Kulfi, the Portland dessert shop that helped put South Asian kulfi and mango lassi scoops on the city’s radar, is expanding across the Westside. Owners Kiran Cheema and Gagan Aulakh are set to open a ground-floor stall in downtown Beaverton’s Central garage, part of a push to bring more life to the blocks around the MAX station.
According to What Now Portland, the Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency approved a resolution to lease a 1,008-square-foot unit in the Beaverton Central parking garage to Kulfi, noting that roughly 6,700 square feet of its ground-floor commercial space is in the process of being filled. The shop is co-owned by husband-and-wife duo Cheema and Aulakh, who launched Kulfi as a bike cart before moving into a brick-and-mortar at 3540 N Williams Ave, per Kulfi. That glow-up from pedal-powered cart to full storefront has become a core part of the brand’s local story.
What Kulfi Will Serve
Kulfi specializes in kulfi, a dense, simmered-cream South Asian frozen dessert, and also scoops ice cream and sells popsicles. Local coverage has consistently spotlighted mango lassi as the standout flavor, with seasonal, vegan, and tea-inflected options cycling through the menu. Eater Portland has repeatedly featured Kulfi on roundups of Portland’s most notable frozen-dessert destinations.
Beaverton Central's Retail Push
The Beaverton Central parking garage sits at the heart of a larger downtown revamp that aims to stack the area with active street-level businesses and make the neighborhood more walkable and transit-friendly. The City of Beaverton details plans to build out ground-floor retail in the Central garage, which the Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency has been marketing to food and service operators. Bringing in a Portland-born concept like Kulfi fits with recent moves to attract small, local eateries to the MAX-adjacent district.
Timeline And Next Steps
What Now Portland reports that Kulfi has not yet announced an opening date and that the outlet has reached out to the shop for comment. For now, the signed lease adds another tenant to Beaverton Central’s roster and sets up downtown residents and MAX riders for a future dessert stop once the space is built out.
