Dolci Gelati — Restaurant in Alexandria

I must admit, I am a Dolcezza girl through and through. However, every now and then, I'll indulge in something else. Last night after a bit of Christmas shopping, I stopped by Dolci to sample some of their gelato. I've seen their gelato at Whole Foods but only stepped into one of their brick and mortar stores yesterday. The other locations are in Shaw and Takoma Park; this is the first location in Virginia.

Flavor-wise, it's the typical Italian gelato fare and then some. Pistachio, toasted coconut, strawberry, tiramisu, chocolate, vanilla bean, and even some seasonal flavors like egg nog, gingerbread, and candy cane. I have to say, the pistachio coloring frightened me. It's got that bright lime green color similar to the "pistachio" gelato Subway offers. However, the chocolate and vanilla bean were decent enough in taste.

I ordered their butterbeer. Harry Potter inspired, this $5.25 drink is served cold and contains butterscotch syrup, vanilla gelato, and cream soda. Foamy on top, this drink is super sweet. It's a bit of a departure from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter's butterbeer recipe, but it still evokes a very nostalgic Harry Potter feeling in me. A bit pricey drink-wise but treat it as a treat-yo-self.

Shop is on the larger side. They have a few tables in the back and large, open space in front of the counter. The staff member who served us was friendly, and we chatted about Dolci and coffee for a bit.

Another decent alternative for dessert on...

Come to SoCal please!

I first tried their Lemon flavor back at my cousin's house and I thought it was so good. I knew I had to come by to try their other flavors and see if they were just as good - they were! Makes sense as we overheard the workers say the owner is the gelato ambassador for the area.

We got a small ($5), which allows two scoops, so we each chose a flavor. They allowed samples, so of course I had to take advantage of this and see which was best. I got to try Vanilla Bean, Birthday Cake, and Peanut Butter Cup. I wanted to try them all, but I feel like three samples is the max before I feel like workers might get annoyed. Of those three, I liked the Peanut Butter Cup the most as it had a great peanut butter flavor mixed with chocolate in each bite.

My cousin got the Stracciatella and that was just as good if not better. After looking it up, it makes sense why it's so good as it's vanilla ice cream with fine flakes of chocolate. Like who doesn't love a good vanilla ice cream?

If I could, I would go there again, but seems like they are only available on the East...

I used to really enjoy Dolci Gelato’s Sicilian pistachio. While it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, it was definitely one of the best in the area. Compared to places like Pitango, where the pistachio barely tastes like pistachio, the flavor here really came through.

Unfortunately, they recently replaced it with a new version that just doesn’t compare. It tastes like the artificial pistachio ice cream you’d find at the grocery store; unnaturally vibrant green, but without that distinct natural pistachio. When I asked why they made the change, they said the cost of pistachios was too high to continue making the Sicilian version.

Personally, I would’ve gladly paid a little more for the original. This new one feels like a poor substitute. Honestly, I’d rather they didn’t offer pistachio at all than replace a great flavor with something that doesn’t even taste like...