You’ll find salt, but no straw (thankfully) at Salt & Straw in West Hollywood. This ice cream chain from Portland, Oregon, specializes in small batch ice cream with unusual flavors. So while there’s no straw, they do have holiday flavors that use turkey fat, dark chocolate covered crickets and coconut toffee brittle mealworms. Fear not, as the majority of their menu features ingredients that won’t make you cringe.

This location is in the heart of West Hollywood on Santa Monica Blvd. They even have a rainbow flag hanging inside the shop, evidence of LGBQT pride. With so many exotic flavors, you’ll definitely want to sample some before you commit to a flavor (or two), which the staff will happily provide (and even make suggestions).

A single gives you two scoops – though if you want two different flavors, there’s an additional charge of 50 cents, which you’ll definitely want to do.

Everything I sampled was amazing, so it was hard to make a choice. For the less adventuresome, the Chocolate Gooey Brownie is a safe choice (as is the Freckled Woodblock Chocolate), wonderfully creamy and chocolatey.

After much debate, I finally settled on Roasted Strawberry & Toasted White Chocolate and Avocado & Oaxacan Chocolate Fudge. The roasted strawberries really brought out the sweet berry flavor. The avocado was fairly subtle, though there were frozen chunks of it, which blended nicely with the creaminess of the ice cream, accented with ribbons of that  chocolate fudge.

Non-dairy flavors using coconut cream are also available, making it friendly to vegans and the lactose-intolerant. Salt & Straw changes their flavors seasonally, which makes their menu even more interesting. While bugs may not be what you’re after, you’ll always find something you want at Salt & Straw.

Location – 8949 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Additional locations here.
Website – https://saltandstraw.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – Yes, there’s a kid’s scoop available.
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly  – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes