Lush Gelato

I had been meaning to go to Lush Gelato for a while when I came to college, but finally got a chance when I went on a tour through the Gourmet Ghetto. Lush is right in the back near the Epicurus court – so you might not be able to see it right away. But, there always seems to be a long line, so maybe it’s not that hard to spot. While there are areas to sit, it still may be hard to find a seat. That being said, it is fairly easy to walk around Shattuck (and you even stop by some of the boutiques in the area while eating your gelato)
Their flavors change every week, but there always seems to be a good mix of classic and unique flavors. Feel free to sample various flavors – everyone who I’ve met so far that works there is super accommodating with flavors and they are always extremely patient. The gelato is great because the texture is smooth (almost feels like ice cream) without being too heavy.
Recommendations: The Salted Straticella and Expresso

It’s easy to be a complete lush at Lush Gelato… Lovely!
Whenever I find myself shopping around in the Epicurious Garden court, a quick stop to sample the latest delicious creations is a must!
The small shop is located directly in the back of the court. It’s a simple set-​up with just an ordering counter and a glistening case displaying all the colorful gelato and sorbets.
I certainly appreciate that the favors are kept true to season as they always highlight various fruit flavors in their prime season.
In terms of seating, their is none available indoors, however just next to Lush is a small doorway that leads to the outdoor patio complete with a delicate garden with various tables and benches. Quite romantic!
I typically stick to the sorbets which are always magical however, I must base this review on my most visit which was gelato-​based and amazing!
After a leisurely 3 mile walk, I decided I deserved a treat!
My best friend and I made our way to Lush to browse the Fall flavors.
The woman working the station was polite and very kind as she let us sample the selection to our heart’s content.
Being a complete tea fanatic, I immediately opted for their Earl Grey gelato while my best friend selected their hazelnut gelato.
Can I say yummy?! The Earl Grey gelato was excellent; light, and perfectly creamy. However, in my opinion the hazelnut gelato was a complete show stopper, the flavor was just so on point, well done Lush Gelato!
I can’t wait to come back and see what sweet surprises Lush has concocted for the new year!

Always delicious when I come here with family. Sometimes they are out of cones, but always have the best tasting gelato! Highly recommend mint chip! Price isn’t bad either, definitely worth checking out when in Berkeley.

I gave this place another chance awhile ago after trying the one in SF and LOVING it and have dropped by a lot since. The service since my first trip has been better, I wouldn’t call it «great» customer service but that doesn’t bother me personally.
Pretty much all of their flavors are unconventional but work. My absolute favorite is their Cowgirl Cremery Fromage Blanc & Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough and the Mascarpone Balsamic but everything I’ve tried is good.
I still prefer the one in the city because the texture there is always good, here it can be a little more hard at times. Being gelato I would prefer more «pull» personally but at least it’s there.
Despite the ingredients I don’t find the flavors to be too outlandish for kids to enjoy either so don’t be afraid to bring them by.

Lush Gelato fits right in the Gourmet Ghetto neighborhood!
Flavors: Unparalleled flavors and extremely «lush» scoops of gelato. My boyfriend and I sampled so many flavors, we wanted to buy them all. My personal favorite is the Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the Tahitian Vanilla Bean. Both are some of the creamiest gelato I’ve ever come across, rich and decadent taste in every bite. I’ve never savored gelato so much. Highly comparable to the quality of gelato that can be found across Italy. Honey lavender is also delicious, light and simple flavor. Goes well with some of the richer flavors Lush offers.
Service: I thought we’d get some heat from the employee, since we were trying SO may flavors, but she actually kept encouraging us to try more. She was very knowledgable about all of the flavors and helped us reach a decision. though a hard one.
Ambiance: Inside a food court, small stand, but they have a counter you can sit at. I recommend grabbing your gelato and taking it to the peaceful garden located behind this gourmet food court.
Price: A bit pricey, but generous scoops + unique flavors = priceless.
Overall: High-​end quality gelato, without the high-​end price tag. I highly recommend it when in the area.

4-​star gelato, 2-​star service = 3 stars
PROS:
— Flavors are unique and all taste great: I’ve enjoyed Earl Grey, Olive Oil S’more, Honey Lavender, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
— You can get two flavors in the smallest size cup
CON:
One major thing I don’t like about this place is that the both of the employees that have helped me during my two visits have been young (teenager or college student?) workers with rude attitudes. Texting while I’m trying to communicate what I want to sample, scowling as if I’m ruining their day by being a customer, snapping at me saying «How many samples do you want?!» after I asked for two…
I really do like their gelato, so I’m hoping that if I happen to go again, I can update this review.

