Food carts for dessert

Summer is here, at least according to the calendar, and while we may wake to damp mornings or a sprinkle of rain, the temperature is to a point where one feels the need to cool down with a treat. Summer is when you let your hair down and indulge in sweet and sticky lickable refreshment. Portland has approximately 600 food carts and while a majority of them serve up sandwiches, noodle dishes or full meals, there is a new batch of carts and trucks who are embracing the sweeter side of life and are located in every quadrant of the city so you don’t need to travel far.

Scoop Organic Ice Cream is located at the corner of north Greeley and Killingsworth, at the North Station food pod.  Scoop offers up flavors like Trailhead espresso, salted caramel and strawberry balsamic sorbet. If you are in southeast, check out Fifty Licks at Good Food Here, the pod at SE 43rd and Belmont. Fifty Licks is famous for their maple bacon ice cream with actual bits of bacon along with other favorites like caramel apple or Tahitian vanilla.

If ice cream doesn’t float your boat but you still want sweet and cool, give Oregon Ice Works a whirl for a bit of Italian ice. They mix together fresh fruit, ice and sugar to create a treat without dairy that will convince most anyone that ice is better than cream. Oregon Ice Works is located at D-Street Noshery at SE 32nd and Division.

For downtown denizens who need a fix during the day, stop by Cool Harry’s on SW 10th and Alder where you’ll find frozen yogurt in flavors like rose, coconut, acai, lime or lavender. Flavors change weekly, so visit often.

Lastly, if you venture to the different fairs or Sunday Parkways or Saturday Market throughout the summer, you may come across Sol Pops or the Icycle Tricycle. Both of these two-wheeled trailers offer up cool sweets on a stick. Whatever you choose, give the carts a try and hopefully there will soon be some heat to beat. 

Find all these carts’ locations, hours and sample menus at FoodCartsPortland.com.