{"id":154072,"date":"2026-02-06T19:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/154072\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T19:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:19:15","slug":"salt-straw-ice-cream-to-debut-first-texas-scoop-shops-in-dallas-and-fort-worth-this-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/154072\/","title":{"rendered":"Salt & Straw Ice Cream To Debut First Texas Scoop Shops in Dallas and Fort Worth This Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

After dreaming of opening an ice cream shop for 15 years, Kim Malek made her dream a reality with Salt & Straw \u2014 a Portland-based brand she founded with her cousin, Tyler Malek, in 2011. Now, after expanding across the country to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and even the Downtown Disney District and Disney Springs, Salt & Straw is finally making its Texas debut with scoop shops in Dallas and Fort Worth this spring.<\/p>\n

How Salt & Straw Got Started<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to create community gathering places,\u201d Salt & Straw owner Kim Malek tells PaperCity. She tells us that she fell in love with third places \u2014 informal, public environments to gather with the community outside the home or work \u2014 after being one of the early employees of Starbucks. \u201cWhen there were only 30 stores,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

After telling her cousin about her ice cream dream, he was immediately on board. There was one issue. Neither had ever made ice cream before. \u201cTyler moved into my basement with an ice cream maker from Goodwill,\u201d she laughs. To come up with the money to open the shop, Kim tells us that she cashed in her 401k and had a garage sale.<\/p>\n

Obviously, the risk paid off as the ice cream shop brand<\/a> now has 55 locations (not including the upcoming Texas shops). Tyler was also named in Forbes\u2018 \u201c30 Under 30\u201d list<\/a> in the Food and Wine category in 2015. At the time, Salt & Straw only had three shops. \u201cTyler has created over 130 flavors of ice cream and has been instrumental in creating the farm-to-cone movement,\u201d stated the publication.<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/a>Cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek opened the first Salt & Straw in Portland in 2011.
\nA Unique Ice Cream Experience<\/p>\n

Salt & Straw is known for its cult-favorite flavors. \u201cWe have the world\u2019s best vanilla and gooey chocolate brownie,\u201d says Kim.<\/p>\n

Other best-sellers include:<\/p>\n

Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons made with Guatemalan fleur de sel
\nSalted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
\nFreckled Mint Chocolate Chip (with coconut and mint oil)<\/p>\n

More \u201cunusual\u201d creations that are always on the menu include Arbequina Olive Oil, Pear and Blue Cheese, and Honey Lavender. Of course, I had to ask which one was Kim\u2019s favorite: \u201cStrawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper.\u201d<\/p>\n

But those are nothing compared to some of the monthly flavor series they do based on the season or holiday. For example, this past November, Salt & Straw offered \u201cfive courses of a Thanksgiving feast.\u201d These included innovative flavors like Turkey Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce, Parker House Rolls with Salted Buttercream, and Maple Koginut Squash with Pomegranate.<\/p>\n

\"salt-and-straw-thanksgiving-ice-cream-flavors-1200\u00d7900.jpg\"<\/a>Last November, Salt & Straw offered a \u201cfive-course Thanksgiving ice cream feast.\u201d (Courtesy)<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Halloween, we do one with seven different kinds of homemade candy bars,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a labor of love that goes into making these unheard of flavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s even cooler is that Salt & Straw collaborates with local makers and chefs to come up with more regional creations. Kim hasn\u2019t nailed down which Dallasites she\u2019ll be reaching out to yet, but thinking about the possibilities is exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for local collaborations and flavor ideas, if people have any!\u201d Kim says. Get brainstorming, North Texans!<\/p>\n

The Tacolate<\/p>\n

This past October, Salt & Straw and Taco Bell teamed up<\/a> to launch a reimagined version of the classic Choco Taco. \u201cThe new CEO of Taco Bell came from Portland,\u201d says Kim. \u201cThey heard we had been working on [a version]. We searched the world for equipment that could manufacture it. A guy in Poland ended up doing it for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real sensory experience,\u201d Kim says of their creation. The Salt & Straw Tacolate features a crispy waffle shell filled with cinnamon-ancho chili ice cream, coated in dark chocolate, and topped with crunchy puffed quinoa. There are even sauce packets (mango jalape\u00f1o and wildberry cinnamon) that come with them to drizzle on top.<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/a>The Tacolate is a collaboration between Salt & Straw and Taco Bell. (Courtesy)
\nSalt & Straw\u2019s Expansion Into Dallas and Fort Worth<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always a total dream to one day open in Texas,\u201d Kim says. \u201cWe had been working on finding a location in Dallas since 2018.\u201d Of course, COVID happened, and plans got delayed.<\/p>\n

Salt & Straw Dallas will open at 2323 N. Henderson Avenue, Suite 107 \u2014 right next to beloved Dallas restaurant Gemma, which made its own renovations<\/a> around the same time the building was purchased by New York-based Acadia Realty Trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be a part of the project,\u201d Kim says, referring to the revamping of Henderson Avenue<\/a>. In late 2024, a new mixed-use development<\/a> from local firm Ignite-Rebees and Acadia broke ground, sparking a \u201crenaissance\u201d of the neighborhood. Soon, there will be even more new spots<\/a> to stroll about.<\/p>\n

\"Evergreen-PR-Cups-2023<\/a>Salt & Straw is known for its cult-favorite flavors.<\/p>\n

Kim says that Henderson was the perfect community gathering place for a Salt & Straw with its walkability and assortment of retail and dining. A similar vibe presented itself at 1305 W. Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth\u2019s Near Southside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to be here for generations to come,\u201d Kim says. \u201cMy favorite thing about our shops is seeing a teenager with their parents,\u201d she laughs, noting that it\u2019s probably one of the only outings they take together. \u201cWe\u2019re also having a wedding in a shop soon because the couple met here.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems rare that you have a restaurant (or ice cream shop owner) who\u2019s been in business for as long as Kim, who has grown that business SO much, but still sounds as excited as ever to be opening another store. As for the look of the shops, Kim says, \u201cit\u2019s transportive\u201d with custom lighting fixtures and wall coverings that are like abstract ice cream cones and such.<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: Ice cream is my favorite sweet treat. But talking with the Salt & Straw owner has me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what magic happens at these stores in Dallas and Fort Worth. My first flavor choice \u2014 Coffee and Love Nuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After dreaming of opening an ice cream shop for 15 years, Kim Malek made her dream a reality…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":{"0":"post-154072","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-fort-worth","9":"tag-fort-worth-headlines","10":"tag-fort-worth-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}