With summer sharing its hot temperatures, cooling off with cold treats makes every activity sweeter. Add an ice cream cone to a shopping trip, enjoy shave ice after a hike or scoop up an ice cream sundae after a picnic or bbq. Here are some of the best places for ice cream and other cold treats in Eugene - Springfield.
Handel's Ice Cream
Built on their tradition of homemade ice cream since 1945, Handel's Ice Cream rotates through a hundred ice cream flavors, vegan sorbets, sherbets and ices in their Market Alley storefront — scooping up 45 choices at any one time. Walk through the Market District with a cone in hand to window-shop all the fun boutiques and high end stores, or sit outside at a courtyard table and people watch.
Sweetbay Shave Ice
This family-owned shave ice cart is most frequently parked between Oakway Rd and Cal Young Rd near Oakway Center, but check their Facebook and Instagram pages for locational and schedule updates — after all, carts move around! Along with a rainbow of shave ice flavors, enjoy lemonade and bubble tea. Sweetbay also offers sugar-free and dye-free options among 30 flavors to choose from — and you can top off your flavor creation with sweet cream, sprinkles, mochi, Li Hing Mui powder or sour spray. And don't overlook the "Pupsicles"! Your dog will love a cold treats of frozen organic bone broth topped with treats.
Euphoria Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
How about a chocolate-dipped ice cream bar? Euphoria Chocolate Company, Eugene's artisan chocolatier, offers these delicious frozen treats at all their storefronts — their factory store, Oakway Center and Market Alley. Also they have the best chocolate-dipped frozen bananas!
Ninkasi Ice Cream & Beer
At Ninkasi's Better Living Room, pair a good stout craft beer with their ice cream concoctions including ice cream sandwiches and sundaes. Ninkasi partners with Prince Puckler's and other local purveyors for some delicious desserts.
Dickie Yo's Frozen Treats
Serve yourself to frozen yogurt and soft serve ice creams, then top it an array of goodies from the toppings bar. Families enjoy working the machines and making the selections, and these treats are easy to take to-go too. Dickie Yo's is adjacent Dickie Jo's near Valley River Center, so you can enjoy a hamburger dinner and then follow it up with fro-yo!
Salt & Straw
Everybody is talking about Salt & Straw, the innovative new ice cream kid on the block in Eugene (Oakway Center). This national ice cream phenomenon changes the menu constantly, incorporating local and seasonal flavors into their churning. You'll find some very surprising and creative flavors here! Tip:If the line for cones is out the door, you can cut in to purchase a pint from their freezer and they'll throw in cones to go.
Prince Puckler's
Prince Puckler's, however; has been in Eugene since the 70s, and while their locations have varied over the years, their community reputation as a Eugene favorite has remained fixed. Even President Obama visited here at their current location near Hayward Field. Come in for the Tuesday Hot Fudge Sundae special, Waffle Cone Wednesdays or Fridays when you get a deal on their Euphoria Chocolate sundaes! Don't be surprised at lines after an event or on a warm summer evening.
Mandy's Family Restaurant
This late night diner also scoops up ice cream treats and dozens of flavored milkshakes. Walk-up to their order window for large delicious shakes to go. Mandy's is also popular for burgers and breakfast anytime of day.
Ice Cream at The Grocery Store
While shopping locally, look for Oregon's organic Alden's quarts and pints — made right here in Eugene and for pints and bars of Coconut Bliss — also a locally produced favorite — this one vegan and dairy-free!
Taj Barnhart Morgan is the Director of Content Strategy for Travel Lane County. A journalism graduate from the University of Oregon, Taj has two decades of special event management and hospitality marketing experience in San Diego, CA and Maui, HI. Passionate about mothering, and back to her Oregon roots, she is discovering the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region all over again through the eyes of her daughter.
