Cold Treats
Everything is easier when you’re a kid. Your responsibilities are limited to making the bed and giving Cheeks the cat a bath, you automatically get summers off, you don’t have to file an extension for your allowance, and best of all–the ice cream man comes to you in his lovely jingly truck, bearing Astropops and Drumsticks and Creamsicles galore. Then, before you know it, you’re all grown up. You have to buy your own bed and they’re expensive. You toil away in the cube farm all summer, and your boss just laughs when you ask for a raise and points in the general direction of the unemployment office. And, you’ve got to go out and get your own ice cream. But there is one advantage–you’re older and wiser now, and you realize life is so much more than Astropops and Drumsticks. There’s a whole brave new world of gelatos, sorbets, sherbets, shakes, smoothies, paletas, and artisan ice cream sandwiches. Growing up is great! Here are some of the best spots in town to exercise your adult right to eat ice cream whenever and wherever you want, even in bed.
Alotto Gelato
I love cake, no doubt about it. So much so that when I was 8 years old, I stole a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix from the pantry and hid it in my closet, and every day after school I’d come home and sit in my closet and eat the dry cake mix with a spoon. What does this super weird blast into my past have to do with gelato? Try Alotto Gelato’s Chocolate Frosted Yellow Cake gelato and you’ll understand. It tastes just like that sweet stolen cake mix of my childhood. If eating gelato that tastes like cake mix isn’t your bag, then choose the flavor that transports you to your own most appalling childhood food memory, or suits your current whim. Seeking a bit of luxury? Chocolate Orange Truffle or dainty Rose Petal. Feeling Italian? Gianduia, Limoncello, Amaretto or Spumoni. Wish you were in Hawaii? Coconut, Mango and Pineapple. At Alotto Gelato, there’s something cool and sweet for everyone and their inner kid-eating-cake-mix-in-a-closet. Plus, you get to enjoy your gelato in one of the sweetest, cheeriest shops in town—soft yellow walls festooned with colorful local art, a variety of Stumptown coffee drinks, and the window bar with a view of NW 23rd make leisurely savoring your chilly treat over conversation with friends a must.
Blueplate Soda Fountain
When I was little, I loved Wendy’s Frosties. Pondering this now, I realize how foolish I was, thinking a fast food frosty was the epitome of a blended ice cream treat. But way back then, how was I to know about Blueplate, and their dense, creamy three-scoop shakes, made with impossibly rich super-premium Cascade Glacier Ice Cream and intensely flavorful add-ins, like the butterscotch milkshake with toffee-covered cashews, honey roasted peanuts and vanilla crunch ($4), or the chocolate and filbert butter shake ($4), or the Cowboy Coffee shake made with Stumptown beans ($4)? Then there are the floats–the Black Cow marries cola, chocolate syrup, and ice cream ($4); or the ATL Frosted Orange–orange soda blended with vanilla ice cream ($4), and of course, the classic Chocolate Malted. And when I sit in the South Park blocks sipping my gorgeous shake or float just leisurely enough to avoid brain freeze, I think the Older but Wiser adage has never rung so true.
- Location: 308 SW Washington St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.295.2583
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm
Junior Ambassadors
It’s all tangerine trees and marmalade skies and marshmallow pies at Junior Ambassador’s, a ludicrously marvelous little orange ice cream cart that lives in a grassy lot in North Portland in a place called Mostlandia, a Utopian land where ice cream is the always the appropriate choice for any meal. The menu includes fantastically flavored ice creams like Coconut Curry, Corn on the Cob, Salmon & Cream Cheese, Gingersnap Cookies & Basil, Asparagus, Chocolate on a Peanut Butter Pretzel Stick, Banananilla Wafer Chocolate Chip and Maple Strip Tease. Then there are creations like the Nacho Sundae–chocolate cayenne & cinnamon ice cream, dulce de leche drizzle & strawberries atop a pile of corn chips. And if you are inspired by the unconventional flavor pairings and want to try your hand at amateur ice cream mixology, you can pass your dream flavor onto owner Rudy Speerschneider and for a small fee, he will make it for you. What better birthday present for your grandmother than Black Licorice Werther’s Mothball?
- Location: 4734 North Albina St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.880.0851
- Hours: Fri-Sun 2-8pm
Mio Gelato
The only thing better than gelato is gelato + people-watching, and Mio Gelato has you covered on both. Strategically placed in the cuter-than-thou Pearl, Nob Hill, and Irvington neighborhoods, Mio’s got shaded patio tables, a steady stream of gelato lovers, and of course, some of the best gelato in Portland–an ideal combination for the dedicated gelato-eating voyeur like me. Mio crafts their creamy, flavorful gelatos and sorbets daily in small batches using locally sourced ingredients, and in case you like a light meal with your surreptitious staring and blatant eavesdropping, they offer pastries, paninos, soups, salads and pizza too. Sippers & Surfers–they’ve got a long menu of coffee drinks made with locally roasted Italian coffee Caffe D’Arte and free wifi at all locations.
