Salt & Straw
Ice cream shop · Northwest District
838 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
Highlights
Artisanal ice cream with quirky, inventive flavors and handmade cones.
Artisanal ice cream with quirky, inventive flavors and handmade cones.
"A Portland‑born, multi‑city chain famed for wildly inventive flavors and mix‑ins that stretch traditional notions of ice cream. The cookbook aims to celebrate classics while keeping the brand’s experimental DNA, offering both standard bases (custard, gelato, sorbet, dairy, coconut) and eccentric combinations—from smoked cherry vanilla and vanilla with sticky croissants to black pepper goat cheese ganache, chile crisp chocolate peanut butter cup, and smoked black tea with black sesame marshmallows. The book is enthusiastic and technical (discussing equipment, ingredient ratios, and even serving), and its vegan coconut‑cream base (with xanthan gum and light corn syrup) is highlighted as surprisingly creamy and successful." - Rebecca Flint Marx
"An ice cream company originating in Portland with locations beyond the city, this brand has reduced packaging waste by switching to smaller compostable cups, a change that prevents roughly 14 tons of paper from reaching landfills each year and reflects a broader commitment to minimizing its environmental footprint." - Ashley Day
"A Portland-based creamery co-founded by Tyler Malek positions itself as a mission-minded media company that uses inventive ice cream flavors to tell stories about sustainability, food rescue, and community. Each April it runs an Upcycled Foods Series—born from a 2017 fundraiser with Urban Gleaners—that has, over three years, rescued and repurposed more than 40,000 pounds of surplus food into creative flavors like a Banana Parsnip Sherbet (made with rescued bananas), a beanless coffee blend using date seeds, fenugreek, and carob, a whey-derived “wheyskey,” and desserts featuring upcycled okara flour and “ugly” dried fruit; one recent item combined a brownie mix from Renewal Mill and chocolate-dipped Uglies potato chips into a Chocolate Malted Potato Chip Cupcake. The team treats R&D as playful and rigorous—willing to fail (20 unsuccessful tests of a crab-roll Neapolitan)—while keeping a year-round focus on eco-conscious operations, such as implementing certified compostable 5-ounce scoop cups systemwide (which cut an estimated 28,000 pounds of paper waste) and using compostable serveware since 2011. Overall, the operation aims to reduce food waste, highlight upcycled ingredient partners, and broaden customers’ awareness of food insecurity, local sourcing, and sustainable food systems through joyful, thought-provoking flavor storytelling." - Joy Cho
"A West Coast ice-cream import included among essential ice cream spots, representing old-school parlors and innovative flavor shops in the city." - Eater Staff
"A Pint Club that sends five pints of ice cream every single month — five random pints of always unique flavors — with offerings that include a "selection of flavors that are both dairy-based and vegan, and some contain nuts or soy." Subscription lengths include three-month, six-month, and year-long options." - Amy McCarthy
