11 Best Gelato Shops in Rome
No trip to Rome is complete without a gelato (or ten). And in a city where there's a gelateria on nearly every corner, it can be tempting to walk into the first one you see. But while most are good, a few are truly great. And you aren't going to settle for just a "good" bowl of cacio e pepe or a "good" glass of Barolo, so why should "good" gelato be enough when with just a little extra effort could be eating the best gelato of your life. Here, the finest places in the Italian capital for your next gelato fix.
Sabrina RossirestaurantGelateria La Romana
$It’s all about the ingredients at La Romana, a blend of chic farmhouse and Italian patisserie. The sorbets are composed of nearly 50 percent fruit; meanwhile, organic eggs, milk, and cream comprise the traditional crema flavors. The standout here is the white chocolate tiramisu atop a milk-chocolate-filled wafer cone. The gelato is whisked up from the downstairs laboratory, freshly churned, and poured into silver tubs before your very eyes.
Sabrina RossirestaurantGelateria della Palma
$It would be easy to be put off by the crowds, or the 1980s aesthetic—with a colonnade, palm trees, and marble floors—at Gelateria della Palma, but elbow your way to the wraparound glass counter and you’ll be rewarded with 150 types of gelato, from vegan chocolate and zabaglione (eggnog) to a teal-colored basil (a sure sign that no additives have been used) and a cult-favorite Kit-Kat flavor.
Aldo E Fabio Pasquarella/Courtesy FiordilunarestaurantFiordiluna
$At Fiordiluna, there's definitely a feeling that gelato is meant to be fun, from the jaunty wallpaper and orange bar stools to the cheerful, low-hanging lamps and fluorescent typography: “Fiordilatte." Aldo, the owner uses top-notch ingredients from local, small-scale producers and focuses on the classics like chocolate, coffee, crema, and lemon, but there are occasional twists. The ever-popular duetto, a mix of pistachio and hazelnut, was born when Aldo accidentally dropped a bag of Piemonte hazelnuts into the pistachio.
restaurantGelateria del Teatro
$Maybe it’s the piles of lemons, apples, oranges, and pears in the window; the drawers overflowing with almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts; or the trays of chocolate on the countertop: Gelateria del Teatro is quite obviously the real deal. Everything here is handmade and utterly delicious, from the crunchy olive oil cones to the tray of Peruvian dark chocolates truffles in the window. But the main event is the gelato. The menu is seasonal; summer is best for fruit-based sorbets like orange-kiwi or rosemary-lemon.
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Sabrina RossirestaurantGelateria Come il Latte
$At Come il Latte, which appeals to local office workers and vacationing families alike, flavors run the gamut from classic (various chocolates, speckled stracciatella, creamy lemon sorbet) to the unusual (parmesan, sweet corn, or the incredible brie, blueberry, and caramelized hazelnuts). Everything is made onsite with milk from grass-fed cows and fruit from local farms. Owner Nicoletta makes at least three sugar-free, low-carb, vegan-friendly flavors and cones each day, and if you want flavor combos you don't see, she’ll make them for you on the spot.
Sabrina RossirestaurantFatamorgana
$A tiny, no-frills kind of place, Fatamorgana is known for its all-natural ingredients, but it’s the whimsical flavor combinations—and their claimed health benefits—that draw the crowds. Thumbelina (walnuts from Sorrento, rose petals, and violet leaves) is a taste sensation with pleasing crunch, while Thought—ginger, horseradish, lemon peel, and pink grapefruit—is a firecracker of a flavor that doubles as an instant hangover cure. It's an exciting, energizing, and totally take on Rome's favorite frozen dessert.
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Courtesy Gelateria dei GracchirestaurantGelateria dei Gracchi
$Lines regularly run out the door of this hole-in-the-wall gelateria, with everyone cramming to set foot in the diminutive red-and-white tiled space. Once inside, it's all about making a beeline to the glass counter and ordering a bag of Gracchi’s signature bon bons—tiny balls of pistachio, hazelnut, and almond gelato that have been dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts. You won't hear English here—this is a Roman favorite, through and through.
Sabrina RossirestaurantGelateria Del Viale
$Don’t be put off by the graffiti outside; it just adds to the charm of Gelateria Del Viale, a sweet gelateria framed by ivy and a vintage bicycle. Inside, the vibe feels more French than urban Roman, with cream-colored lamp shades, black-and-white photos, and heart-shaped trinkets hanging from the whitewashed timber walls. But the gelato is pure Italian: 28 silky flavors in dozens of hues. The gelato brioche will be the best you've ever had.
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Sabrina RossirestaurantIl Gelato di San Crispino
$If you think this narrow, terracotta-colored gelateria looks familiar, blame it on Eat Pray Love—it was featured in both the book and the movie. And while the gelato at San Crispino tastes exactly as it did back in 2010—that would be, magnificent, and it's what keeps it on this list—the neverending crowds and occasionally surly staff have dampened the experience just a bit. San Crispino generally sticks to tradition, so we went for crema, a creamy concoction of milk, eggs, and sugar, topped with the (now) famous San Crispino al miele honey flavor. Both were smooth and sweet without being sickly.
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Don Nino
$Romans know Don Nino’s gelato as the freshest in town, with each batch made on-site every afternoon and served within 24 hours. The quality is high, as evidenced by a wall of prominently displayed awards; the signature cuor di brontolo—a deliriously indulgent combination of caramelized Bronte pistachios, nutella, almonds, and cream—topped the world gelato championships. And don’t leave without trying the fichi della piana (caramelized fig and hazelnut) atop one of the chocolate-dipped, pistachio-sprinkled cones.
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Diego Buonanno/Courtesy GiolittirestaurantGiolitti
$Giolitti is a stickler the old school, both in terms of the menu—yes, that’s a banana split you’re seeing—and the space itself (beige wood, beige walls, lots of marble). The crowds though, tell us that we’re onto something special. They’re jostling for space at the bronze-and-glass gelato counter, waving to get the baristas’ attention at the espresso bar, or scooping up the last of the cassata (Italian ice cream cake) while sitting at the canopy-covered tables outside.
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