Fifty Licks Ice Cream
Ice cream shop · Buckman
2742 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Highlights
Unique ice cream, vegan options, gluten-free cones
Unique ice cream, vegan options, gluten-free cones
"Compared to other ice cream shops, the artsy, minimalist Fifty Licks stands out with thoughtful details, serving consistently smooth ice cream with artful flavors like lavender salted caramel and toasted milk. Vegan flavors here are no afterthought, particularly the mango sticky rice or chocolate coconut caramel. Still, sometimes its simplest flavors are the best: The Oregon Strawberry — a standby on most Portland scoop shop menus — is the city’s most strawberry-y, packing a super fruity punch without losing its silken texture." - Michelle Lopez
"At the East Burnside location of beloved Portland ice cream shop Fifty Licks, I learned the shop was severely damaged in a fire on May 10; Portland Fire & Rescue crews arrived just before 8 a.m., but owner Chad Draizin says the shop is a total loss and the department has not yet determined a cause. The fire originated in the basement of the over-100-year-old building and initially seemed contained — when Draizin arrived around 8:30 a.m. crews were using fans to blow smoke out and a firefighter told him the shop would likely be fine — which left him in tears of relief. After retrieving the ice cream truck to save product, he returned to find firefighters spraying foam and ripping open walls because the fire had spread through the building’s walls; crews can be seen unloading pints from the freezer, but I learned Draizin will not sell the salvaged product because it may be contaminated by smoke and other contaminants. He plans to open a brick-and-mortar elsewhere rather than move back into the Burnside building (which he expects won’t be possible for at least a year, if at all) and is actively seeking spaces to pop up or reopen; Fifty Licks, founded in 2009, only became reliably profitable after the Burnside flagship opened in 2017, and the business also makes ice cream at a production facility in the Central Eastside. My immediate takeaway is that Draizin’s priority is finding employment and hours for displaced staff as summer ramps up — some may shift to the Southeast Clinton and Northwest 21st Avenue locations — and the shop has launched a GoFundMe to cover two weeks of lost tipped income." - Janey Wong
"The original permanent location of Fifty Licks has been slinging silky ice cream on Southeast Clinton since 2013. With flavors like Vanilla AF and Chocolate AF, this shop doesn’t take itself too seriously, but flavors like mango sticky rice and coconut lemon saffron scoops remain artfully constructed. The shop’s Oregon strawberry ice cream is a beautiful showcase of the state’s spring and summer spoils." - Eater Staff
"Since 2009, Fifty Licks has served some of the best scoops of dairy and non-dairy ice cream around Portland, with iconic flavor combinations like the vegan mango sticky rice: creamy coconut, swirls of Alphonso mango puree, and hints of pandan leaf. The shop also offers nostalgic treats like milkshakes and root beer floats, ideal for a post-movie treat or a walk around the neighborhood."
"What started out as food truck has now become a successful Portland ice cream chainlet with multiple locations — one that makes luscious creamy milkshakes. Owner Chad Draizin’s ice cream shop, Fifty Licks, offers dairy options with inventive flavors like French toast, cornbread and honey butter, and matcha mochi, as well as fun vegan options like bananas foster and pineapple tamarind. All flavors can be made into milkshakes, but while it’s still in season, the Marionberry milkshake — aka “the reigning queen of summer” — is not to be missed."
