Paciugo Gelato & Caffe

My only complaint here is the cost for the portion size but I guess that is what you should expect with gelato and being in California.
Besides that this place was amazing. Customer service beyond top notch. Each worker had a smile on their face and couldn’t wait for you to try some of their best or personal favorite flavors. One awesome part is even with the small they will let you put 3 flavors in it so you can get a bunch of flavors in your small cup.
I had the coffee cookies and milk, white chocolate raspberry and tres leches. That may sound boring but they were all unbelievably creamy and packed with flavor. Don’t let my boring choices sway you from stopping in here for their more unique flavors like olive oil or chocolate jalepeno. Stop here to quench that sweet tooth or cool yourself down on a hot California day!

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I really really enjoyed the gelato here. It’s unbelievably soft and smooth and all of their flavors are so good!
They let you sample the flavors and the lady helping us out was so patient and nice! I went with the piccolo (small) cup, which comes with 3 flavors. I got dark chocolate, honey lavender, and one that had chocolate & hazelnuts.
They put all the flavors in one cup so I thought it would taste weird if they blended together, but all of it was so good that I didn’t even notice or mind at all. My only complaint would be that the gelato is so soft that it melts too quickly — however, it wasn’t too much of a problem since I devoured the whole thing in about 5 seconds ;)
Parking is a struggle, but it’s right by the beach so it’s worth the effort!

So, they put any gelato flavor in your coffee! How good is that! I tried their iced coffee with the sugar free vanilla gelato. It was just perfect. It was not too sweet which did not over power the coffee. Will definitely come back to try the other flavors.

Really nice location, open until late, and good gelato! Not anything that’s mind-​blowing, but it’s a reliable place for good gelato. They have a ample selection of gelato flavors (which you can also make into an affogato), and lots of coffee options. There’s not a lot of seating but most people would opt to take it to the beach!

I just went here by accident, was looking for shaved ice but found gelato instead. It was so tasty, so many free samples, I am so full. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ experience will come by again.

I think Paciugo is one of the best gelato shops in the South Bay area. The gelato quality (both texture and flavors) at Paciugo is just as good as the quality you get at Bonaventura Gelato Lounge, but Paciugo offers friendlier service, more generous samples, and more unique flavors to choose from.
Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel and Brown Sugar Waffle Cone are two of the most popular flavors at Paciugo. I asked the server for something less sweet and he introduced me the Amaretto Chocolate Chip — I sampled it and the flavor was pretty good.
Parking situation isn’t exactly ideal here … only metered street parking. You can pick up to two flavors for small (piccolo, $ 4.69), three flavors for regular (regolare1, $ 5.69), and four flavors for large (grande, $ 6.69). Paciugo also sells gelato shakes, sorbetto smoothies, and coffees.
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Amaretto Chocolate Chip & Brown Sugar Waffle Cone (piccolo, $ 4.69): Paciugo’s brown sugar waffle cone gelato tasted so much better than brown sugar vanilla bean from Carmela Ice Cream. Brown sugar waffle cone had a right blend of waffle cone, dulce de leche, and chocolate chips. The combination between crunchiness and sweetness was just right and I think brown sugar waffle cone is currently one of my favorite gelato I’ve tried in SoCal. Amaretto chocolate chips was good, but it was not as good as brown sugar waffle cone. Finally, I was a bit surprised by how generous the portion was (talk about two BIG scoops).
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I think some gelato flavors could be better, but I totally recommend brown sugar waffle cone flavor and their service deserves a big thumb up.
P. S. — This is one of the three California locations (the other two are located at Huntington Beach and Thousand Oaks) and there are over 45+ locations in the U.S.

Hooray for their small size not being the size of a golf ball like other gelato spots! They have an entire case full of unique flavors so it was pretty hard to decide. I went with a small (you can pick two different flavors for a small size) of mint chip and strawberry milk. The portion size was generous and I was very happy with cold gelato in my tummy after a day on the beach!

Tastes okay. Nothing extremely impressive. Just good old gelato.
Grab your cone and walk on the beach. Make sure it is not windy because my gelato got sandy and I couldn’t eat the rest of my gelato eheh.

My favorite ice cream parlor in the South Bay– and the competition is stiff. I love the Gelato flavors and the shakes– oh my! Mediterranean Salt Caramel, Hazelnut, and tiramisu are my favorite flavors but there are so many more delightful gelato combos to try. The gelato is creamy and transports you to a sunny day in Italy. You can order a cup or cone and for those special dinner parties, Paciugo can pack a quart or gallon of you favorites to take home and wow your guests. Open for coffee early in the morning, it’s a blessing and a curse that it’s just blocks away from my house. Tough to keep a bikini figure with this gelato shop so close by.

