Fifty Licks Ice Cream

Small batches with a brewer's sense of texture

The counter at this Portland ice cream shop runs on small-batch, high-butterfat scoops, with vegan flavors treated as part of the main program rather than a side case. Fifty Licks began as an ice cream truck in 2009, started by a founder who came to it from brewing, by way of beer studies and an internship at Portland Brewing. That background shows less in beer-flavored gimmicks than in how the bases are built, dense, measured, and not pushed too sweet. The dairy side uses an egg-rich style for body, while the dairy-free side gets the same attention to creaminess. Some flavors lean into technique: Thai Rice starts with jasmine rice milled in house, then baked with half-and-half under pandan leaves for a custardy effect. Pirate uses roasted bananas and flambéed Jamaican rum. The aim is clear flavor first, then texture that holds it.

A scoop shop rhythm, samples first

The room works like a proper parlor: join the counter, taste before choosing, then settle into the small seating area or take the cone outside. The shop keeps about 11 rotating flavors daily, plus two soft serves, so the case changes enough that regulars read it before ordering the usual. Free samples matter here because the menu often crosses from familiar fruit into saffron, pandan, Sichuan peppercorn, or blackstrap ginger. Peak warm-weather hours can bring a line, especially when the seasonal fruit flavors are running; slower grey days have a different pace, with more time to compare two odd-sounding scoops. This is counter service without ceremony, but the staff are part of why it works, steering people through vegan, dairy, gluten-free cone, shake, and affogato choices without making the decision feel technical.

Order Mango Sticky Rice first, then go darker

Start with Mango Sticky Rice if it is in the case. It is vegan, but the point is not substitution; the draw is the creamy rice-and-mango balance, the kind of flavor that reads as dessert rather than a dairy-free compromise. Chocolate AF is the opposite move, built around housemade ganache and a deeper cocoa line, good when the fruit flavors feel too bright for the hour. Oregon Strawberry is the plain-spoken order in season, because the shop's style suits real berry flavor and keeps the sweetness in check. For a drink, the Affogato Cubano is the one to know: stove-top Café Bustelo, whipped with sugar in the Cuban manner, poured over scoops such as ButterScotch, Water Avenue Coffee, or blackstrap gingersnap. If Coconut Lemon Saffron is around, it makes a strong shake.