Sofie's Scoops Gelateria - At The 222 Market — Restaurant in Olympia

Love the gelato here. High quality and tasty and sometimes the flavors are so amazing (passion fruit swirl in the cream and fresh mint in the strawberry as perfect examples). They also source their milk locally which I prioritize and appreciate highly. I do wish the cones didn't have such an intense cinnamon flavor, it only fits with vanilla/chocolate/etc. flavors. It HIGHLY clashes with the fruit flavors. I wish there was a non-cinnamon option, or no cinnamon option at all (if you only have room for 1 waffle cone). Waffle cone is always my favorite option when getting ice cream/gelato/etc. I do just get my Sofie's Scoops in a cup for now, because it's still really good. I also noticed that the serving set up is extremely NON-ergonomic for the employees. I see the employees have to lean all the way into the cooler to scoop the gelato from the front. I'd be extremely shocked if everyone that works there isn't experiencing at least mild back pain-if not constant serious back pain, and long term that can really compromise your posture and general health (a slough of different alignment issues that will compromise mobility as people age). I hope they can get a new cooler where they don't put their employees at risk ergonomically, because it is a serious health risk to be taken seriously. Perhaps trays that are aligned to run parallel with the counter instead of perpendicular so that the reach is limited. I know the display is currently the focus, and it makes sense if you don't think about actually interacting with it and just the customer's view. But, I hope that safety can be more prioritized in this instance! The kitchen equipment suppliers may be able to recommend more employee friendly set ups, I'd assume. I knocked down 2 stars, 1 for each of those...if they fix those they'll be back at 5...

Fantastic gluten-free gelato in Olympia! First time getting scoops here, and I tried the "Olympia Fog," which is a blend of local tea, rose, and vanilla. My 2nd scoop was Cardamon, which is a blend of spices. This made my small cup perfection!! I'm impressed by the unique spin to the flavors. Even vanilla had a twist to make it more favorable. I love experiencing a good bite. So I'm happy my mom and I decided to give this place a try instead of our usual place. We will be coming back for more scoops in the future and maybe check it out during their happy hour! I am curious what seasonal flavors they will...

My litmus test is always to sample a gelato or ice cream shop's basic chocolate and vanilla to gauge quality and value. I'm not saying that either was bad at Sofie's, but neither really stood out either. The vanilla was a little lacking, almost as if it were sweet cream as opposed to including much vanilla flavor. I shared two scoops with my son, which was a nice outing...but parking in the area is quite atrocious and it's located in a seedy part of downtown, which makes me hesitant to visit again with young children. Eight bucks felt a little steep, but I'm glad that I gave it a shot. Not sure we'll...