Salt & Straw

Every town has their quirky-​flavored ice cream purveyor, these days. I understand Salt & Straw cultivated their reputation on the front end of that wave, but now that this trend is officially a trend, I think it’s safe to step back from the hype and rate the ice cream as ice cream rather than as some gift from on high. So, in that framework, Salt and Straw gets a «Meh. Ok!»
It’s totally decent ice cream, with very creative, fun flavors. If the novelty of the flavors merits skipping better ice cream with less novel flavors, then you’re gonna love it. Me? Imma get better ice cream and hope the very American and unfortunate trend of food-​as-​spectacle slowly dies away and is replaced by appreciation of quality.

Such an amazing experience. I definitely haven’t tried such strange combinations of ice cream like this before. Luckily there wasn’t a long line like we’re told there usually is. Reina was beyond helpful and great with her customer service. She made choosing an ice cream a fun experience, almost like wine tasting haha
Favorite: Chocolate & Hibiscus Flower Sorbet

So glad I came here when there was absolutely no line. I was in the area again on the same day at around 5pm and the line was out the door, wrapped around the corner. Can’t believe people were in line for it in the 40 degrees weather.
I had the strawberry balsamic and pear blue cheese and both were bomb! The blue cheese sounds gross but I promise you, it was sooooo good! I hate blue cheese but loved this flavor here. There were even pieces of pear in the ice cream. Can’t wait to try more flavor say the la location!

I wish I lived in Oregon so I could experience this place more often! I was visiting a friend this past weekend & the first place she took me to was Salt & Straw. Although the line was out the door when we arrived, it moved at a good pace & was well worth the wait.
Since Salt & Straw changes their flavors constantly, the staff asks you which flavors you would like to sample while you are still waiting in line, and then being them to you when you approach the front of the line. They let you sample as many flavors as you want! I tried the Honey Lavender, Strawberry Balsamic, Olive Oil, Cinnamon Snickerdoodle, Almond Brittle & Salted Ganache, and the monthly special that was Elvis’ Birthday themed. I really enjoyed the Honey Lavender, Snickerdoodle & the Elvis special, but my definite favorite was the Almond Brittle, so that was my order.
The Almond Brittle was the perfect combination of sweet and salty and had chunks of almond brittle in it! I had a small size and it was plenty. This was definitely one of my favorite spots on my trip to Portland!

Love this place! Always a must go if you’re in Portland. Sometimes when I don’t feel like thinking, I’ll gravitate to their relatively «safer» and «popular» flavors like Sea Salt Caramel. However, do not be afraid to try some of their other more innovative flavors. Some things may sound weird, but can end up being super tasty. It also helps that you can sample flavors that you’re interested in before you get a scoop!
Last time I came in November, they had special flavors with a Thanksgiving twist. I decided to be adventurous and sampled the Thanksgiving Turkey flavor and it was unbelievably delicious! Caramelized crunchy bits of turkey skin mixed with a vanilla ice cream. Creamy, savory, crunchy, and sweet! Definitely a nice surprise because it honestly sounded like a weird combo for an ice cream flavor. Other flavors like their sweet potato was also really good as well.
Yes, there’s a long line (like all the time), but its definitely worth the wait if you’re in the area. :)

TIP: Watch out for long lines at this location!
Came in Oct and had their seasonal ice cream that had candied crickets, very delicious! Back again in Jan for their Orange Mimosa Sherbert (Sorbet?), also equally delicious!
Planning to return for sure :]

Alright, to be honest, the line here can be ridiculous. The ice cream is great — but standing in a huge line on a hot day… not sure it is entirely worth it.
With that being said, I am a big fan of ice cream shops with unconventional and creative flavors. They are very generous with allowing you samples, which means you get to try all the funky flavors that might sound interesting on paper to you. I tried a strawberry balsamic black pepper ice cream, which was delicious, but ended up going with a seasonal strawberry sorbet that they were offering. This probably isn’t your place if you are into vanilla, french vanilla, or some other variation of vanilla, but it’s really a staple if you’re in town.
I know most people come here to rave about the ice cream, but I have a twist: if you are into soft t-​shirts (for sleeping, for wearing out and about, for whatever the reason), this salt & straw t shirt might be the best souvenir for you. As a collector of soft tees, I must say that this shirt is a MUST. I bought one on my first trip here and have ZERO regrets!