Lush has unique flavors, and their scoops are pretty generous (well, at least today).
Also, the «garden» /​sitting area in the back is very nice and calming.
I tried the Vietnamese cinnamon, and it was good, but pretty intense. I ended up getting the banana salted caramel and espresso chip, which were delicious and worked really well together. The banana salted caramel is indeed a great idea, and I recommend this flavor! The espresso with chocolate chip was a bit strong for me, but I really liked the way it complemented the other flavor.
My friend got the honey lavender and earl grey, which are both classic flavors, and you definitely can’t go wrong with those choices.
I’ve also gotten the chocolate chip stracciatella, and I don’t remember much about it except that it tasted good.
— — — -
Something eventful also happened, so I shall document my experience today (10.22.15) in this review.
So a lady in front of me was trying out so many flavors, and even though she was taking a long time, my friend and I waited patiently. The lady ended up buying a couple pints of gelato, and the worker wasn’t exactly the fastest at scooping gelato (I forgive her because her arm must have been tired from all that scooping). Anyway, the woman in front of us wanted to treat my friend and I because she probably a) felt bad for making us wait and/​or b) wanted to do something nice.
Naturally, we said that it was okay and that we’ll pay for our own scoops. But before she left, she gave the worker her lush stamp cards to give to us. When you fill up the stamp card, you can get a scoop for free, and the lady had almost two cards filled up! When I combined these with the card I already had, we ended up getting three scoops for free (since we paid for 1 scoop and we got 4 scoops total)! That totally made my day. :]
tldr; Another customer treated my friend and I some gelato. ^_^

banana. salted. caramel.
The BEST flavor there is. I have been going here for years! Each time, I would sample different flavors and they’re all unique flavors but cannot resist from that banana salted caramel! It’s smooth, creamy, rich, and banana-​y with gooey salted caramel in every bite.
One scoop is $ 3.50 and they actually give you two scoops!

Lush Gelato is another one of my favorite places in Gourmet Ghetto — the area of North Berkeley known for its high end restaurants and local shops that use gourmet and high quality ingredients. It is on the level of the famous Ici’s ice cream in Elmwood but without the ridiculous wait times. The gelato is so creamy and the flavor profiles are truly inspired and delicious! My favorite flavors are the honey lavender and the orange zest cardamom, and I have my eyes on several other flavors to try. I can’t wait to try out the other locations in Oakland and SF!

There are lots of places to get gelato/​ice cream in Berkeley, but in my opinion, this one is the absolute best.
I did not count the flavors but seems like they have about 20, and very creative ones, like Stout beer, donut (!!! – no, i did not like it), peaches with Jalapeño and other exotic, unusual concoctions. Their mint chip actually has bits of mint leaf in it, something i’ve never seen anywhere else. Then they let you sample the flavors, and hey, you can just go hog wild! I have stood there and shamelessly sampled 12 different flavors (basically everything i was interested in). Some of the girls who work there will put two flavors on one spoon, which, considering the drought and the need to save water, is actually a good idea. Some will give very generous samples so you can really taste it. All of them that i’ve dealt with are very nice and patient, unlike the people at Almare, who can be rude sometimes.
Then, you order at least 2 scoops – why would you want just a little bit of such delicious gelato? You want more after you finish it! It’s too good. Just make sure you only come here once in a while, unless you don’t mind gaining a whole lot of weight! Be sure to tip the employees as well – they deserve it.
Another great thing is that they use METAL SPOONS and wash them, so you aren’t throwing plastic into the landfill with every little taste of ice cream. Also the plastic from those spoons goes into the gelato (this is the case at Almare, where i get bits of plastic in my ice cream) so i am really glad about the metal spoons.
My favorites are Dulce de Leche, Mexican chocolate, mint chip, cookie dough, some of the fruit sorbets and the peaches with Jalapeño was actually interesting and good.
No, there isn’t usually any parking around, unless you are lucky, and of course it’s all metered, but hey, if you live in Berkeley, you know this and you’re used to it, and that’s life, right? I often ride my bike anyway, so i can work off some of that fat and calories! It’s worth it! Try this place. If anyone knows better gelato than this in Berkeley i want to hear about it.

Fun spot to grab dessert after dinner! We came here after eating at Cesar’s (a fantastic restaurant if you haven’t eaten there yet). The lady was pretty generous with samples. They had reusable sample spoons (naturally washed with each use). So Berkeley!
Lush has a variety of creative flavors. I got a scoop of the balsamic and chocolate ice cream and rum sugar flavor. I recommend getting the cone over the cup. The cups are pretty small and the homemade waffle cone is only 75 cents more!

