This might be the sweetest news you hear today: Portland's beloved ice cream shop, Salt & Straw, has finally opened its first-ever location in San Diego.
It's okay to scream with glee.
After months of anticipation, the scoop shop officially opened its doors Tuesday at 1670 India St., in a space right below the PrepKitchen restaurant.
The family-run ice cream company is known for its handcrafted, small-batch scoops, in interesting, gourmet flavors like Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Honey Lavender, Freckled Woodblock Chocolate and Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache. The recipes are made with all-natural cream from Scott Brothers Dairy in Chino, California, churned in small five to 10-gallon batches.
The menu also features seasonal flavors, which rotate monthly, created with locally-sourced ingredients.
To that end, the new San Diego scoop shop includes flavors influenced by local artisans including James Coffee and Belching Beaver Brewery.
San Diego-centric creations include “James Coffee and Compartes Love Nuts,” ice cream made with cold brew from James Coffee roasted beans mixed with Compartes chocolate-dipped caramel covered pecans, and “Avocado & Oaxacan Chocolate Fudge,” rich, creamy avocado ice cream featuring ribbons of Oaxacan chocolate fudge from La Guelaguetza Restaurant.
There’s also the “Peanut Butter Stout With Chocolate Chicharron,” a crafty collaboration with Belching Beaver Brewery featuring the brewery’s Peanut Butter Milk Stout. The beer is poured into cream steeped with the same malts used to brew the stout. Pieces of dark chocolate caramelized pork chicharron are mixed in for a malty, salty, peanut butter-rich ice cream.
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Other flavors on the San Diego menu include “Roasted Berries & Toasted White Chocolate,” “Salted, Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough” and “Double-Fold Vanilla,” to name a few.
Scoops are available in cups or handmade waffle cones. Salt & Straw also offers milkshakes, sundaes and pints of ice cream to go. Home delivery is also available via Postmates.
Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek has been studying San Diego's food scene to create collaborations for the Little Italy menu. He's excited about what's to come.
"It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to work in San Diego. When you look at the innovation coming from local food artisans, it’s hard not to get excited about jumping in," Malek said in a press release. "The city has become an incredible incubator for pushing the limits on how food is prepared and shared, and we’re looking forward to becoming a part of that fabric."
The India Street location is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. If it's anything like the Portland locations, patrons can expect long lines as they wait for that sweet reward.
Salt & Straw was founded in Portland by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, getting its start in 2011 as a red-and-white striped ice cream cart. Today, Salt & Straw operates scoop shops in Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
