Dolce Gelato — Restaurant in Tustin

1/5 stars

Disappointing Gelato and a Stale Cone Situation

My husband and I were recently craving gelato and decided to give Dolce Gelato in Tustin a try, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. I ordered coconut and some kind of chocolate flavor in a cup, which turned out not to be to my liking at all. My husband opted for pistachio. When the server asked whether he wanted it in a cup or a waffle cone, my husband chose the waffle cone.

Here's where the situation became frustrating: the server handed him the gelato in the waffle cone, and my husband immediately paid for it without having tried it first. It was only then that the server casually mentioned, "Oh, I'm not going to charge you for the waffle cone because it's stale." My husband, a little surprised, tried it and said, "Yeah, it's pretty bad. Can I have it in a cup instead?"

Instead of simply taking the waffle cone back and replacing it, the server told my husband to throw it away and then gave him new gelato in a cup. And frankly, he wasn't friendly about it at all – as if it was all such a bother, and we should have been thankful that he wasn't going to charge us for the stale cone.

Seriously? We went there with a craving for good gelato and a fresh waffle cone, and we were prepared to pay for it. We weren't looking for free, stale anything! It was evening, so perhaps the server was trying to avoid extra work, but good customer service and clear communication should always be a priority.

This whole situation could have been easily avoided if the server had simply informed us upfront that fresh cones were no longer available.

Based on this experience, we won't be returning to Dolce Gelato...

We stumbled upon this gelato shop by chance and were pleasantly surprised by the impressive and unique flavors they offer. We noted that they have a range of flavors that you won't typically find at other places, which makes them stand out. During our visit, we also noticed that they have themed gelato. For instance, when we went there, they had Alice in Wonderland-themed gelato, which was a delight. The prices are quite reasonable, and the servings are generous. Overall, I highly recommend this gelato shop to anyone looking for a unique and delicious treat.

Plus, the kiddos...

They have some pretty tasty gelato but it's not as dense as most gelatos and was almost melting. Perhaps the freezer wasn't cold enough? Forgot to take photos but they also have lava cakes you can top with gelato that looked pretty. You don't get to keep the ramekins but don't know how they can stop some people who would take them anyways so might be a good idea for the owner to sell the ramekins that the lava cakes come in. Will come back for lava...