Is Disney Springs THE place to be these days in Disney World?! Between giant cookies, humongous donuts, tons of shops, awesome entertainment, and all kinds of new things to see and try, there’s certainly plenty to enjoy here — and all without a park ticket!

As if all of that wasn’t reason enough to stop by Disney Springs, a NEW ice cream shop is about to open in Disney World, and we were lucky enough to get a SNEAK PEEK!

It’s almost time to welcome Salt & Straw to Disney World! The shop officially opens tomorrow, April 20th, but we got a sneak peek today, April 19th!

This fun ice cream shop is known for creating unique flavors of ice cream made with local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. There is already a well-established Salt & Straw location in Downtown Disney in Disneyland, so we’re already pretty familiar with the shop’s delicious reputation.

The NEW Disney World Salt & Straw shop is located over in the West Side of Disney Springs, closer to the AMC. On the outside, you’ll spot the Salt & Straw sign and notice a waffle cone-type design all along the side.

Note that for now there are some white signs up on the doors, but those should be removed, so part of this area will look a little different when the ice cream shop officially opens on the 20th.

When you step inside, you’ll find a long counter, behind which all kinds of ice cream treats are waiting for you!

In terms of design and colors, there’s a lot of wood and brown colors throughout, making it feel a little like you’ve stepped right into an ice cream cone. YUM.

First look! 👀

Salt and Straw ‼️officially‼️ opens its doors tomorrow at Disney Springs

Who’s excited for funky ice cream? 🙋🍦#saltandstraw #hosted @saltandstraw pic.twitter.com/49iPyKCCYY

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 19, 2022

There are also pops of color here and there, and some inspirational signs we can totally get behind.

Yes. 100% Yes

 

 

 

 

 

The menu is located up on the top. You’ll see there are limited edition flavors (which include new items and sometimes older, seasonal favorites)…

…classic flavors and last chance scoops (last chance scoops are flavors from previous months and this is essentially what has been left over)…

…as well as other specifics like waffles cones and sprinkles.

One of the big things about Salt & Straw is that they do have those limited edition flavors which change monthly. From ice cream flavors inspired by kids’ stories to TURKEY ice cream (themed to Thanksgiving, of course), there is a LOT to pick from as the seasons come and go (and lots of reasons to stop by again and again). These typically change on the first Friday of the month. Next month, Kim noted that flowers will be incorporated into the themes of the ice cream flavors because, as they say, April showers bring…May flowers!

There are about 12 flavors that they carry year-round though, and you’ll find that some of their flavors are more classic and traditional, while others are more “out there” — so there’s a little something for everyone.

A bit of background: Salt & Straw is a family-run business. Cousins Kim and Tyler Malek are actually the creators of this spot. During our time at Salt & Straw’s sneak peek tonight, we actually got to hear from Kim herself — the ice cream queen!

Kim shared that she had a dream to open an ice cream shop from WAYYYY back in the mid-90s, but she shelved it for a long time until about 2009, when she moved back to Portland. Kim noted that at the time her cousin Tyler was in China studying business and he came back due to a death in the family and started cooking to help people ease the pain. That then led Tyler to changing his dream to becoming a chef!

Kim was getting the company off the ground at that time and needed someone to help make ice cream, and the stars just aligned! Tyler started by making ice cream in Kim’s kitchen (while living in her basement!) and then a few years later was listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30 for changing the way people eat.

They started with one shop and then things just started to grow and grow! They shared that the city they’re in puts an imprint on their flavors and how they like to partner with local groups or individuals to collaborate and create some unique flavors.

Next, it was time for some SAMPLES!!! Get those stretchy pants on folks and get ready to feel those stomachs grumble. First up, we got to check out Chocolate Gooey Brownie, Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Panther Coffee Chocolate Tres Leches, and Salted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

For the chocolate gooey brownie, they actually make homemade brownies and a homemade marshmallow fluff to create a sort-of fudge-like situation. I’m sorry. I know we said it before. But can we just all say it together right now? YUMMMMMMMMMMMM.

They also explained how they met with a salt master, Mark Bitterman, owner of The Meadow, for the sea salt caramel ribbon flavor.

For the coffee ice cream, Salt & Straw has actually partnered with Panther Coffee, a coffee maker in Miami.

For Salt & Straw, ice cream is a platform for storytelling, and it really shows in the level of detail put into these flavors.

According to the folks we heard from at Salt & Straw, cookie dough is actually their most popular flavor!

Which of these would you most want to try?

First round of samples @saltandstraw 😋

Chocolate Gooey Brownie🍫
Sea Salt Caramel Ribbon 🌊🧂
Coffee ☕️
Cookie Dough 🍪#saltandstraw #hosted pic.twitter.com/ib83GrbKbx

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 19, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

In our next batch of samples we got to try Cinnamon Snickerdoodle (which is based on grandma’s cookies and features cinnamon from a company called Red Ape that helps with Orangutan conservation)…

…Honey Lavender…

…Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper (which features no artificial flavors — instead they use an old Italian trick of dipping berries in balsamic with pepper to flavor them)…

…and The Salty Donut Guava and Cheese (for which they partnered with the Salty Donut donut shop).

There are so many flavors to try!

🎉Next round of flavors @saltandstraw🎉

Cinnamon Snickerdoodle 🍪
Honey Lavender 🍯
Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper 🍓
Salty Donut Guava + Cheese 🧀 #saltandstraw #hosted pic.twitter.com/GA9NzFxEbH

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 19, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

We also got to try some seasonal flavors, including Bottomless Limes!

Drum roll please! 🥁

Last but not least, the seasonal ice creams @saltandstraw

Arbequina Olive Oil 🫒
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip 🌱
Bottomless Limes! 🟢
Adventurous Llamanaut 🦙

These change out every four weeks!#saltandstraw #hosted pic.twitter.com/4Hg2Ye4t9K

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 19, 2022

 

 

 

That’s just a first look at Salt & Straw! We’ll have tons more details and a full review of this spot soon, so stay tuned for that!

Be sure to check back with us for all the latest Disney news and park updates.

REVIEW: Uh, Does this NEW Spot Have the BEST Fries in Disney World?!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Salt & Straw to attend their media preview of their new Disney Springs location. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ

Will you stop by this new location in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!