Gelateria Bella Roma — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

For ten bucks, you get two smalls, four flavors, and a few minutes of gelato assisted bliss, all while enjoying the pleasant Summer afternoon sun and Bay breeze on a bench in quaint, adorable Downtown Sunnyvale, which makes Bella Roma most definitely worth stopping at for a treat.

We've been coming to Bella Roma for a while and I'm surprised I haven't already reviewed it because we love it so much.

Last Summer, we were there maybe twice a month. This Summer Covid has kept us sheltering in place more often. At first during SIP, this small, local gelato shop with recipes from Italy itself was closed and we were heartbroken and concerned that it would suffer the fate of many small businesses and locally owned restaurants. However, they are FINALLY open again and we finally found an opportunity to visit them once more and it was so good to be back. They installed plastic shielding at the register, no longer give samples unfortunately, and the server wears his mask properly. They didn't have tables or chairs out front but there are plenty of benches downtown already.

We were greeted warmly, albeit through a facemask you have to see smiles in the eyes, and after catching up briefly we immediately began inquiring about the newest flavor, Gianduyo. It is "better than Nutella because it adds almond" according to the shop keeper, so I had to try it and I have to agree with him. It's much better than Nutella and it was really creamy and rich too. Not icy at all, just right. I paired it with my all-time favorite tiramisu and I have to admit the Gianduyo outshone my favorite though I will still have a tender spot in my heart for the Tiramisu's delicate notes of espresso and marscapone.

My wife enjoys the non cream based gelatos, she is always playing mixologist and trying to pair flavors that are akin to her favorite cocktails. Today's pair was nicknamed the Strawberry Daiquiri.

If you're like us, you also like to try as many flavors as possible each time you go. We only ever get smalls or mediums if we're sharing; smalls can have one to two flavors and medium up to three different flavors of your choosing. Nobody will shun you if your flavors aren't complementary to one another so go wild and choose what you...

I don't know what all these 5 star reviews are on about. I've had way better ice cream from Safeway.

Doesn't do samples and way overpriced for the quality of ingredients. Did not have lids for the cups of ice cream I got either.

Taro tasted as if it was freezer burned, nothing like taro. Had a sour / spoiled aftertaste.

Banana tasted too sweet.

Chocolate tasted like it was made of cheap quality chocolate.

Worker was an older man, maybe the owner. Nice guy and place looked clean. I am sure they have good flavors but the choices I got were really bad and lackluster, especially for the price. They should really allow some type of small sampling. Would not recommend this place to anyone. All I am left with is disappointment and out on $20 for three small cups of not even mediocre ice cream.

My 4 year old son did not even like his ice cream and my little man eats anything and everything.

I love to support small businesses but, I honestly should have went to a Baskin Robbins...

We stepped in this small ice cream shop without any expectations, just out of curiosity (my daughter and I were waiting for the rest of the family to have lunch). I was quite impressed with the variety of flavors and the looks on the ice cream and I asked if where the ice cream was made and we were given a quick tour in the back where the owner makes the ice cream. He learned to make ice cream in Rome and some of the recipes are his own original creations... We came back after lunch and we got medium cups with three flavors each. All the flavors were good but pistachio, lychee, and the English Toffee & cookie dough were our favorites. We will be back to try tiramisu and Panna Cotta...