This place is great. We had the Mediterranean sea salt and caramel gelato and the mint chocolate chip gelato. The sea salt and Caramell gelato was much better than the mint chocolate chip, but both were fantastic. We got two kids scoops for $ 7. Not exactly cheap, but very good. Since the gelato is made with milk and not cream, it has 70% less fat. I will definitely visit this place again. Yummy!

Props to being the closest frozen treat to the pier! Plus who doesn’t love some gelato!!!
This place had many options to choose from and the place was nice and airy.
The flavors we tried:
Campfire banana — comes w/​mini marshmallows
Cookies and milk– classic flavor. Not cookies and cream because gelato is made with milk instead of cream!
Dreamsicle — think orange Julius
Amaretto cherry– natural cherries
Delicious! Btw, Paciugo is the italian word for «messy concoction» so come get your messy concoction here!!! In a regular sized cup you get two scoops for under $ 5

This gelato place is located right off the pier. Parking is going to be hard to find. So I would recommend parking in a lot, which I did this place looked good so me and my friends decided to try it.
They have many different flavors and they give free samples just ask. All the flavors where amazing I ended up getting Coffee and candy bar. I normally don’t give a place 5 stars but the gelato was amazing. The staff was friendly and offered us free samples.
The prices are also really good, I got the small with 2 flavors. The cup looks small but they put more then you think it was only $ 4. Also they are on Groupon which I bought 10 dollars worth for 6 dollars. That was a great deal. They have a clothing store connected to it I am not sure if the owners are the same.
Overall great experience and I will definitely be back when I am in the area

Dear ice cream lovers,
Paciugo Gelato & Caffe offers one of the best gelatos in Los Angeles! I spent a whole weekend searching for my favorite ice cream spots in South Bay and I’m super happy I found you guys.
They offer coffee and many blended drinks as well, but their gelato deserves 5 stars.
I love their sea salt caramel, pistachio and ferrero rocher gelato. Best part is that it’s one block from The Strand!

Best gelato ice cream ever!!!
Love this place. They have so many flavored available even vegan options that are just as delicious

$ 2 PICCOLO TUESDAYS! When is it winter again!!! Love the gelato here. The flavors are so on point and delicious. Hazelnut is always my favorite but they have some vanilla based flavors I wouldn’t normally get but once I tried them I was in LOVE! It’s called Texas Pecan Sea Salt Caramel which they often run out of if they even have it at all. Parking is a pain but welcome to Hermosa. There is a lot across the street. Street parking is also available but not easy to get by.

Delicious. Good quality gelato with a variety of flavors. They have some regular flavones (aka the boring ones) lol such as sea salt carm… chocolate…etc but what I love are their flavors that are unusual such as my all time favorite here: black sesame
Sometimes they have rose or ginger or olive oil or lavender… You can check the daily flavors on their website since they always rotate. But usually I come in and sample a couple and pick that way. They also have dairy free sorbets that are yummy as well. Kinda similar to tangy Italian ice.
Affogatos in the morning… Or whenever really… Are amazing.
It is expensive for ice cream but it is really well made and tasty and it is right next to hermosa pier so go figure.

This review is only for their gelato… they offer many blended drinks and etc.
Revolving door of flavors, I like that they have a nice mix of classic and some exotics (rose, lavender, olive oil black pepper, black sesame).
Super generous with samples… the lady behind the counter kept encouraging me to try another flavor. I like that! If I’m going to spend $ 5 on a cup of gelato I definitely want to make sure I’m 100% in love with a flavor.
They load you up, you can fit 3 flavors in a small cup… it’s packed and overflowing on the sides.
I like chocolate chip, mango, pineapple, rose, pistachio… but try all the flavors! You are the master of your own gelato.

I usually go for ice cream more than gelato, but I’m glad I stopped by this spot. They had a lot of flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised after my two samples. The flavors are on point and unique. I ordered the crème brûlée, blueberry lavender and the stracciatella. My favorite was the blueberry lavender! It tasted just like it sounds and super refreshing. The crème brûlée is on the sweeter side. If you like gelato, you’ll love this place! And it’s right by the beach, making it the perfect dessert.