Cute place! Ice cream was fabulously delish. Service was great. Plenty of seating and bar height counter standing room. I hear it can get packed. I was in on a weekday around 1pm, no crowd at all. I knew what I wanted and got straight to the point. Sea Salt Ice Cream with Caramel Ribbons. It was just the perfect creaminess. One part salty the other part somewhat sweet. Be ready, the salty part stands out.
In retrospect, I so wish I had taste tested other flavors (many), why not I was there! Grrrr. Oh well, perhaps it will make for a great excuse for a second visit on this current trip to Portland! Hoping in the Pearl District…

Tons of people hyped up this place for us claiming it will be not just the best ice cream you will ever have, but the BEST THING you will ever try in Portland. We beg to differ. Sorry not sorry! Still worth a visit though.
The ice creams were good, smooth, and the flavor options were very unique and delicious. However, it just tasted like mediocre ice cream. Don’t hate me, but I do think Bi-​Rite in SF has the best lavender ice cream or any ice cream in general. I had the Stumptown coffee and bourbon which tasted like regular coffee ice cream after a while. $ 6 for very hefty 2 scoops that I was not able to finish. I had ²⁄₃ of the ice cream and felt too nauseous to finish. I went back to the hotel to recover from the nausea.
Anyways, the wait was very long. Took us about 20 – 30 minutes to stand in line, order, get the ice cream, then pay. My bf enjoyed his salted caramel, claiming its one of this favorite. I must admit the handmade cones were very good!
Not my cup of tea. I’m sure the children and sweet tooth lovers will enjoy this place more than us.

BEST ICE CREAM PERIOD!
I love ice cream, but finding great ice cream can be hard. Most of the «best ice cream» at home in Honolulu always has flaws like being to sweet, or vanilla ice cream that tastes like cheap vanilla extract. So I was skeptical of Salt & Straw, but wanted to give them a try anyway. And you know what? They BLEW MY MIND!
During our recent trip to Portland, we visited the 23^rd Ave. location twice. Once at night our first full day there, then again in the morning on our last full day there. Both times were relatively calm, so no crazy line for us! And both times the employees were enthusiastic, friendly, and very helpful.
The flavors change often, though there appears to be some classic that stick around. They can be pretty tame or pretty out there too. On our first visit, I ordered Sea Salt + Caramel Ribbons and Freckled Woodblock Chocolate, while the wife ordered the Essence of Ghost. I have no idea what the heck the wife’s flavor really was, but it was good. The Sea Salt + Caramel Ribbons was a very plain, clean ice cream that let the caramel shine, while the Freckled Woodblock was deep and chocolatey with tiny flakes of dark chocolate. Both were excellent and only mildly sweet. All of them have a great, creamy texture that was sublime.
Our last visit, the wife ordered the Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper + Pear & Blue Cheese, while I opted for the Honey Lavender + Gooey Brownie. The wife’s flavors were great, tasting very natural and almost savory. My flavors were, as expected. The lavender was strong but not overpowering, while the gooey brownie wasn’t as dark a chocolate as the Freckled Woodblock, but was good. The brownie bits were crazy good too! All flavors were very high quality and were just delicious.
If you’re in Portland or even Beverly Hills, CA, you must pay a visit to Salt & Straw. Their ice cream is one of the best, if not the best in the nation! Prices aren’t the cheapest, but aren’t insane either, especially considering the high-​quality, artisan nature of their products. Just be sure to hit them up during non-​peak times or be prepared to wait!

On my first visit to Portland, the one place I regretted not being able to try was Salt and Straw. When I returned this last time, I just HAD to see what all the hype was about, and now I KNOW.
Known for their unique and fresh flavors, Salt and Straw uses lots of local ingredients and products such as Oregon black truffles Jacobsen salt, Stumptown Coffee and local fruit. You can sample as many flavors as you want, and the best part, the samples come on metal spoons! So Portland! I sampled the mushroom flavors and they were surprisingly good. If you like sweet and salty, the mushroom flavors offered just that. I settled on a sweeter, almond brittle and salted ganache with a waffle cone. The waffle cone is a must, but it is massive! I couldn’t finish it all. But I would highly recommend getting the waffle cone. There were so many flavors that sounded appealing and I wish that I could have had them all. I guess this just means that I will have to return to Portland again, one day… SOON!

