I refuse to be ashamed for liking the Gelateria, even with these angry Yelpers talking junk on it. After spending quality time living in Italy, I was sad to come back to Boston because I thought all gelato would be a shell of its former self. Thankfully, there was the Gelateria. Yes, it's almost five bucks. BUT. You can choose three different flavors, which are packed in there with no room for air, so you know, you're getting your monies worth. And the gelato is delicious. I have not encountered a flavor I dislike yet. And those server ladies are not rude. Y'all are smoking crack if you think that's close to Boston-rude. Also, you can tell the artificial and inferior kinds of gelato by looking at the color of the flavors and whether or not they are stored in metal or plastic serving containers. And everything looked very legit here. Please don't hate this gelato until you try it, readers. read more

Since we got turned away from Neptune Oyster for dinner (helloooo ridiculously long wait!), we decided to roam around the North End and explore. There are so many cute shops and restaurants. We were bound to find something. And behold! Gigi Gelateria caught our eyes. After passing the long line at Mike's, Gigi's was an alluring sight with ZERO wait! Success...? Sort of! The location is pristine for wandering tourists who are looking for small treats to fuel more adventure. We got caught up with the gelato selection in the front and failed to notice the other flavors inside the store. We didn't see it until we were walking away with our gelato cups. Please know that there's so many other options available inside, along with coffee and tea. The service was a bit unnerving. Definitely was not the best. Eh. Our server looked impatient as we tried to figure out what to get. I didn't feel comfortable asking for samples and she looked annoyed when we couldn't pronounce the name of the flavors. Haaaah. The gelato was average. It wasn't very memorable. However, I can distinctly recall the unpleasant exchange and the feeling of regret over the steep price for a small gelato cup. My recommendation is simple: if you're craving a quick fix for gelato, Gigi's may be right for you. Ultimately, i urge you to avoid being distracted by the storefront gelato display to find a different place to fulfill your cravings. read more

Um. Why aren't their prices posted anywhere? Oh that's right. Because they're ABSURD. I guess it was partially (PARtially) my fault for not asking, but I walked in here last night to get some gelato to go with a cake I made. I got a pint of vanilla, and my sister got a little cup of grapefruit. In what world does that mean it is FREAKIN $17?!?!? In typical Italian "whaddyawant" attitude, the man behind the counter said "it's like getting one cup free in the pint. it's like 3 cups" to which I *wanted* to reply "um, at $12 for 3 cups you are most certainly NOT getting one for free. You're getting a bit of a discount on 3". But, I didn't want to be chased out so I paid my absurdly high price and left. Anyways, it was pretty good gelato which is the only reason this tourist trap isn't 1-star. Save your money and head down to Cafe Vittoria and you can get a (booze) dessert drink and a cannoli and still have money for the T home. read more

Had two scoops of gelato...very good, rich, and a proper consistency. We also had a freshly prepared Nutella cannoli. Holy cannoli...this was good! Service was fine, prices were high, but that to be expected in this trove of tourism. There's some mixed reviews about this place, but I guess we tried it on a good day. read more

Even though it gets crowded on nice summer (or spring) days, don't be fooled by their selection of crowds! You can get better gelato at the Whole Foods freezer (and pay half the price). Or, just go next door to CVS and buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's. My biggest complaint w/ this gelato is that it doesn't taste like it's made with quality cream or ingredients. All the flavors are just mediocre, and the texture lacks the creaminess that you'd want. read more

I ordered the Wathermelon Gelato just to try something different. It tasted more like a slushie than actual gelato. This didn't bother me since it tasted sweet and refreshing, but I can see how others may not enjoy it. Service was spotty. Seemed like it could be a hit or a miss. Overall, an A-OK place in a nice part of Boston to come and cool off with on a hot day. read more

This is hands down the best cannoli I've ever had in America. You know it's legit when the shell is hollow and the filling is separate. I would recommend having it here and not to go just because it's so perfect fresh. It's also an artistic piece. read more

See all

I have to say - I am a fan. I come for the grapefruit and for the limoncello. I also try several other flavors so I can see what I am missing out on - one of these days, I'm getting a baccio and chocolate combo and then passing out by the Paul Revere house (only because they have benches there). The "serveuse" are ruder than most places I've been to in beantown, but the gelato makes up for iffy service. I love my gelato! read more