What can be more perfect than indulging in some gelato while strolling along the Hermosa Beach Pier on a warm summer day? Just 5 minutes walking distance from the Pier, Paciugo Gelato definitely has the perfect location nailed down.
When I first walked in, I was immediately hooked by the bazillion flavors of gelato and sorbettos. From Jalapeño Chocolate, to Maple Bacon, to Tres Leches Cake, to Wedding Cake, to Bubble Gum, to Vanilla Lavender, and I can go on forever and ever, you will definitely find a handful of flavors you love. And for an ice cream fanatic like me, you best bet I had the hardest time choosing which two flavors I wanted! After some serious deliberation – and repeatedly sampling flavors over and over again – I finally decided on Sea Salt Caramel and another one with waffle bits inside for some extra crunch on a waffle cone.
SO. FREAKING. DELICIOUS.
Thank goodness I don’t live near Hermosa Beach or else I’d be coming here every day! XD

Oh, wow. This is one of those I’m-glad-I-don’t-live-near-here-because-I’d-get-this-every-day places.
My friend and I had a cappucino and a latte. The latte was amazing and didn’t even need any extra sugar or milk, as usual lattes do. What could make it better? Having it with gelato. The first time we went we had the stracciatella (I’m sure I spelled that wrong) and amaretto flavors. The second time we went, we had the peanut butter and another flavor that reminded me of moose tracks. All were fabulous!

TL;DR: 5 out of 5. This is one of the BEST gelato places. Parking is difficult. Get the coffee chocolate chip and brown sugar waffle cone gelato.
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Location: Located at Pier & Hermosa Ave. This is the street right before you get to the pier. You can park is at the pier parking across the street, which is non-​existent. Otherwise, there is only street parking. Other locations are in Huntington Beach and Thousand Oaks.
Ambiance: There are few tables to sit here. But if you wait a little, you will definitely get a table. The lines are out the door on a weekday night. You pretty much stand in a line and pick what flavors you want. It is like any ice cream/​gelato place. However here, there are way too many flavors. I love that and just want to try everything.
Price: Small (3 flavors — $ 5); Medium (4 flavors — $ 6); Large (5 flavors — $ 7)
What to get, or not:
Paciugo claims that it makes all of its gelato from fresh fruits and all-​natural ingredigents. The result is a gelato that is 70% less fat than ice cream. Whatever their claims are, I think this is the one of the best gelato I have ever tasted. Although the portions are not that big, that gelato is super rich and creamy. I have had gelato that tasted a little too icy, and didn’t have that creamy texture. You definitely do not need that much to get your dessert craving fulfilled. Taste is very comparable to ice cream, yum! I recommend getting it with a waffle cone ($ 1 extra), but request an upside down waffle cone in a cup. It is just easier to eat that way.
They also have frappes and affogato (favorite coffee drink), which is three scoops of gelato melting (action verb) in espresso/​hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream. If that does not sound amazing, I am not sure what does! There is also brewed coffee, espressos and hot chocolate (aka ciccolata).
The flavors I like are:
Coffee Chocolate Chip (GET): made with roasted Italian coffee so it is pretty strong, and definitely has a Vietnamese coffee kick to it. There are also crunchy pieces of dark chocolate blended within the gelato. This is my favorite flavor by far.
Brown sugar waffle cone (GET): this is vanilla gelato mixed with waffle cones, dulce de leche swirl, and chocolate chips. If you have ever had Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream, this tastes exactly like it. However, if you ever regret eating it because of the calorie/​fat content, this is definitely a good and healthier alternative. This is a top flavor for me as well.
Chocolate chip cookie dough (SKIP): this had cookie dough blended with whole milk. There are also cookie dough pieces with dark chocolate. This was just too rich and sweet for my liking.
Cappuccino (GET): you can tell I really like coffee flavor anything. This is made with Italian roasted coffee with milk. Just simple and clean taste. It is exactly like the coffee chocolate chip without the chocolate chip.
Banoffee (SKIP): this had a weird flavor. I usually love bananas, but the mixture here was kind of weird. Mixture include bananas, pecan praline, and dulce de leche swirl.
Chocolate Coconut Curry (SKIP): maybe I was just trying to be adventurous or even curious, but I will just stay in my safety zone when it comes to flavors. This was so nasty. This is Belgium extra-​dark cocoa powder mixed with sweet coconut and spicy Masala curry. First, I don’t think you should mix chocolate with anything that sounds like you would be eating for dinner. Second, I don’t want dinner for dessert.
Dulce De Leche (MAYBE): this is good if you are really craving sweets. Since after this, you probably would not have a sweet tooth anymore. This is a carmael flavored gelato with dulce de leche caramel drizzled.
Crunchy Chocolate Swirl (GET): if you like strawberry cheesecake, this is probably something you would like. This is a pannacotta gelato with crunchy hazelnut swirl and roasted hazelnut praline. Pannacotta is a custard served with fruit sauce. This is a little too sweet, but I love hazelnut anything, as well as cheesecake.