Some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had (and I’ve had way, way too much ice cream). The flavors are robust and innovative but they somehow still appeal to my simple desire to enjoy an uncomplicated, creamy scoop of ice cream. Even the most abstract flavors, whether salty… or filled with mushrooms, blue cheese, or olive oil, all manage to be universally palatable and enjoyable. I’ve loved nearly every flavor I’ve tried.
The olive oil, almond brittle, and sea salt with caramel are INCREDIBLE.
Go here. (Unless I’m going… I don’t love waiting in line ;-))

Split Scoop of almond brittle & salted ganache and stumptown coffee is heavenly.
If you don’t know what to get and it’s your first time, no worries! The staff behind the counter will provide taste spoons of the ice cream. Honey Lavender was so good too, but I just needed something that’ll balance since I got a split scoop where they split the single scoop into two different flavors.

So many unique flavors here you have to try a few before making a rational decision.
I got the coffee and bourbon with a split scoop of the gooey brownie and it was very good. Nice chunks of brownie and great texture on the coffee with bourbon.
My girlfriend got the almond brittle and salted ganache and it was also fantastic. The chunks of almond brittle were great and there was plenty of ganache.
This place kills it you should definitely give it a try.

Well this one is super easy! If love ice cream and are looking for the Holy grail of ice cream than this is the place for you! Lots of reviews and hype don’t always make a place great or even very good… But this place truly is worthy of all the hype! On a cold rainy Tuesday night with a line out the door in Portland you would think it was a unbelievable coffee shop people were line for! Nope they are waiting for unique ice cream creations, and fresh we make waffle cones! All I can tell you is that no matter how long the line or wait time is, this is worth the wait. If you have a sweet tooth or not you must add this one to your bucket list!

AMAZEBALLS. SO AMAZEBALLS.
I was so happy to try this place, I’ve seen so many of my Instagram friends have pictures of this place (yes nerd).
We didn’t have to wait at all, a surprise considering so many people talk about the wait. We drove by the next day and the line was wrapped around the corner so I think we went at a good time. If there is a line, it’s definitely worth the wait because it’s so good. I ordered a single scoop split ($.50 extra though) of Almond Brittle w/​Salted Ganache and Strawberry Honey Balsamic w/​Black Pepper; amazing combination in a waffle bar. I LOVED IT. I want it more. I also tried the Honey Lavender, great subtle flavors. My +1 ordered the Stumptown Coffee & Burnside Bourbon — so freaking good.
I want this so bad on the east coast.
It was delicious and worth it. The baristas were great, so friendly and they have no problem if you want to try all the flavors, they’ll let you try every single one if you wanted. I love that the spoons aren’t disposable because it saves money and the environment. WIN.
GO HERE OR YOU’LL REGRET IT.

Surprisingly no line when I went here on a weekend afternoon. There’s so many unique flavors and the service is really friendly. There’s some seating inside but could be hard to find a spot when it gets crowded. The neighborhood is fun to walk around in general.
I got a scoop of the strawberry balsamic with black pepper ($ 4). It was very sweet and creamy and I could really taste the different flavors in the ice cream.

I’ve been to this Salt & Straw too many times to count. It’s too close to my apartment for me to practice responsible ice cream consumption. My favorite classic scoop shop flavors are the Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache (which I think is perfection but I’ve bought pints for friends who find it too salty), and Cinnamon Snickerdoodle. If I’m getting a classic scoop shop flavor I’ll usually just order a pint (and a waffle cone to DIY for my partner who demands the «full Salt & Straw experience») to skip the behemoth line.
What I will wait in line for are the seasonal flavors, new the first weekend of each month. I’m always hesitant to buy a full pint of a seasonal flavor without trying it as they’re generally wacky, which is appreciated, but can also be miss rather then hit. This month was different, the holiday flavors were all pretty fantastic: peppermint cocoa, bourbon pecan pie, mincemeat pie (vegetarian), tequila spiked eggnog, and Congressman Blumenauer’s Fruitcake.
The Congressman Blumenauer’s Fruitcake was a very tempting option as all proceeds from the flavor go to the Community Cycling Center to help sponsor first bikes for kids in need. But my partner opted for the peppermint cocoa in a waffle cone and I ordered the bourbon pecan pie with hot fudge. We were both pleased with our choices. And while usually I can’t even see the seating in Salt & Straw over the massive lines, this December evening my partner and I were able to take advantage of our fellow Oregonians aversion to the cold weather and sit and eat in a perfectly heated and uncrowded Salt & Straw.

