Portland’s Salt & Straw to open first NYC ice cream shop on the Upper West Side
Photos courtesy of Salt & Straw
The beloved Portland, Oregon-based ice cream shop Salt & Straw is about to sweeten up the Upper West Side with its first-ever New York City location. Famous for its unique flavors, the ice cream company is setting up shop at 360 Amsterdam Avenue on Friday, September 20, offering signature flavors like Double Fold Vanilla and Sea Salt Caramel Ribbons, as well as special NYC-themed flavors like Pastrami on Rye, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear, and other creative twists on iconic city fare.
Founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek in 2011, Salt & Straw has grown from humble beginnings as a single push-cart to a successful brand with locations in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Arizona, and ships their goods nationwide.
“Since founding Salt & Straw over 12 years ago, we’ve used ice cream as a platform for telling stories of artisans, culinary movements, and meaningful social causes, and along the way have been fortunate enough to build some great relationships in NYC, including with our partner and key advisor, Danny Meyer and the Enlightened Hospitality Investments team,” Kim Malek said.
“Our Upper West Side location embodies the sense of community that’s been so fundamental to us and stays true to our roots of a gathering space where you can come with your loved ones and run into friends and neighbors.”
In addition to 11 classic flavors and monthly rotating menus, Salt & Straw has teamed up with some of Breads Bakery and PopUp Bagels to create a selection of NYC-themed treats:
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear – Made in collaboration with PopUp Bagels, this flavor reimagines the classic New York bagel as salted sweet cream ice cream mixed with cinnamon raisin bagels that are chopped and candied, creating a crunchy crème brulée texture, with cinnamon-spiked cream cheese ribbons throughout.
- Chocolate Babka with Hazelnut Fudge – Featuring salted sweet cream ice cream mixed with diced loaves of Breads Bakery’s famous babka, with homemade hazelnut fudge and chocolate stracciatella ripples.
- Pastrami on Rye – Featuring a savory and sweet mixture of butterscotch ice cream infused with housemade pastrami sourced from the Carnegie Deli, a mustard custard swirl, and toasted rye crumble.
- Pistachio & Ricotta Cannoli – A new twist on Little Italy’s most popular dessert, pistachio ice cream is swirled with rich whipped ricotta ribbons and packed with cinnamon-sugar-dusted cannoli shells and candied pistachios.
- Merlot-Aged Sour with Chocolate Figs – Made in collaboration with local brewery Grimm Artisanal Ales, this cherry-forward hoppy sherbet highlights the robust flavors of their broken dawn sour ale, mixed with dark chocolate Italian fudge for a rich, malty-sweet finish.
To celebrate, the shop will offer the first 100 customers on opening day a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage from Grimm Artisanal Ales, in honor of their collaboration with Salt & Straw on the “Apple Series” flavors.
Available through the end of September, the series includes five seasonal flavors that capture the essence of fall: Apple Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie, Apple Cider Donuts, Finnriver’s Black Currant Apple Cider, Green Apple Wasabi Sorbet, and Caramel Apple Sherbet.
The company has already generated hype for its five boroughs foray after setting up a series of sold-out pop-up shops in April, which saw New Yorkers lining up around the block just for a taste, according to TimeOut.
Even better, Salt & Straw is set to open a second Manhattan location at 540 Hudson Street in the West Village, according to TimeOut.
Salt & Straw’s Upper West Side location will be open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. More information can be found here.
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