Gelateria Gentile — Restaurant in Bari

We’ve been travelling through Puglia for three weeks now with our 6-year-old daughter. As anyone travelling with a young child in Italy during the height of summer knows, gelato quickly becomes a daily (sometimes twice-daily) tradition. So this was far from the first gelateria we visited.

The ice cream at Gentile is perfectly average. Standard quality—nothing special. Unfortunately, it’s the customer service that makes this place truly memorable, and not in a good way.

The staff weren’t just unkind—they were openly hostile. Their bizarre and inconsistent policy about who can and cannot sit at the tables in front of the shop is neither clear nor logical. Like many others who’ve commented before, we were rudely asked to leave, even though we had just bought ice cream from them—standing outside in the scorching heat with a small child and quickly melting gelato in hand.

We genuinely tried to cooperate. We were told that only customers who order certain menu items could sit down, so we went back to the counter to try to comply—but we couldn’t remember our order number. That was enough reason, apparently, to be dismissed again. We were made to feel like we were doing something wrong, when all we wanted was to enjoy a (rather overpriced) ice cream in peace with our child.

It was an upsetting and humiliating experience. We felt harassed, not served.

What made this all the more jarring is that throughout our three weeks in Puglia, we encountered nothing but kindness, warmth, and generosity from the incredible local people working in hospitality. This one experience stood in such stark contrast that, honestly, it made us want to leave Puglia and...

POOR MANAGEMENT - felt unsafe, wouldn’t recommend A couple weeks ago me and 3 other women were having a mid-afternoon dessert and were sitting in the outside dining. A random man entered the dining area and began to verbally abuse us, unprovoked. This escalated to the man yelling and threatening us. No staff came to help us or ask him to move along despite everyone in the seated area being visibly distressed (especially us!). On our bill we were charged the standard “service fee”. Although happy to pay the service fee, we did report that our service included being abused and dining in an area they just allowed a random man to come in and be aggressive to customers and it ruined our experience. Although staff were friendly and very apologetic it was extremely disappointing that the male manager sat only 2 tables away, with his head down and did not come to apologise or acknowledge our experience. He avoided eye contact with us until we left - just liaised with the apologetic staff who relayed his message of reinforcing the service fee. Absolutely spineless, gutless manager who I don’t believe cares for the safety of female customers or employees. Although the dessert was nice, I’d rather support another business that values customer experience and the...

Antica Gelateria Gentile is undeniably a hotspot in Bari. You can't miss the constant stream of people spilling out onto the street, a testament to its reputation as the place for gelato. During our visit, we eagerly joined the throng, ready to sample their much-lauded offerings. We dove straight into their famous Prequeche, a treat that many seem to rave about. However, for us, it unfortunately didn't live up to the hype. While we appreciate a signature item, it only garnered a maximum of a 2 out of 5 in our books. Perhaps it's an acquired taste, or maybe it just wasn't our preference, but it certainly didn't wow us. On the other hand, the ice cream itself was a solid 4 out of 5. It was good – creamy, flavorful, and refreshing on a warm Bari day. However, and this is key, it wasn't anything particularly special. It was a perfectly acceptable gelato, the kind you can find at many decent gelaterias, but it lacked that unique edge or standout flavor that would make it truly memorable. The atmosphere was certainly lively, almost chaotic due to the sheer number of people. While this buzz contributes to the overall experience of being in a popular spot, it also meant a bit of a wait and a less...