Bottega Gelateria — Restaurant in Adelaide

Bottega Geletaria has always been a staple for me when it comes to gelati. They have consistently maintained their quality in the past, and I have always felt they offered the best balance of flavours and sweetness, even compared to bigger interstate brands like Messina. I have often, and gladly, commuted to Henley Beach just for their gelato, despite not living in the area.

But how the mighty have fallen.

In my latest visit on the 13/08/23, I noticed a significant deterioration in both service and taste. Whilst some errors might be forgiven as simple human error, others highlight a potentially more significant and sinister deeper seated issue of quality control.

Here is a summary of my latest experience:

1.) My order was taken by a minimally smiling and interactive staff who got my order wrong. Whilst they apologised when corrected, there was a general sense of unhappiness in their interaction.

2.) A personal favourite flavour has always been the chocolate chip stracciatella. I have always appreciated the balance between the rich chocolatey taste of the chocolate chip but not being overtly sweet. However, in my latest visit, I found the stracciatella ice cream clawingly and intensely sugary sweet. It was significantly different from my previous experience, and made for a negative tasting experience.

3.) I ordered the limited edition dark chocolate and whiskey ice cream recently at the Glenelg branch, which I found had a nice mix between a bitter sweet dark chocolate and robust whiskey flavour. However, this time, at the Henley Beach branch, it tasted more like a mild chocolate flavoured soft serve ice cream, not unlike one at a fast food chain. Once again, it was overtly sweet, and had absolutely no taste or aroma of whiskey.

All in all, it was a profoundly disappointing experience for me. It was also an interesting but perhaps unsurprising observation that competing dessert / ice cream places around the area had significantly more patrons compared to Bottega when I visited. Maybe it was just the time of the day, but perhaps it is a sign of the devolution of the brand.

I would definitely reconsider revisiting the branch in Henley Beach in the near future. It is with some sadness, and disappointment ,that I can no longer recommend this place as a dependable...

Update: 7/8/25. I and my friend have been a long standing weekly regulars at Bottega. I absolutely loooove the gelati. The products, the staff and the owners are all fabulous. I love each store, but Henley Beach is my hub, so it's the place I patronage mostly. It's a special place for me and my friend. The vegan chocolate gelati is the best around. My friend enjoys many of the flavours, especially the specials. Currently, the vanilla and pistachio are floating his boat, lol. I love that all the products are freshly made and from quality ingredients, from as many local businesses as possible. No fillers or any nasty ingredients. Just gold ol' fresh foods for a healthy dessert! Always excited to see what creations you come up with Adriano! Thank you and Margaretta for your hard work, creativity and care. It's always a joy to visit!

Mumma mia....what a treat. Well done to the owner. The slow food ethos. The lovely environment. Gluten free cones...and of course the gelato itself. Please make a chocolate...

I want to express my gratitude to Bottega Gelateria for consistently delivering quality products and customer service to my family and the community.

Never before have i tasted such smooth, creamy and fresh gelato! Gelato made from locally homegrown organic fruit.

The Bottega philosophy is to preserve the art of gelato making, which has been lost in an industrialised world. Not only do they produce Australia's Finest Gelato, but they also have a range of traditional sweets, iced drinks, and coffees to warm the soul.

Always made to feel like a valued customer, a welcoming spot where everyone knows your name. An artisian's workplace where I get the opportunity to embace the simple things; the warm ambience on a cold winters night, and by day, witnessing the gelato makers prouducing the freshest of quality.

Take time to appreciate the finer details; the tradition, smooth tunes, friendly staff and and all round good vibe! Get down to westsides finest....