Spendora's is splendid! This place is a gem ! The owner is amazing! Gelato is top stuff! I was surprised they had king cake! Wow! Love the vibe. Great after a movie! read more

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The lady who served me was so sweet and patient. I got the raspberry and lemon. Sooooo good! read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This place in a high-end strip mall offers gelato, with a bit of Asian flair in the flavors and the baked goods. I ended up getting two sorbet flavors and one dairy for a very reasonable price. My seasonal apple cider was worthwhile, but between that and the chocolate sorbet and mint chip gelato, none of the flavors quite hit it out of the park for me, with some tasting a bit gummy. The texture didn't suggest that their display really keeps the product at an ideally cool temperature. A good dessert, but short of the top gelato spots I've been to. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We are in C-ville for my oldest's summer orientation as he is starting at UVA this fall. My middle wanted ice cream so I dutifully googled "best Ice cream in Charlottesville" and this spot popped up. What was surprising is we could not find a website, we had no knowledge of the flavors despite looking on their instagram but we went forth. My son's eyes lit up at first bite. I'm actually not a fan of ice cream or custard but apparently I have never had gelato. I took a taste and loved it. It is almost like frozen pliable icing....it was so good 10/10 for the chocolate with its depth of flavors ...probably stopping by tomorrow on our way out of town.... read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Chocolate gelato - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Back again at this delectable and locally owned gelato cafe. I had the hazelnut chocolate (lactose free!) and it was so creamy and delicious! read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Hazelnut chocolate - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Support local owned asian american businesses!!!! Their gelato is so yummy, and it's my go-to for a sweet treat. The owner is so friendly and nice to talk to!! The flavors are unmatched! It's also always so cutely decorated, especially during the holidays and has comfortable seating. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Tiramisu Gelato - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This is a little place on the downtown commons. We went in- I got a cup of black coffee, one espresso and a cone with gelato of two flavors- apple cider and mint chocolate chip! We were all very happy with our items - However, the only way to get a refill of my coffee I would have had to pay another 50 cents . Which honestly I don't like because I really only wanted 1/2 a cup so I skipped it. Even on a cold day one can have good gelato! So we have given it a thumbs up for that! They have nice comfy chairs and cushions to sit on-they have some decorations for the holidays though some of them look like they were Halloween decorations and now they added little hats and made holiday decorations! All in all, a good little find! read more

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Delicious handmade gelato and some awesome unique flavors. Went in after lunch on the mall at the weekend, and it wasn't my first time in the cafe, but it was my first time getting my own ice cream. There are so many flavors to choose from and the employees are friendly and not shy about offering to give you a sample of anything you might want to try. I had to try the goat cheese, honey and fig flavor, the fennel, carraway, and plum flavor, and the paw paw. They were all good, though the fennel was very fennel-y and the carraway made for a very potent flavor not for the faint of heart. I also tried the pumpkin, delicious, and a coffee one that I can't remember the name of, also delicious. I ended up getting the paw paw with the concord grape, and shared the small (two scoops) with my son. The small is plenty of ice cream in my opinion, and it is reasonably priced for the amount. They always rotate their flavors and have lots of seasonal ones that come in (aka paw paw), but also have a staple crop of favorites. We'll definitely be back in the future; it was my favorite frozen treat that I've tried on the mall so far. read more

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What is not to love here? The gelato is awesome, the flavors range from the generic to the outlandish. The other carbs never disappoint. Her bagel chats on IG are great. The knowledge she shares and the way she protects minorities in the food business is also wonderful. It's a perfect little oddity. read more

The pandan flavor was so YUMMY! One of the best ice cream flavors I've had but I might be biased because I'm a pandan lover. The lavender lemon flavor was too sour for my taste buds. I couldn't really taste much of a lavender flavor since the sourness overpowered. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Pandan and Lavender Lemon small cup - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The gelato was delicious! We tried hazelnut, raspberry, strawberry calamansi, and lemon and liked all of those flavors! The service was quick and very friendly :) it's a cute lil gelato shop to hit while you shop at the other stores! read more