- Location: 25 NW 11th Ave. Portland * 838 NW 23rd Ave. Portland * 1517 NE Brazee St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: NW 11th 503.226.8002 * NW 23rd 503.241.9300 * NE 503.288.4800
- Hours: NW 11th Mon-Fri 8am–11pm, Sat 10am-midnight, Sun 11am–11pm * NW 23rd Mon-Thur 7am–10pm, Fri 7am–11pm, Sat 7:30am–11pm, Sun 7:30am–10pm * NE Mon-Sun 8am–10pm
Perierra Creperie
I never expected to find the blended and basil-blessed shakelove of my summer at a crepe-making food cart on SE Hawthorne, but I guess love’s funny that way. Truth be told, I’d been to Perierra Creperie three times before I even read the neatly lettered midsection of the menu. My eyes had always just shifted from the sweet crepes list listed on the left side straight over to the savories on the right, not even noticing the critical second column–smoothies and shakes. Where else can you find a Golden Graham milkshake? Basil and coconut milk? Avocado and sea salt? Fresh mint and Oreo? Even the classics, like Lavender and Honey, or Peanut Butter and Banana, or Fresh Strawberry, are something quite special. Vegans, swallow that lump in your throat–the smoothie is vegan-approved, made with fresh lemon juice, limeade, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and banana, for a cold, smooth dairy-free treat that’s so compelling you’ll brave brain freeze and practically swallow your straw trying to slurp it down before so much as one drop of condensation forms on the cup.
- Location: SE 12th & SE Hawthorne Map it!
- Phone Number: No phone number, email address is perierra@gmail.com
- Hours: Tue-Sat 8am-3pm, Sun 9am-3pm
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Sol Pops
Everyone loves a popsicle, and since we live in Portland, where the edible bar is constantly being raised, we get Sol Pops—the tastiest, most delicious gourmet all natural whole-fruit organic and locally-made paletas (a denser, thicker cousin of a traditional fruit popsicle) possible. The imaginative and powerful flavor combinations include Basil Lemon, Mango Lavender, Cucumber Lime Jalapeno, Coconut Agave, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Coconut and whatever other flavors the Sol Pops’ boys cook up. Sol Pops uses only local organic produce, vegan ingredients, natural sweeteners, and pedal-powered carts (totally Portland). These days, Sol Pops’ colorful carts can be found at Farmer’s Markets around the city, as well as at New Seasons, Food Front, Peoples Coop, and Por Que No, a list that is growing as rapidly Sol Pops’ fan base.
- Location: locations vary Map it!
Staccato Gelato
Staccato Gelato is a childhood fantasy come to life–a gelato and doughnut shop that looks like a Nickelodeon set, with bright orange and blue walls festooned with cheerful bubbles, a massive mural of a Bernstein Bears-esque treehouse, lemon yellow plastic couch (great for spills) and a kids play area with tiny purple plastic chairs and toys. Staccato is a supremely comfortable spot to hang out, with plenty of seating inside and out on the sidewalk, a substantial menu of coffee and tea drinks, free Wi-Fi, and a fat striped neighborhood cat who strolls in now and then and lays in the afternoon sunbeams that cross the wood floors. Eighteen flavors of homemade gelato fill the cases daily, ranging from classics like Peach, Lemon, and Coconut to more experimental blends like Raspberry Pomegranate Lime and The Pope Says Hi (meringue & chocolate). Staccato makes their own doughnuts too–the Lemon Ginger and sprinkle-adorned Fairy Princess are my favorites–fresh, cakey, and with just the right amount of icing. Staccato also has a full selection of sundaes, Ristretto Roaters coffee and Jasmine Pearl teas, and if you feel like drowning your Peanut Butter Fudge gelato in coffee, you can opt for gelato affogato.
- Location: 232 NE 28th Ave. Portland * 1540 SE Bybee Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: NE 503.517.8957 * SE 503.231.7100
- Hours: NE Mon-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 8am-9pm
Via Delizia
It’s no big deal to have a tree outside your restaurant in Portland. Maybe this is a claim to fame in Phoenix, but around here, urban shade is nothing new. Having a tree inside your restaurant, however, is interesting. The Pearl District’s Via Delizia does happen to have a large (faux) tree in their little L-shaped dining room, as part of the Italian villa ambiance, complete with stone walls, low hanging lanterns, green-shuttered windows, and a case of deliciously cold and creamy gelato, which the staff is happy to serve plain, drowned in espresso or syrah port, drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce, or accompanied by brownies or cookies, almond florentine and a chocolate wedge.
Waffle Window
Hawthorne mainstay Bread and Ink’s darling little ‘round the corner Waffle Window, located on SE 36th Ave, is making the world a better place one chocolate-dipped waffle at a time. You could order just that–a pearl sugar waffle dipped in Guittard ($2.50), but why stop there, when you could get two chocolate-dipped waffles hugging a truly staggering amount of vanilla ice cream, aka the Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich ($4). Or go all out and get the Hot Fudge Sundae Waffle–topped with vanilla ice cream and lavished with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and fresh juicy strawberries ($4.50). Take your treat to one of Bread and Ink’s nearby sidewalk tables, in fair weather, it’s one of the best spots in town for people-watching and waffle-gobbling.
- Location: 3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.239.4756
- Hours: Sun-Thu 8am–5 pm, Fri-Sat 8am-9pm
