Photograph by Martha Williams
Gelato isn’t just an Italian word for “ice cream.” The two desserts are related but different, with gelato having a softer consistency and a lower fat content, as it’s made with milk instead of cream. Like most Italian fare, gelato seems to be having a moment, with some calling it “ice cream’s cooler cousin.” Here are a few cousins you ought to meet.
The first authentic gelato place in Atlanta was Paolo’s Gelato, opened in 1999 and still going strong in Virginia-Highland. Paolo Dalla Zorza hails from Northern Italy, and his accent adds regional color to the experience as he touts his rotating flavors and scoops them for customers. His shop was damaged in a fire last summer, but he quickly repaired and remodeled it. No local gelateria seems to belong on the streets of Rome more than Paolo’s, down to the gelato-cone door handle in the colors of the Italian flag.
Courtesy of Cremalosa
If you want gelato with a Southern accent, try Cremalosa in Avondale Estates. Founded by former Atlanta Journal-Constitution dining critic Meridith Ford, this bustling storefront offers flavors such as strawberry shortcake, glazed doughnut, and peaches and cream. There’s even a dessert cocktail named for Elvis, with banana-pudding gelato blended with Old Soul bourbon and a dash of peanut butter, topped with whipped cream. Cremalosa adjoins the new Avondale Estates Town Green and attracts lots of families and pets.
One of the most charming gelaterias has to be Woodstock’s Dulce Artisan Gelato, where customers can sit on a partially covered garden terrace or walk down steps to a park with picnic tables and a badminton net (Dulce provides equipment). Sometimes gelato lovers set their chairs in a circle, whip out guitars, and sing folk songs as others join in. Dulce is known for its prosecco floats (sorbet mixed with bubbly) and affogatos (gelato drowned in espresso).
Courtesy of Dulce Artisan Gelato
Located in an Inman Park courtyard behind BeetleCat and Bread & Butterfly, Voga seems like a secret gelato club. There’s a small indoor seating area with faux-leather benches and shelves of Italian art and travel books. “We sell gelato for dogs,” a sign by the terrace advertises. But it’s usually humans lined up outside the door for flavors such as wild berry and vanilla bourbon.
Tutti Gelati, near the Rainbow Crosswalk at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Midtown, is known for inventive flavors such as lavender cream and Peachtree Street (peaches, roasted almonds, and dulce de leche). Started by Haydé López, who grew up in Mexico and discovered gelato with her world-traveling parents, the shop is tiny and has little seating outside. But it’s a short walk from Piedmont Park, a lovely setting in which to chill and enjoy a cold dessert.
This article appears in our June 2026 issue.