It's Day 22 of a 45 day road trip with my teenage daughter... There are only a few things that 13 year old girl and 44 year old me get mutually excited about...but, real Italian gelato is at the top of the list. I wondered how we were going to choose from ALL the gelaterias in Boston's Italian district. Fifteen minutes passed and we had yet to have cones in our hands. What the heck??? This was more difficult than finding the floor in said teenager's bedroom...not to mention that it just didn't make sense. The situation was getting desperate...was that a sheen emerging on my teen's face??? (The horrific effects of sweat were imprinted on me back in Austin...hence my rising state of panic.) I ignored the digs of Yelpers and headed toward the gelateria requiring the lowest expenditure of energy. When we arrived, I smelled an overpriced imposter, but my overheated girl remained optimistic. And, then she took her first bite.... "Oh my God...THIS IS AWFUL!" Yes it is...it meant I had maybe 15 minutes to get her back to her lair. read more

I LOVE gelatos!!! If I werent lactose intolerant I'd eat these everyday! I did a combo of coconut and hazelnut. I went nutty with it! Delicious! Kinda pricey but who cares! Gotta live a little! The portion size for the small was just right! read more

The 31 Baskin Robbins of gelato! When I was walking along Hanover St. during my first few weeks in Boston, this place stood out as THE place that sell nothing but gelato in the North End! I stopped at their sidewalk counter and had a cup of their tiramisu gelato and it was not bad; I finished the whole thing before even walking back to the T. The cost was around $4, which I though was it a little expensive. I could have gotten the same amount at Christina's for a little over $2! I believe gelato at Mike's Pastry was $2 per scoop. When I left, I found out that there were tons of other flavors in the actual store inside. Oh, well! There's always next time...unless other Yelpers want to try the other gelato places in the North End, wink, wink, nudge, nudge :) read more

Great Gelato and Cannoli! Although the place is so tight, I like what they make. They will make your own Cannolinin front of you!! Whoch I think is great caise they send out from other Pastry shop. They have like 6 Gelato flavors, and other ice cream too. Average Price. Gelato was $5 for small cup and the Cannoli $4. Was a good try! The only downside is that one of the waiter was spanish and I couldn't understand what he was saying. Not very comprehensive! They should train their waiter to speak better English cause North End is a high touristical spot! read more

Dolce - Mixed Berry Gelato and Lemon Gelato!!! ($5/each) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

They only accept cash and it is pretty lame they have no signs that say so - they girl even scooped my cup before saying anything but the gelatto was pretty tasty so I felt forgiving. read more

So many flavors. You will probably have a pretty hard time deciding which flavor to order. I decided to sample the mango gelato and it was too sweet for my taste. So I decided to go with the mixed berry gelato. It was so good! read more

This place has got to be on anyone's must-have list of touring the North End. Along Hanover Street, one can eat their way up and down, but Gelateria is one of my favorite places for gelato no matter the season. Endless choices and friendly staff. This place gets crazy after a Bruins game or a Celtics game, but it's the perfect treat to enjoy while walking around the North End or towards trains to go home. It's a little on the pricey side when it comes to desserts, but it is worth it. read more

CASH ONLY. You get the biggest bang for your buck with this gelato shop. The girl who served us was very nice and polite, and really packed the gelato into the small cup. It was like getting a 'Gotta Have It' scoop in a 'Like It' cup at Cold Stone! The flavour I got was hazelnut, which was ehh, alright. If I come back again, I'll opt for a different flavour. read more

Lets get the record straight, this is decent ice cream, but by no means gelato. Just because you scoop the product out of a traditional gelato vessel with a spade, and charge me 5 dollars for a scoop, does not make it good or worth the price. My first and last time here, my boyfriend and I tried the frutti di bosco (mixed berries), tiramisu, chocolate, and chocolate hazlenut flavors. The frutti di bosco was akin to Breyer's strawberry ice cream. It lacked flavor, and any discernible pieces of fruit were encapsulated with ice, yummy. The tiramisu and chocolate hazlenut were mediocre, and also lacked the creamy, smooth, soft consistency that gelato should possess. In all fairness, the plain chocolate flavor was the closest in texture to real gelato and had a good, rich, chocolate flavor. I noticed that 3 of the 4 flavors were in one freezer while the chocolate was in another. It is possible that they are not keeping the product at the proper temperature for gelato and it is becoming too similar to ice cream. The golden rule is that you may serve ice cream from a gelato freezer, but never the other way around. I believe that this is the problem at Gigi. The gelato is probably good when extruded from the machine fresh, but the freezer is too cold to keep it the proper consistency. read more