Showed up at 7:45 PM when they close at 8:00. The girl behind the counter was obviously upset about us arriving. I asked her, "is this too close to Closing Time?" She said "yes" seven so we left. I realize it's hard getting good employees, but... If you guys want to be here a year from now... This is not the employee for you. Description: slight redhead. (Date 4/27/2023) read more

If gelato is more your speed instead of ice cream or frozen yogurt, then Splendora's on the Charlottesville pedestrian mall is the place to go. About two dozen or different flavors. I had a single flavor in mine, the salted caramel. The small size is still plenty. In fact, I still couldn't eat the whole thing. Sweet and salted, tasty. Good consistency. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Splendora’s in Charlottesville - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Decent place to enjoy gelato. This place is located on the Main Street, Charlottesville, Va., and within a short walking distance from Omni Hotel. Loved all the flavors they offered. Too bad that there is no way to enjoy it all with only one visit. Will definitely drop by whenever I am in town. read more

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My friend and I came here after grabbing dinner locally. I loved Splendora's as an undergrad and it was so wonderful to see that nothing has changed. As you walk in, you are greeted by the friendly staff who eagerly offer you a scoop of anything you'd like to try. The multitude of flavors remains unchanged, and if anything, there are more delicious and unique flavors to try. Every time I come here, I get the straciatella and this time was no different. The bambino scoop and the best gelato I've ever had on a beautiful evening in Charlottesville, Virginia. It honestly doesn't get better than that. read more

I stopped by here on a Monday evening around 6:45 PM after dinner while working in the area in June 2019. I generally love gelato and sorbet, and opted for the latter since I was trying to cut down on dairy at the time. Unsurprisingly, the shop wasn't too busy when I arrived, although there was 1 customer sitting at a table with her laptop. The staff were friendly and I was able to try a scoop of the kalamansi sorbet before ordering, which was nice. I ultimately found it to be too sour, so I went with the more familiar mango sorbet and lychee sorbet, of which I got 1 scoop each. The scoops were actually pretty big. I'm not sure why, but the lychee started melting a lot faster than the mango, so if you do get the lychee, I would recommend getting whatever other flavors on the bottom just so it's easier to eat. Both the mango and the lychee were delicious, but if I had to choose, I think I preferred the lychee. The shop is conveniently located on the downtown mall. I would definitely love to come back and try some more of the flavors. There are some tables/chairs inside, but they weren't super clean and there's not as much atmosphere in the shop as outside anyway. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Mango sorbet on top, lychee sorbet on bottom - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I've come in twice in the past week as we were running errands. Staff was very helpful the first time in with allergy questions, I had the dairy free chocolate and my girlfriend got the lemon, both were excellent. I'll obviously be back for more in the future! read more

The gelato itself never blew me away but it is decent and they do use fresh ingredients to produce it. They give such a dinky amount though that it's not really worth the price you pay for it. Given that it's the only gelato spot in Cville, I guess they have the ability to charge however much they want. However, during the winters they do have a special where you just buy a medium cup for all-you-can eat gelato so be on the look out for that! The service here is always pleasant. Even during busy times, they don't rush you and that's always nice for an indecisive person like me. My favorite flavors here include pistachio, mango, lemon, and raspberry. Food: 3 Value: 2.5 Service: 4 read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato sampler - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Great tasting gelato and great customer service. There was a line and only one persons behind the counter so that was a little frustrating seeing the one person having to serve and cash out the customers. They also have some great looking cupcakes. read more

Favorite ice cream spot in C'ville! Parking is slightly inconvenient though. Price is great esp for the platter! So worth it! Ambience is great. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Splendora's was delicious! The flavors of the gelato really came through! The pistachio gelato was the best I've had. It had pieces of real pistachio which gave it a great texture. The lychee flavor was also as good. The shop is small but has enough seats for the flow of traffic. I would stop in again during my next visit. Quality gelato! read more

I came here with my friend recently and loved my experience. There's a really cute mural on the wall inside. The lady that took my order was friendly. I tried the dairy free chocolate gelato and it was really good. I'm impressed, because good tasting dairy free options can be hard to come by. read more

