06/09/08

A Premium Price for a Premium Snack

by nycinephile

Five members of the New York City Thrifty Gourmets Meetup group and I field-tested Ciao Bella on Tuesday, June 3rd at about 9:30 PM. Only one employee was present to serve us. She greeted us with a smile and was friendly, but appeared stressed while serving us. She promptly accomodated our requests to sample a variety of this outlet's frozen treats. I enjoyed an ample portion of the maple/ginger gelato, finding it rich and flavorful. While some of my fellow Meetup-ers thought that the cost of a small cup ($4+, plus tax) was unnecessarily expensive, I was willing to pay a premium price for a premium snack. I'd like to see Ciao Bella compete against Grom in a taste test.

• Pros: Friendly service; rich, flavorful gelato.
• Cons: Short-staffed; expensive.

11/01/06

One of my favorites

by farrell_79

This food here is out of this world. And the atmosphere is really a quality date scene or even a fun place to hang out with the guys.

04/13/06

Pistachio gelato

by bklyn82

I only come here for pistachio gelato b/c it's the closest to the best gelato offered in Florence, Italy... rich, smooth, full pistachio flavor. When in Florence, Italy, all I did was gelato-hopping.

• Pros: pistachio gelato
• Cons: at times not offered

06/14/05

Best ice cream in the city

by turco

I love the thick texture and my kids love the zany flavors. Service is always pleasant.

03/26/04

Vivid ice cream flavors make this a favorite among NYC restaurants and Nolita shoppers.

by Karen Hudes

The Scene
A small neon sign leads the way to this outpost of Ciao Bella's Mott Steet factory. Without seating options inside, customers either order and go, or take seats around the potted tree outside on the sidewalk. On sultry summer nights, the high-end ice cream shop pulls in families from Chintown and Little Italy, as well as sleeksters post-spree or pre-bar.

The Food
Scoops in a rich palette of flavors double as fashion accessories. Dense raspberry, mango and grapefruit sorbets are saturated with fruit, while ice cream flavors such as green tea and malted milk ball hit their notes perfectly. The Caribbean shake (made with passion fruit sorbet and vanilla ice cream) is just one standout among a host of frappes, floats and other drinks, including hot chocolate in the winter.

09/11/03

Best Coffee Ice Cream

by karl2000

If you like strong coffee ice cream, this is the best in the US. Value isn't great though, you can get pints at Garden of Eden for less than the price of a small cone.

• Pros: Coffe Ice Cream
• Cons: Pricey Pints

08/29/02

Just like Italy

by dbercovici

When we returned from Italy, the first thing my friend talked about was incessant Gelato eating spree in every city we were in. Having sampled a few people's shares of gelato I can say Ciao Bella has it right. The gelato is firm and dense just like it is in Northern ITaly (as opposed to the really soft kind you get south which I think isn't as good). As a chocolate fiend I prefer the Valrhona. Bliss.

08/22/02

So Good. SO GOOD!

by SouthernerInNY

Malted Milk Ball Gelato - have you ever in your life heard of anything so ridiculously wonderful? Plus, you can grab a scoop and window shop in Nolita (the scoops will only cost you $4, but who knows what the shopping will).

07/23/02

Pistachio Mio!

by nzimmerman

You gotta try the pistachio ice cream - heaven on earth, even for people not enamored with pistachios.

Root beer floats aren't that bad either.

• Pros: the best ice cream
• Cons: little seating