Another disappointment for me. I dont understand the hype. Bostonians need to come to the San Francisco to try Marco Polo gelato (sunset district) and Galateria Naia (in the north beach district). I tossed my cup after a couple of spoonfuls. What a waste! read more

I've been here quite a lot since moving to Boston and not once have I had ice chunks in my gelato. Not once have I had gelato at Gelateria that lacked in flavor. Not once did it have the incorrect consistency. Not once did I only have one size to choose from- there are two cup sizes available and they're sitting right there on the counter. Yes, it's a bit pricey, and yes, the staff there aren't the friendliest bunch. But think about it- would you want to be spending your day inside scooping gelato for other people for a measly minimum wage paycheck? Nah. Give it a shot. I recommend the Baci and the Limoncello. Good stuff. Oh, and you'll want to bring cash. read more

I thought it was alright. The coconut was good, the hazelnut was only alright. I've had better.

(review dated 5/08): i'm trying hard to NOT compare--by look or by taste--any gelato i came across here to the ones i've had in italy, but that doesn't mean their gelati should look half-melted! you know melted ice-cream is actually bacteria-filled and unedible.... it was quite unappetizing to see theirs looking as if the fridge got unplugged half an hour ago. i know gelato is not supposed to be all frozen up, but looking as if melted? what's up with that? i was full of anticipation before i arrived, and got discouraged by the look of the gelati. had a taste of the chestnut flavor anyway; it wasn't strong enough to taste like anything. i couldn't pick anything out of their rather huge selection; friend eventually got the baci one which is really rich and chocolatey. i ended up finishing her cup since she was watching the calorie count. yet, wasn't enough for me to crave for more, unless they improve their presentation dramatically! :) read more

If you don't want to wait in a huge line, and you don't mind spending quiet a bit for your gelato, its pretty good. The price is, honestly, a bit over the top. And the gelato, while perfectly enjoyable, while the most expensive, is not the best. On the way out of the north end, it can be hard to resist stopping. read more

Seriously, don't bother. The texture is right, but otherwise, the gelato here is downright disappointing. Don't expect to taste anything like what you might get in Italy, or Europe in general for that matter. It's overpriced, they don't even fill the cups, and the flavors just taste artificial and gross, which made me sad. The chocolate wasn't chocolate-y at all, and the tiramisu had a weird chemical aftertaste. I would've loved to see some real tiramisu mixed in with that flavor of gelato, as well as actual strawberries in with the strawberry flavor, etc. But you're not going to find that here. I really did expect more from the North End, and while the food generally delivers, this gelato just didn't. Next time, I'll definitely go elsewhere. read more

What a mistake! Should have read the reviews prior to hitting up Gelateria for some pistachio gelato for waiting in line at the Daily Catch (well worth it, btw). Pistachio gelato was sludgy, tasteless, and altogether unsatisfying. Despite being $5 and having had four bites, dumped it in the trash. Problems: 1) Server (an otherwise excellently shaped woman) refused a pre-buy taste, and just served up a cup. 2) No exchange policy. The response to my complaint that the gelato tasted awful was a weak "meh." Fortunately, there's a City of Boston solar trash compactor a few yards away to dump my mistake. There are so many better options in the North End. Avoid this one. read more

It's good Great ice cream cannolia made write in front of you nice selection of kinds read more

Meh. I have definitely had better gelato. Even in the US. There were ice chunks in it. I went with around 10 people and we all had ice chunks. Not great. Plus a small gelato is $4.95 which seems a tad expensive for sub-par product. read more

One word. Or maybe a few more.. (sorry Gelateria- we were expecting way more). Meh. Skip. Looks great though. read more

Tastes like cheap air filled gelato. Not creamy or decadent like gelato should be. I should have checked the ratings before coming here. Save your $5 a scoop and go somewhere else. read more

The place is very dimly lit, and the staff is only friendly while you are buying something. The bathroom was not very clean or presentable. The gelato was ok. read more

