Gelosia Delizia Italiana — Restaurant in Pembroke Pines

I walked in really excited with my son to get ice cream. I asked the gentleman attending us if my son could try cookie dough. He said of course and my son loved it. I asked if they could make it into a shake and he immediately said yes. Then I proceeded to order my half cookies and cream scoop and dulce de leche scoop. He told the girl behind him to make the shake while he served the ice cream. I moved over to the cash register section and waited in line to pay while the shake was being made. The girl brought me the shake and I noticed it wasn’t the right color according to the flavor. I asked her if it was cookie dough and she said “oh no, its Cookies and cream that's what I thought you asked for. I pointed at my ice cream and said “yes for the cup but for the shake he wanted cookie dough. That’s the flavor he tasted and liked”. She said she was sorry and took it back and started making another one. I told her I was really sorry and even asked my son if he wanted the one she had already made instead but he said no. A few moments later the girl turned around and offered me the snake for free. I said no thank you, but she insisted and said to take it home and have it later. I looked at my son and said do you want to take it to dad and he said sure. She put the shake in front of me while I waited for the correct order. Next to her was another server. She stopped, looked at me then the shake and asked the girl if I was buying it after all. She said she had given it to me rather than throw it out. The girl said “next time don’t do that because if she comes back and does the same thing she’ll know she’ll get a free shake”. I stood in shock. She clearly said it loud enough for me to hear and the girl just stood frozen. I was really embarrassed that she was saying it and clearly my son and all the customers standing in line heard her. She followed it with "next time don't do that." I immediately responded with "By the way, I didn't ask her to give me the shake for free, she offered multiple times and I said yes"

The girl attending me looked super embarrassed as she brought me the correct shake. I said "is that your manager" and she said "yes she's the manager." I said "well that was incredibly rude of her. Especially that it was a mistake that I was not a part of. She clearly wanted me to hear that she was suggesting I was stealing and that I might even do it again." At that point the 'manager' walked out from the back and I said, while moving the incorrect shake away from me and now next to the cash register "I am giving you the shake back. I didn't want it to begin with but she insisted. It's incredibly rude of you being the manager to take that approach when it comes to the customers and a mistake made on the restaurants part". she said "I was telling her not to give items for free" and I said "no you were telling her not to do it because "I MIGHT DO IT AGAIN" in the future. You were being specific to me, not a general statement. She then said "i heard what you ordered and it was cookies and cream". I said "wow, are you serious? I asked for her name FRANCISCA and told her she'll be hearing about this tomorrow. I've never so much as borrowed something and not returned it. This was super embarrassing on a moral level and more so in front of my son. Management needs...

The good stuff: gelato is decent, tasty, and a good serving amount. It’s not a soft as I’ve tried at other places and you could tell when they can’t easily twirl the gelato. But still good with good amount of flavors. The bad stuff: I actually went on consecutive days. So bare with me. Day 1: decent service but when we sat down the tables looked and FELT like they haven’t been cleaned in weeks. Gross and sticky! I told the staff I was going to come back before they close, asked them what time that is, they said 9. At 8:50 I came back to closed doors. The attendant was in the back. I could see her. We called, a guy answered. He said: “we had to close early because we were short staffed.” I literally got there and two of them were hanging out and talking about their pay checks while two more were serving. Day 2. Came back for the gelato I couldn’t get for my daughter because they closed early the night before. We wanted to take 4 home. No lids! What in the world?! So she added gelato to the cup and put a cup on top of that one. Mess! Then just gave it to us. I asked for a bag and when she went to put in the bag it toppled over and the gelato fell on the glass and she asked “do you want a new one?” Um… seriously?! I finally saw a clear cup they use for smoothies and asked them to use that. Two of the other ones were in the messy made up to go container they had. Whoever is running this place needs some improvement and it would make a big different. And these aren’t cheap! $7+ for a medium gelato. Got home and it was of course melted. Messy. So word of advice: buy to go containers (clear tops) and clean your tables...

Cute gelato and coffee spot at The Shops at Pembroke Gardens. Located by the Nike Outlet and DSW. Tucked next to Venetian Nail Spa and Level TwentyNine.

Little patio seating area and some high top seating indoors and one table next to main entrance. They offer gelato and coffee options. We got a few coffee drinks, kept it simple with double espresso and cappuccino.

Our daughter got the passion fruit gelato which was light and fluffy but I wish it had a firmer consistency. It melted way too fast by the time we purchased and went outside. Tasty though. Got to sample the dark dark chocolate which was surprisingly smooth and not too sweet. Gotta be in the mood for that flavor though.

Staff was very friendly. Very cute spot when you don't want to go to a plain old Starbucks. Ha. We wanted coffee but wanted to support local so this was a good option. The gelato was a bonus. We sat outside and although it was slightly humid, it was still a nice area to sit and enjoy our...