Not impressed
I love ice cream and I love gelato, I did not love lush. What some might call «inventive» flavors, I call misses, sorry, they just missed the mark.
I’ll begin with the positives:
They have a wide variety of flavors ranging from classics (vanilla, chocolate, chocolate-​hazelnut) to more interesting culinary combinations such as mascarpone, chocolate, balsamic and Mexican chocolate
It’s near a lot of great restaurants so you can get your sweet tooth tended fairly quickly
Flavors that I tried:
Mexican chocolate– supposed to be a dark chocolate with cinnamon gelato, but mostly tasted of cocoa powder — Miss
Mascarpone, chocolate, balsamic — this one really struck me so I had to try it. The flavors sound like they’d go well, right? It mostly tastes of balsamic — Miss
Chocolate-​hazelnut — it was chocolate with something, but it was certainly not hazelnut that I tasted — miss
Banana salt and caramel — Miss
Honey lavender — he only flavor that I more-​or-​less enjoyed, a bit too mildly flavored for me — it was the only one that I ended up getting
Small cup (1 scoop) costs $ 3.50 + taxes

Didn’t know this little gem was in Berkeley! If I found out about this place three years ago I would come here everyday!
All enthusiasm aside, they do have great gelato. I have tried the hazelnut and earl grey (my all time favorite ice cream flavor), and they both tasted fantastic! Earl grey was to the point. It got that bitter flavor of black tea and the slight hint of bergamot. Hazelnut is also a classic, rich in the nuttiness and buttery-​ness. However, the texture still lacks some final touch; the portion I was served had several little subtle chunks of ice, which makes it not very creamy like gelato should be. But they do have other amazing flavors besides earl grey and hazelnut.
One scoop costs around $ 3.25, on the pricier side. But since it’s so close to where I live now, I will definitely come back and have my fair share of gelato flavors! And it’s located at the back of the Epicurious Garden, where there are fountains and stools for a quick stopping by. A great place to hang out!

After eating, we decided to get some dessert and fortunately, Lush Gelato was near the place where we got sushi. I didn’t know which flavor to get so I was contemplating whether I should get the hazelnut chocolate or green tea. The employee overheard me talking to my friend and immediately informed me that she could give me a sample of both, which was nice of her!
I ultimately decided to get the hazelnut chocolate on a cone and let me tell you that this was one of the best I’ve ever had. The scoops were given generously and the cone was crunchy.
I would definitely come back here and try other flavors and yes I would recommend this to my friends!

I got the basil on a cone. Loved the flavor and I can even see the tiny pieces of basil inside. There was a bit of a line and people tasting the flavors, so expect a wait on a Saturday evening. The cone however was not crunchy, tasted a bit stale.

Delicious gelato! Can’t get enough of gelato, and it doesn’t make my stomach hurt after I have a few bites (and then some), which is a huge plus.
I had —
Crème Fraiche
Mascarpone Balsamic
Bartlett Pears (a couple of bites)
The crème fraîche flavor was the huge winner here. My boyfriend would have preferred it without the chocolate chunks, but I actually liked the contrasting texture/​flavor.

Such a perfect part of the Epicurious Garden! Had the rich, creamy taste of gelato and flavors you can actually pick out! Us Berkelians are way too spoiled and have amazing ice cream spots nearby but don’t discount Lush in those lists of dessert shops!
I am in love with the Mascarpone Balsamic. It was strong enough where you could taste it, especially the creamy Mascarpone taste but also slight enough where neither flavor was too empowering. At $ 3 for a small (not actually that small) scoop, it wasn’t a bad deal for a little bite into heaven :)

Lush Gelato is in the Epicurious Garden. straight back to the rear. happily surprised coffee offered/
drink: Americano (sm.2)
–freshly brewed, smooth, no harshness, not much body either…
better than ok
drips:
–smiling service
–sad the lid didn’t fit
no mishaps occured, thanx goodness.

Inside the epicurious garden which is like a small gourmet food court.
Banana, Salt & Caramel– I love banana and caramel desserts so I came to a decision after sampling a million different flavors. haha.
The ones that I sampled were:
Salted Stracciatella
Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc
Earl Grey
Crème Fraiche & Black Pepper Chocolate Chunks
They were all good. Not too sweet but I wish the flavors were a little more pungent. I like how there are a lot of interesting combination of flavors and I was hoping that they would make the rose design for my cone, but the girl working wasn’t able to do it.

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried their Cowgirl Creamery fromage blanc cookie dough flavor!!!
Huge bonus: they are happy to give you 2 flavors in a small. It’s amazing how many ice cream shops force you to do a size upgrade just to try more than one flavor, ya know?
Incredible quality, creative flavors, generous scoops. Ice cream perfection, without question!