How the hell are you going to visit Portland and NOT check out Salt & Straw? It’s almost like not grabbing a beverage to drink when you’re thirsty. A visit to Salt & Straw is absolutely necessary.
The significant and I thought it would be a good idea to drop by in the evening time, you know, around 8 – 9 p.m., when the kids are at home doing homework and when most people are preparing to settle down for the evening. Not only until we arrived were we completely shocked that there was a line that wrapped around the entire store, literally. Standing outside, cold, in the 50 degree weather, we thought to ourselves, «this better be good!»
Almost an hour and a half later, we finally reached the ordering counter and were shocked to see how many flavors they had available! Being an avid ice cream lover, I wanted to opt for all the flavors, but of course, I’d probably get a heart attack if I was ever to eat all of that. So, I ordered the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Honey Lavender, and the Essence of Ghost as there were Halloween season flavors at the time.
I had really high expectations of the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons mainly because I love anything with a combo of salt and caramel and I’ve tasted at least three different styles of salt and caramel combo ice creams before my first Salt & Straw experience. As expected, my expectations were met and S&S even exceeded my expectations. Not sure if it was the kind of «sea salt» they used but the ice cream tasted pretty darned salty, but in a good way! It blended so perfectly with the caramel, so much that I had finished this flavor in less than five minutes!
So I never had a clue that an essence of a ghost had any flavor at all, and should it exist, never knew that it tasted so good! I guess I can say that it’s comparable to that of a transparent vanilla flavor? It’s really hard to explain the true flavor of it, tbh. You really just need to try it out for yourself. =P
With regard to the Honey lavender, I’d have to say that this was my 2^nd favorite pick of the night, which is surprising because I’m not a fan of the flavor of honey at all. I was somewhat hesitant at first to even try it, but I heard it was one of S&S’s sought after flavors, so of course I had to order it! Just to put it out there, I tasted the lavender flavor way ore than the honey, which may be the reason why I liked it so much. (lol) It was a gentle lavender flower-​y flavor and then a hint of honey to supplement kind of like an after taste. The honey flavor wasn’t overwhelming at all. I really liked how it didn’t kick in until moments after I had tasted the lavender flavor. I highly recommend this flavor!
I had the urge try out more flavors, but even after 9 p.m., the line didn’t cease one bit, and personally, I’m not a huge fan of waiting in line, so I decided to just enjoy all the flavors that I was fortunate enough to have ordered.
What keeps Salt & Straw above the rest is their incredibly weird flavors. C’mon, you can’t get strange flavors such as Arbequina Olive Oil, Pear & Blue Cheese, or even Tequila Spiked Eggnog from a Ben & Jerry’s pint. That simply won’t suffice!
If you try Salt & Straw, you get a chance to try Portland’s weirdly unique flavor, and it’s something that shouldn’t be missed out on!
Can’t wait to go back and try the Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache and Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper!

So one of the first things we did upon arriving in Portland was to head to Salt & Straw and pick up a pint of their coffee and bourbon flavour. Holy moly, this ish is legit! We devoured it because omg it was crazy good. And their is definitely coffee in there — my racing heart at midnight after finishing the pint can attest to this!
The store was a couple of blocks from where we were staying, which meant we got to smell the wonderful waffle cone scent most of the time! The store itself is cute, and we managed to hit it mostly on off times, which definitely helped. I tried a bunch of their flavours — wasn’t a huge fan of the olive oil, but ohhhh boy the lavender had me weak at the knees! It’s beautifully perfumed and tastes exactly like lavender should — not a poor chemical replica. I love that they have kid sized scoops, and that you can get two flavours in a single regular scoop — they know their audience! The kid scoop was still huge, and a perfect amount for someone who doesn’t really have a sweet tooth (me!)
Definitely worth the hype. The staff are patient and friendly, and I love that they have reusable spoons for tasting — it made me feel less guilty about trying oodles of them!