We happened to find ourselves in the neighborhood so we stopped. 3 scoops of creamsicle later and we were all happy campers.
Pro-​tip they also have a mini scoop, in case you want to indulge, but not too much!
The point? Order the blood orange creamsicle you guys!

Adore the vegan options… my fav was hibiscus lime, second was R.I. Frozen lemonade and third was grapefruit rose.
The hisbiscus lime had this rich velvety fuschia color and the flavor to match it. I like my citrus flavors on the stronger side so if you prefer less, try the other flavors.
My daughter had the chocolate malt mini scoop in a waffle cone. The ice cream was creamy and rich, everything ice cream should be. And the waffle cone could have stood on it’s own. I had several bites just of the cone, and at $ 1 for the waffle cone, why wouldn’t you?
Big plus, no line monday at 9pm while salt and straw was out the door and down the block. Been there too, not worth the line. Drive a few blocks more to 50 licks, you’ll thank me later :)

Alcoholic ice cream?! After reading an article on ice cream places, I decided this was a place I needed to try.
It was fairly empty on a weekday afternoon, which was great. I got to try various samples, including the 21+ Butter SCOTCH. The alcohol is not subtle. You can definitely taste it! It was pretty good too! I opted for the carmelized honey, which was so good but got too sweet after a while. I also got to try one of their 21+ cocktail floats. Their ice cream is very creamy and smooth. My mom got the coffee ice cream in a cone, and she said it was one of the best cones shes had.

Portland, day 3, stop 3, after dinner dessert.
Thai rice pudding — ²⁄₅
Rumd raisin — ⁴⁄₅
Coffee — ³⁄₅
Texture of the ice cream is extremely creamy compared to most. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.
Overall, «A-​OK.»

Really enjoyed this place and would recommend it. I love the way the interior is set up.
I tried the nordic palmer cocktail and thought it was really good. Very light and refreshing. I also tried the coffee and honey ice cream. They were both delicious, and my family enjoyed it a lot as well!

So I am not sure if I have ever hands down given 5 stars yet… however, Fifty Licks deserves them. The ice dream is delicious. After all, that is why I went and returned! You can taste the richness!
The staff are courteous and enjoying sharing samples. I have been here a couple of times with and without my 7 yr old so. And they were kid friendly! Their menu is not too gaudy gourmet. I feel like paying for this treat, because it really is the real deal.
The shop is spotless and bright and eye catching. Their flare is fun: Support Lactose Tolerance! And what is not to love about comic book wallpaper– Tin Tin!

I’d highly recommend the rice pudding flavor or the baked milk! Definitely go for the mini scoops unless you can handle a mountain of ice cream. I got the mini and still walked away feeling a sugar high.
They’ve got two tables outside you can sit at. Usually pretty crowded though so don’t count on it.