Gelateria David — Restaurant in Sorrento

This gelato takeout spot has a lot going for it—rich, creamy textures, bold flavors, and an inviting display that practically calls you in from the street. Their pistachio is smooth and nutty, the fruit flavors are vibrant, and even the classics like chocolate and vanilla taste well above average. From a flavor standpoint, there’s not much to complain about.

But here's the catch: the pricing feels like a classic tourist trap.

Order a small gelato, and without asking, they'll hand you a medium—then charge you for it. Ask for a medium, and suddenly you're holding a large. It feels less like generosity and more like a subtle upsell tactic designed to take advantage of distracted visitors. There’s no clear price list posted until you're already at the counter, and by the time you realize what’s happened, you’re already several euros deeper than expected.

It’s disappointing because the product is genuinely good, but the lack of pricing transparency and the automatic “upgrade” scam leaves a bad taste. Locals know better, but if you’re visiting, it’s easy to feel tricked.

In short: Excellent gelato, but shady pricing practices. If you go, be firm about what you want—and double-check what you’re being...

During a family vacation in Sorrento in August, we visited this ice cream parlor based on its high rating. Unfortunately, the experience turned out to be disappointing. Upon arrival, the vendor at the counter (a man around ~+30 years old) appeared sullen and irritated. When one of our children asked to sample a flavor after his sister had tried a different one, the vendor brusquely and angrily stated that no tastings were allowed.

He then prepared our order with an unfriendly attitude, leaving us with an unpleasant impression. Suddenly, he left his station, whispered something to a colleague in our presence, and she continued serving us. While her service was friendlier, it was difficult to overlook the negative impression left by the first vendor, she even add a small cone on the ice-cream for the other ice-cream we ordered while he didn't for some reason .

To make matters worse, the ice cream itself was melty and lukewarm, far from the quality we expected. The prices were also relatively high compared to other gelaterias we visited in Italy. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience, especially given the high expectations we had when...

Attention ! Les glaces sont bonnes, mais la technique de vente pour vous forcer à prendre une glace plus grande est bien rodée. En effet, ils ne vous demandent pas quel prix vous voulez pour votre glace, mais vous montrent les pots en prenant bien soin de ne pas vous montrer les plus petits pots (qui sont cachés derrière les grands pots) et ne vous présentent que les trois plus grandes capacités. Les jeunes serveuses sont très désagréables. Tout comme le propriétaire quand il comprend que vous allez poster un avis Google. Il en devient presque menaçant.

Réponse à votre réponse : Les petits pots étaient bien cachés derrière les grandscet ne pouvaient donc pas être vu. Vous feriez bien de faire attention (vous même à cela). Vous devriez faire également attention à vos serveuses pour qu'elles soient plus agréables et qu'elles ne se moquent pas des clients en pensant qu'ils ne comprennent pas l'italien. J'ai effectivement tout manger la glace puisque je l'ai payé, mais j'aurais préféré en manger moins pour deux fois moins cher.

Attenzione! I gelati sono buoni, ma la tecnica di vendita per costringerti a prendere un gelato più grande è ben praticata. Infatti non ti chiedono quale prezzo vuoi per il tuo gelato, ma ti mostrano le vaschette, facendo attenzione a non farti vedere le vaschette più piccole (che sono nascoste dietro le vaschette grandi) e mostrandoti solo le tre capacità maggiori. Le giovani cameriere sono molto scortesi. Esattamente come il proprietario quando capisce che stai per pubblicare una recensione su Google. Diventa quasi minaccioso.

Risposta alla tua risposta: I vasi piccoli erano ben nascosti dietro quelli grandi e quindi non potevano essere visti. Faresti bene a prestare attenzione (a questo tu stesso). Dovreste prestare attenzione anche alle vostre cameriere in modo che siano più gentili e non prendano in giro i clienti perché pensano che non capiscano l'italiano. In realtà ho mangiato tutto il gelato visto che l'ho pagato io, ma avrei preferito mangiarne meno a metà prezzo.

Attention ! The ice creams are good, but the sales technique to force you to take a larger ice cream is well practiced. In fact, they do not ask you what price you want for your ice cream, but show you the pots, taking care not to show you the smallest pots (which are hidden behind the large pots) and only show you the three greater capacities. The young waitresses are very unpleasant. Just like the owner when he understands that you are going to post a Google review. It almost becomes threatening.

Response to your answer: The small pots were well hidden behind the large ones and therefore could not be seen. You would do well to pay attention (to this yourself). You should also pay attention to your waitresses so that they are more pleasant and do not make fun of customers for thinking that they do not understand Italian. I actually ate all the ice cream since I paid for it, but I would have preferred to eat less for...