Fantastic Gelato. Tones of flavors, nice staff, and a great shop. Either eat there or enjoy the promenade, but don't miss out on the treat, especially when it is hot out. Perfect for a Sunday or to cap off a dinner out. read more

Cute gelato place in downtown Charlottesville.. stopped by while walking through town. The gelato was seriously the best and portions generous. The Americano and regular drip coffee were also on point! Service was efficient and very friendly. Would definitely go again when I'm in town. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Medium gelato with cookies & cream, almond vanilla orange, and espresso chip! - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Awesome flavors. Lots to choose from. My little girl loved this place. But it's a little pricey. It's much better than ColdStone.

**** 4.5 stars **** We came into Splendora on a Sunday, when very few other shops on Main St were open, and it was sweltering outside, made even worse by the heavy humidity. Being in desperate need for a bottle of water for a variety of reasons (beginning with but not limited to those described here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bodos-bagels-charlottesville#hrid:ofT9OZdNPIiyHW5LuZSEhw), I was hoping to at least pick that up in here if nothing else caught my eye. Well, as most people know who've seen my pictures of Greece, where gelato is on nearly every other corner, and quite often in my hand, you can guess that quite a lot caught my eye in here. They don't go all out with the elaborate adornments on each pile of gelato like the Greeks do, but there is certainly no lack of flavor to be had. So many flavors in fact, we couldn't decide which to limit ourselves to, so instead we got the "painters palette" sampler, which has 6 small scoops of any flavors you choose for a modest $6.25. We opted to do a good mix of fruity and intense. First up we went with the cucumber mint, a really cool, refreshing mix that sounds strange as a flavor but turned out to be one of my favorites. Next we moved to the peaches and cream, which was somewhat forgettable, especially compared to the third flavor, black currant, which was the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. After finishing the three sweet flavors we moved on to the more heavy ones, starting with the stracciatella which was ok compared to others I've had. We finished up with the amaretto followed by the gianduja, both of which were good, but not as good as I had hoped. read more

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Take advantage of their All-You-Can-Eat Wednesdays during the months of January & February! My goodness, the gelato is so creamy & satisfying! Hands-down, my favorite is the rose-water gelato- it is PERFECTION. The only reason why I'm giving my experience 4-stars because the All-You-Can-Eat ends at 8:30 PM. The store closes at 9 PM. Why does it end half an hour before closing time? Because of that, I wasn't able to try as many flavors as I wanted to :( read more

Did you see the Bambino size gelato I got?! It's so freaking cute! The line was out the door when we got there, however staff are efficient and quick! One young lady was giving out samples as the line moved forward so that you would know what you wanted when you got there! There are a lot of great flavors, both traditional and outside the box, and they do gelato very well. It comes in various sizes you can even get a platter! I opted for the Bambino size which is one scoop of gelato on a little baby ice cream cone. For me it's the perfect size and exactly what I wanted. Not too much and not too little. We definitely will be back here! read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Cutest gelato cone..EVER! - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Splendora is a great place in Cville to satisfy my hankering for tasty gelato. So far, I've had the Mexican coffee, cookies and cream, Thai iced tea, salted caramel, chocolate, and vanilla. One word comes to mind to describe them all: smooth. Every flavor that I've had there has been pretty true to it's flavor origins. Whether it be their coffee, which has a definite espresso aftertaste, or the basic vanilla which is light but sweet, Splendora does it right. Located on the downtown mall this little place is a great casual place to hang out after events, dinners, or dates. The price point is decent and the serving size is surpassingly more filling then you realize. The service has always been friendly as well as happy to provide samples. All in all, this place is tops. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This is some of the best gelato you'll find in Charlottesville. Moved up into the Stonefield Shopping Center but it's still as cozy and lovely as ever. Not as many flavors are available as the old days but my favorite passionfruit gelato is still there and still my favorite. read more

