Fifty Licks
| Fifty Licks | |
|---|---|
Exterior of Fifty Licks on East Burnside Street (with Laurelhurst Theater in the background), Portland, Oregon, 2022 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2009 |
| Owner | Chad Draizin |
| Food type | Ice cream |
| Website | www |
Fifty Licks is an ice cream parlor with several locations in Portland, Oregon.
History
[edit]
Owner Chad Draizin had graduated from NSU University School and studied beer brewing at the University of Florida before an internship at Portland Brewing.[1] After realizing brewing beer on an industrial level was not for him, he began Fifty Licks as an ice cream truck in 2009.[2] That ice cream truck, which operates only during the summer, was named one of Portland's "best new food carts" in 2011 by The Oregonian.[3] "Fifty Licks" is an estimate of the number of licks required to eat one scoop.[3]
In 2013, Draizin opened the first brick and mortar location in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood,[2] and Vox Media's Eater selected Fifty Licks as seventh on a list of "16 worthy ice cream candidates that opened across the country over the past year or so" to be included on its "Eater National Ice Cream Heatmap".[4]
The second location opened on East Burnside Street in the Buckman neighborhood in 2017, which led to increased popularity for the company.[2][5] Fifty Licks offers approximately eleven flavors daily as well as two soft serve flavors and offers ice cream cocktails.[6][7] The ice cream parlor also makes an effort to provide non-dairy and vegan options, and hopes to eventually feature fifty-percent dairy-free products.[8][9]
In 2018, Akron Beacon Journal reporter Katie Byard wrote about "some feasting in Portland, Ore., considered one of the country’s best food cities..."[10] and "... an ice cream place dubbed Fifty Licks. Specializing in nontraditional flavors, it touts that it makes its base for its ice creams in house... a friend bought some 'Chocolate as #$%&' with housemade ganache for us to try. The name works... "[11]
During the 2018, Occupy ICE protests, the Fifty Licks food truck distributed free ice cream to protestors.[12][13] In 2020, Fifty Licks opened its third location in the Slabtown district of the Northwest District neighborhood.[2][14] Later that year, following the George Floyd protests, one of the shops was briefly targeted by a rioter who tore down a Black Lives Matter poster displayed in the shop's window.[15]
An Associated Press article reported that Fifty Licks was featured in the Hulu television series Shrill.[16] Peter Cottell of Thrillist said Fifty Licks is "beloved for simple, elegant flavors in no-nonsense spaces."[17]
Locations
[edit]- Food cart at Northwest 24th Avenue and Thurman Street, Northwest District[18]
- Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood (opened 2013)
- Buckman neighborhood (opened 2017)
- Slabtown district of the Northwest District neighborhood (opened 2020)
- Fifty Licks is also a vendor at the Moda Center[19]
Reception
[edit]Fifty Licks ranked third in the Best Ice Cream category of Willamette Week's 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2017,[20] 2018,[21] and 2020.[22] It ranked second in the same poll in 2022 and 2025.[23][24] It won in the same category in 2024.[25]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "NSU University School Viewpoint Fall/Winter 2017". www.nova.edu. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Russell, Michael (February 19, 2020). "Fifty Licks ice cream to open first west-side location this spring". OregonLive. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- 1 2 Russell, Michael (June 24, 2011). "Portland's best new food carts". OregonLive. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Forbes, Paula (August 30, 2013). "The 16 Hottest Ice Cream Shops in the US Right Now". Eater. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Russell, Michael (April 25, 2017). "Fifty Licks opens new Burnside location this Friday". OregonLive. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Russell, Michael (March 8, 2013). "Bluebird Bakers, Petunia's Pies & Pastries and Fifty Licks set to make Portland a bit sweeter". OregonLive. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Kryza, Andy (September 11, 2013). "These boozy ice cream cocktails are everything you've ever wanted". Thrillist. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Brooks, Karen (June 12, 2017). "The Inside Scoop on Fifty Licks, Portland's Suddenly Hot Ice Cream Shop". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ Granillo, Gabriel (February 21, 2020). "Fifty Licks Is Coming to Slabtown". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ Byard, Katie (April 4, 2018). "Akron Dish : City Barbeque plans May grand opening". The Akron Beacon Journal. pp. D001. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ Byard, Katie (April 4, 2018). "Dish (cont. from D1)". The Akron Beacon Journal. pp. D002. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ Wilson, Jason (June 20, 2018). "'Occupy Ice': activists blockade Portland building over family separations". Guardian. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ "Portland ICE facility closed until 'there are no longer security concerns'". KGW8. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (February 20, 2020). "The Owner of Fifty Licks Will Base the Design of His New Scoop Shop on a Pair of Shoes". Eater. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ Shepherd, Katie (August 19, 2020). "Portland protesters set fire inside county building as tensions continue to escalate". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ Lefferts, Brooke (May 10, 2021). "Stars of 'Shrill' express love for the 'hippest of places'". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Cottell, Pete (August 20, 2019). "Portland's Most Essential Spots For Every Kind of Ice Cream". Thrillist. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Prewitt, Andi (June 25, 2019). "Portland Ice Cream Shop Fifty Licks Is Raising Money to Help Children Detained at the U.S.-Mexico Border". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ "New bites for the new season as Moda Center reveals exciting local food lineup". KATU. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 22, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017". Willamette Week. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2018". Willamette Week. July 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "FOOD, DRINK, RESTAURANTS". Willamette Week. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Food Winners". Willamette Week. July 13, 2022. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. July 23, 2025. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "2024 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. July 16, 2024. Archived from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
External links
[edit]- 2009 establishments in Oregon
- Restaurants in Buckman, Portland, Oregon
- Food carts in Portland, Oregon
- Restaurants in Hosford-Abernethy, Portland, Oregon
- Ice cream brands
- Ice cream parlors in Oregon
- Restaurants in Northwest District, Portland, Oregon
- Restaurant chains in the United States
- Restaurants established in 2009