Gelataio — Restaurant in San Carlos

TLDR: Dayam. That’s just how GOOD Gelataio is.

Details: They don’t give samples BUT I guess that’s just how confident they are in their quality & taste (and/or their business model just doesn’t allow for it).

So what’s a dessert-aholic like myself left to do? 😅

Well, it was my 1st time trying them out and they have a BOGO ish deal - well actually it’s buy 2 pints, get 1 free.

So I got pints of Strawberry sorbet, Pear + Riesling sorbet, Rosemary Crème fresh, Double Chocolate, Pistachio, & their take on Ispahan (rose + lychee + raspberry) and they were all FANTASTIC (when I sampled them at home).

The dairy gelatos (the last 4 flavors) were wonderfully creamy & smooth in texture. The pectin (or gelling agent probably) for the sorbettos lended a smooth mouthfeel too. Tastewise 4/6 favors were relatively light on sweetness & moderately light in favor- which I like. For me, I usually like my deserts on the refreshing vs heavy side. The remaining 2 flavors that leaned on the stronger taste & sweetness side were the double chocolate (milk + dark chocolate) & pistachio- which I think is also nice when u want to change things up a bit to be a bit more decadent for special occasions. But my personal favs or rather the flavors that I think deserve the most kudos in crafting their flavor profile (ahem, the ones I recommend you try if you’ve got a creative streak 😂) are the rosemary crème fraîche (I was really pleasantly surprised, it’s got a nice balance for a more savory ice cream flavor that isn’t heavy & still refreshing in taste & mouthfeel), Ispahan (you don’t often see this take on flavors in the US for iced desserts & this one was well executed & balanced - I’m a fan of rose & the lychee mellowed out any overly flowery taste with the occasional zing from raspberry), and the pear riesling (when you add booze to frozen desserts it adds another layer of complexity, not just in taste but also making the dessert making process since you’ve also now lowered the freezing point, which is going to affect the consistency & well how well/fast this sorbet freezes/melts- but I thought they did a lovely job in texture & taste for this one. The booze is present but not overpowering, so again another well balanced creation).

Last but not least: their associates are super lovely; although there’s no sampling, they kindly + patiently answered all my questions as I debated (tried to narrow down my choices, lol) btw all the amazing sounding flavors...

This San Mateo gelato shop serves up some truly delicious gelato and sorbet, boasting creamy, smooth textures and wonderfully fragrant flavors. While the "no tasting" policy is a bit of a drawback (1 less star because of that) – it's always nice to sample before committing – the quality of the gelato more than makes up for it.

The California pistachio is rightfully popular, but I'd also highly recommend the rich hazelnut and the distinctive liberica coffee. The option to add chocolate drizzle (milk or dark) and toppings like wafers is a nice touch. You can get 1-2 scoops for the same price and even more scoops if you'd like, served in your choice of cup or cone. They also offer pints to take home, which is a great idea.

The shop itself is small and was quite busy on a weekend night, but the quality of the product shines through. Despite the lack of tastings, the overall experience was excellent and the staff was very nice, earning a...

I LOVED the size of cups they offer. I had the small and it is like an American child's size but you get TWO flavors! This is gelato not ice cream so the sizes are consistent with what we had in Italy. I had the raspberry yogurt and mint and chip, both were good and I was impressed that the yogurt was tangy like real yogurt. My husband had the medium with vanilla and chocolate and loved the chocolate but thought the vanilla needed more flavor. They offer milk or dark chocolate topping from a fountain that they dip a wafer under and drizzle over the gelato. They have free water if your thirsty, it's toward the back of the shop. The service was excellent and the reasons they didn't get 5 stars is because of the lack of flavor of the Tahitian vanilla and they don't wear gloves but I did see them washing their hands. That doesn't bother my husband at all. Great location if you want gelato after dinner. They have a sign that they...