According to Wikipedia, in Italy, gelato must have at least 3.5% butterfat - you can be 100% butterfat but you can't be 3.4% - which makes it reason #100000 why gelato is better than your average ice cream cone. Difference between gelato and ice cream: less air, more milk, less cream = stronger flavor? There's also something about how the Medici family of Florence (basically the Rockefellers if the Rockefellers controlled the banks, the oil reserves, the political system, and were also a royal family) stuffed themselves silly with gelato. I don't usually like dessert and I'll always stop at a gelato shop to see if they can get the pistachio and hazelnut flavors right. And Splendora does! Ding ding ding - but cookies and cream was surprisingly bland. My only other complaint is that as soon as the girl scooped out my gelato, the whole thing sort of collapsed into a watery mess, whereas well-made gelato should retain some kind of structure, but luckily, the cashier possessed enough foresight to offer me a bigger cup to catch all the drips. Also, thank you for being open at the terribly, awfully, tremendously late hour of 8:00 pm on a freezing March night - it was nice to sit inside, chow down on some cold gelato, and bask in central heating. read more

I was so happy when I went in and THERE WAS NO LINE!! I've read so many good things about them and thought for sure they would be packed, but they weren't. I went in and there was only one person in front of me. I ended up getting the White Chocolate & Lemon Cream flavor gelato. It was delicious!! The little cone was just the right size for me. The customer service was great too! I asked a few questions and the girl was very nice. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Spendora's Gelato is a super fun gelato place within Downtown Mall. My friends and I sampled a few flavors before settling on our choices. I was debating between the large cup (up to four flavors) and the painter's palette (six flavors). Since I don't come to Charlottesville often (and really wanted to take a photo of the plate), I opted for the painter's palette. All of the gelato was delicious and the employees were friendly to boot. The interior is clean and bright with comfortable booths too! read more

You won't be disappointed with gelato! Came here last weekend after a wonderful dinner date! I ordered the salted caramel and coconut gelato. My date ordered the Mexican expresso and some other kind of coffee gelato. It was all delicious!! They had a neat looking seating area that was one long booth on one side and chairs on the other side of the tables. Great little place to get yummy gelato! read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

One of the best Gelatos I have ever had. And the favor selections was among the best. I tried like five flavors and they were all amazing. It was hard to just pick two. But don't take my word for it see for yourself. read more

OMG. I just stopped for a quick taste. You need to try this. I have a dairy allergy so I am always up for sorbetto. This is sooooo smooth with no ice crystals. If I didn't already have plans for lunch I would get a large and try all the flavors. read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Pineapple Thai basil/chocolate sorbet - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Delicious gelato for a decent price! Small (2 flavors)- $4.25, Medium (3 flavors)- $5.25, Large (4 flavors)- $6.25. My favorite flavors are the Dulce de Leche and Chocolate and Hazelnut (tastes just like nutella!). The consistency of the gelato is between that of sorbet and ice cream. Richer than sorbet but not as creamy as ice cream. There are plenty of fruity flavors as well as richer flavors to pick from and you can sample them, too! There are plenty of tables and seating, but the booth seats are old and torn. I definitely prefer this place over Chaps! read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Large gelato- 4 flavors for $6.25 - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Not usually a big fan of ice cream or gelato. This place has it going on though. Super unique flavors.. I would recommend trying the blueberry rosemary or the olive oil. Samples are free... read more

Splendora's Gelato Cafe - Gelato Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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This is a great place to stop if you are on the downtown mall. Not only is the gelato delicious, there is a mixture of common and novelty flavors to choose from. It is definitely a staple every time I visit downtown. The interior is roomy and tasteful. Service is great considering they serve you right as you order, as in most ice cream parlors. The prices are fairly high, but that's to be expected of businesses in the downtown area. read more

We saw quite a few customers walk into this place, it seems as if they were not limiting numbers coming through the door, as we walked out, there were more than nine people in this tiny place, a little concerning. They were offering samples which was great, we opted for a medium, you get three flavors, we chose chocolate, mango sorbet and my husband chose birthday cake, which I feel is always a waste of a flavor. I don't normally go for sorbets but liked the mango and the lychee. The chocolate was really nice and rich. Portion size was fair for gelato, soo can't complain. It's not the best gelato I've tried, but not the worst either, somewhere in between. read more