Starting from a humble cart in Portland to 42 locations around the nation, Salt & Straw has become the little ice cream shop that could. But back in 2011, it all started with a single scoop. Inspired by the community-minded Portland scene around her, Kim Malek envisioned an ice cream shop that could bring people together. She recruited her cousin Tyler Malek, who, armed with a culinary degree and a blender from Goodwill, was tasked with creating the scoops for it. Over a decade and a staggering 600 ice cream flavors later, Salt & Straw has become a darling in the ice cream world. And after scouting New York and teasing us via pop-ups, the company finally brought its scoops to the Big Apple with two locations—one in West Village and the other in the Upper West Side.
With an interior that looks like an ice cream cone, the Portland-based import brought all of its signature scoops to the East Coast: Honey Lavender, Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons and Basque Cheesecake. But much like its other shops, there are exclusive flavors only found in NYC. Making friends with fellow restaurants in the city, the ice cream shop scoops Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear with chunks of candied cinnamon bagels sourced from PopUpBagels, while the Chocolate Babka with Hazelnut Fudge incorporates loaves from the iconic Breads Bakery. But for a scoop you have to eat to believe is the Pastrami on Rye. Using a butterscotch ice cream as a base, this ice cream folds in smoky pastrami from Carnegie Deli blended with a mustard custard swirl and toasted rye crumble.