Get the Scoop on Seattle’s Newest Ice Cream Shops
Five new ice cream shops to try this summer
By Chelsea Lin July 11, 2018
This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the July 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Seattle’s long, lingering gray season has never stopped us from enjoying ice cream. Case in point: all the new ice cream shops and locations that have opened since the beginning of the year. But now that the weather has warmed and the sun stays in the sky well past dinner, well, there’s no better time to enjoy a scoop (or two) from one of the city’s newest hot spots for cold treats. With the artisanal ice cream movement showing no signs of slowing, here’s where to go now and what to try.
Salt & Straw
Portland’s preeminent creamery, known for its inventive, chef-driven flavors, finally landed in Seattle in February with two locations. Worth the wait? Absolutely.
Our Pick: There are five flavor collaborations with local businesses (including Elm coffee with Westland whiskey, and Beecher’s cheese and pink peppercorn toffee) that are available only in Seattle, so that’s a good place to start. We particularly love the matcha green tea ice cream, swirled with Ellenos Greek yogurt ($4/single scoop). Capitol Hill, 714 E Pike St.; 206.258.4574; Ballard, 5420 Ballard Ave. NW; 206.294.5581.
Full Tilt
In January, this local ice cream (and beer) empire debuted its fifth—and largest—location, which includes about 20 pinball and video games, plus a reservable party room.
Our Pick: Flavors change regularly and always include a few dairy-free options, but you can count on Blue Moon ($3‒$4.50/scoop) as a staple: a Midwest flavor (here made with citrus, vanilla and spices) reminiscent of Froot Loops. Capitol Hill, 328 15th Ave. E; 206.329.1206.
Wanna know why that chocolate scoop isn’t melting? Frankie & Jo’s says that the plant-based fats they use (in this case, coconut milk) in their chocolate date ice cream are solid at room temp, the scoop doesn’t melt into the usual puddle. Science!
Frankie & Jo’s
Plant-based ice cream found a following when Frankie & Jo’s opened its original Capitol Hill location; the Ballard shop opened in March, with the same scoops and a secret patio studded with succulents out back.
Our Pick: The chocolate date ($6/scoop) is delicious, features just four ingredients (coconut milk, dates, cocoa powder and sea salt), and is as close to guilt-free as ice cream can possibly be. Ballard, 1411 NW 70th St.; 206.257.1676.
Cloud Nine Creamery
Westfield Southcenter Mall’s newest ice cream option takes its science lab theme to the extreme: Each scoop is made to order using liquid nitrogen.
Our Pick: The dozens of flavors and ingredients to mix in can cloud your judgment, but first-time visitors should stick with a signature flavor like Cookie Monster ($8.50/serving), which has a vanilla base swirled with chocolate chip cookie dough and Oreos, and comes with a syringe of chocolate syrup. Tukwila, 191 Southcenter Mall; 206.466.4989.
Sweet Lo’s (at Standard Bakery)
Lauren Wilson’s small-batch wholesale creamery, which has rapidly gained popularity, got a big break in May, when she got a new ice cream maker with a much greater capacity. You can find her pints in specialty grocers around town or, as of June, at Standard Bakery.
Our Pick: Try the lemon bar ($4/scoop), which features generous chunks of the tart baked good mixed into a sweet cream base. Pinehurst, 11752 15th Ave. NE; 206.420.4354.
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: Holiday Cheer at SLU BRU, StarChefs, and Kabul Closing
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Fusion food has an innate ability to bring us together. In the blending of two (or sometimes more) cultures, new perspectives are unlocked and we are all better for it. Esquire is in agreement, as the magazine has selected Lupe’s Situ Tacos, a Mexican-Lebanese taqueria in Ballard, as one of the 33 best new restaurants…
Counter Culture: Sansonina Ristorante Italiano
An Italian escape hiding in Renton.
Tucked just off Rainier Avenue, across from a Safeway, Sansonina Ristorante Italiano—which opened early in 2019—is the kind of place you drive past for years without noticing until you walk through the door. Once inside, the outside world dissolves, the hum of traffic fades, and suddenly you’re not in Renton anymore. You’re in a dimly…
5 Things to Eat in December
This month’s assignment: Take the pressure off.
There’s something about the end of the year that adds pressure to everything we do. Despite all the talk of holiday cheer and “merry and bright,” heightened expectations can bring a sense of weariness. We’re fretting over feasts and gatherings while working fervently to tie up loose ends—gifts, work, everything—with a pretty bow. Each month,…
Ahead of the Cut
How a tech-minded home cook turned years of tinkering into a chef’s knife powered by 40,000 vibrations per second.
Scott Heimendinger traces his love for knives back to college, when his dad taught him how to cook over the phone. By his junior year he had saved for his first real knife, a JA Henckels Santoku. Compared with the $9 IKEA knife he had been using, “it felt like a laser… things that used…