Many reviews say it's nothing like real gelato, but they probably haven't been to Italy and had real gelato. That said, this place has decent gelato and it's actually like real gelato. I will say that flavors are hit or miss. The citrus fruits are not very gelato-esque, other fruits are pretty good. The more traditional flavors like espresso, hazelnut, coconut, and vanilla are pretty creamy and right on par as far as texture. The 'cash only' does indeed stink as most people only carry cards. I didn't see any signs stating 'cash only' I found out after I had ordered and my gelato was beginning to melt. If I didn't have cash, they would have wasted their product. read more

Just walked by the place after stopping by Mike's Pastry. They had a wide variety of gelatos to choose from. Got the coconut and cherry. Both were good. Need to try the lemon nice time. read more

Pizza is excellent, crust can be a bit messy but our pieces came straight from the oven so they were especially fresh. Tomato sauce is excellent. We got two cannolis, both with chocolate chips; however, one had ricotta filling and the other had tiramisu filling. 10/10 would recommend either one, but the tiramisu filling was extra special and delicious. Would come again! read more

After reading the other reviews, I suddenly feel quite self-conscious about my love of the Gelateria. I hadn't thought about the high price and I'd dismissed the fact that some of the flavors (tiramisu, I think) are not great. It's just that this is the first gelato place I've tried in Boston and the one I hold dear. So now, although I will go back, I guess I owe it to myself to try a couple other places as well. But still, I enjoy this place and am craving it right now... read more

Gelato is an occasional treat for me, so when I see it in some place I've never been before, it better be good. The Gelateria pretty much fit the bill. The Gelateria certainly offers a wide array of flavors, with one side of the case devoted to fruit flavors and one devoted to the creamier side of the spectrum. Being a tropical fruit kind of person, I went with watermelon and passion fruit, while my dad went with the chocolate chip. Other interesting flavors included a brightly colored limoncello, a tasty looking zuppa inglese, and a big vat of Satanic looking tiramisu. Works for me. So how was it? The passion fruit was creamy and mildly flavored. It was good but it didn't possess the slap yo' momma intensity I've had from passion fruit flavor out in Hawaii (which is where it really belongs.) The watermelon was much more successful, bringing an intense and crisp flavor to the table - none of that washed out subtlety often encountered in watermelon freezes. My only complaint is that it was rather icy and thus chunked to a degree the passion fruit didn't, although that's probably because it had a higher water content. The chocolate chip was good enough and certainly full of hearty flecks of chocolate, although the vanilla undertones could have been stronger. Overall, this is pretty good gelato that could use some more intense flavors (except for that watermelon.) But if you want something cool, tasty, and vaguely overpriced in the area, this is the ticket. read more

The flavors here can range from "OMG, I JUST HAD AN ORGASM" good to "Are we done yet?" not so good. However, they'll let you sample the various flavors so you don't make the mistake of ordering something you absolutely hate. And size does matter. They charge you $5 for a small but when I saw the small, I was scared at what was the large. It was massive! So I can understand the price, though I wish they'd bring out a kiddy size or something. If you go, I recommend the grapefruit, tangerine (or was it orange) and the hazelnut/chocolate/vanilla combor (forgot the fancy Italian name for it). read more

Nice people but the hazelnut/espresso gelato was watery and not thick the way gelato should be :/ kind of flavorless and airy.

My friends and I did not have a good experience here. Poor customer service and below average gelato. Also cash only.

I decided to try a tiramasu gelato here as we were walking around little Italy. It wasn't very good but it looked really good from the display outside the store. It's also pricey and costs $5 for a small cup. They also have cannolis and cakes but why buy it from here when there is Mike's Pastry a couple stores away where they serve the best cannoli. Anyway, I don't think I will come here for gelatos again. read more

Much better than I expected considering the average reviews. After walking all day, all I wanted was something refreshing and this was the closest gelato place to me at the time. Hazelnut was really good, nice consistency. Service adequate. I can't say I'm an expert in gelato, but theirs was good enough for me. Nothing bad to say about it! read more

I stopped by Gigi gelateria because it was convenient. I had the lemon ice (which was okay) and hazelnut. The hazelnut was disappointing because the taste was not creamy or milky.. It was a bit watery(icey) like the other reviews stated. Not the best but it will do for my craving. read more