IL Gelato Hawaii

Honolulu, United States

3.9

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 808-732-3999
Website:
ilgelato-hawaii.com
Address:
4211 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI, 96816
Kahala
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Bussiness info

Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
Free
Good for Working
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Honolulu) 23:04 Tuesday, 22 April 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

IL Gelato Hawai’i is an authentic Italian style gelateria (gelato retail) serving gourmet gelato and creamy, smooth and non-​fat sorbetto. Our gelato is natural, local and authentic and made fresh daily on Oahu. We do not use and artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Our flavors are Hawaiian, Asian, and classic Italian.

IL Gelato Hawaii in Kahala is an Italian style gelato bar, serving «coppas» variations of Italian sundaes (Coppas), waffles, Panini, Italian coffee drinks and other drink specialties.

IL Gelato is part of the Gelato Team USA and participates at the Gelato World Championships representing the United States.

History

Established in 2010.

To combine their passion for Hawaii and Italian gelato, Dirk Koeppenkastrop and his wife Nicole Lueker founded IL Gelato Hawaii in 2010. As a University of Hawaii graduate with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and a corporate food background, Dirk studied at Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, Italy. Later, he trained and worked with the «world champions» in Europe. His background in the natural sciences allows him to bring gelato making to a new level. Inspired by Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, Dirk always wanted to fuse Hawaiian and Asian flavors with traditional Italian gelato making.

Meet the Business Owner

Dirk K.

Business Owner

As a University of Hawaii graduate with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and a corporate food background, Dirk studied the Italian art of making gelato at Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, Italy.

Later, he trained and worked with renowned international maestros and gelato «World Champion» in Europe. His natural science background allows him to bring gelato-​making to a new level. In 2013 Dirk joined the American Culinary Federation (ACF) sanctioned Gelato Team USA and participated at the Gelato World Cup 2014 in Italy. His smooth and unique gelato texture was mentioned by the International Press Jury as being one of the best of all countries participating. Dirk is the designated Team Captain of Gelato Team USA for the next world Championships in 2016.

Dirk is actively supporting the community by participating in fundraiser, as director on the Board of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Honolulu Chapter and current Chair of the Hawaii Restaurant Association (HRA).

IL Gelato Hawaii also recommends

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Dirk K. says,

«You can check out the factory, getting a tour and try some of our awesome gelato where its made fresh daily.»

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Dirk K. says,

«Aloha Harmony Tea House as a great selection of teas, gelato, acai bowls, and smoothies.»

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20 reviews of IL Gelato Hawaii

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
Sea Salted Caramel is my favorite! At first I thought that flavor could not be good but I tried my friends and I love it now.
The price is very suitable for the quality and you also get a punch card. They sometimes have different flavors but I can always find something I like. Workers are very friendly and I like paying on their iPad :)
Place rating: 2
Honolulu, HI
I had the Reuben sandwich which was to cheesey not enough corn beef and sauerkraut. If you need to fill up on food this is it cause I could only eat half a sandwich. Our server blew into our container for the salad to get some crumbs out, but she was cute soooo. I guess it was ok.
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
The flavor of the gelato here is amazing & the staff we encountered tonight was really nice. They are open to 10pm for the holiday season so thankfully my friends & I made it after our Christmas dinner in Kapahulu.
However, the variety of flavors were not as wide as the gelateria in Ala Moana that I visited a while back. There was vanilla, pistachio, Mac nut, chocolate Apple banana, mango sorbet, mixed berry, lime sorbet, & about 4 other chocolate variations (I believe dark chocolate & dark chocolate-​whiskey were two of them) & maybe 3 – 4 others I cant remember. I’m not a fan of sorbet & dark chocolate so my options were a bit limited. It was between pistachio & Mac nut for me & when I tried a taste of my friend’s pistachio, I was really glad I went with my gut & got the Mac nut. It was DELICIOUS. They do offer samples before you make your purchase.
I was also disappointed that they had already ran out of waffle cups & they do not have traditional triangular wafers. I also got a few chunks of icy crystals in my gelato, like what happens to your ice cream when it melts & you refreeze it. Bleh! Prices are cheap… my single scoop was $ 4. My friends each got 2 scoops & together paid $ 12. The scoops are full so 1 scoop is always enough for me. It wasn’t the most amazing gelato ever but I’d come back again, hopefully not so close to closing time.
Place rating: 1
Honolulu, HI
They should take the «Create Your Own Coppa» off the menu which states «Your Choice of three gelato favors & toppings». Unfortunately you cannot actually «Create Your Own Coppa» here.
The location in Haleiwa has a Spaghetti Gelato which is made with Kona Gelato instead of the vanilla; which is what they use at this location. Twice upon request to have a «Create Your Own Coppa» as a Spaghetti Gelato pressed was not an option. But you can order the Kona gelato on it’s own. So, you can’t really create your own. You can have scoops of gelato in stead, which is no different from the already priced out Keiki through scoops. Sad.
Good customer service though. Just seems that management here at the Kahala location doesn’t like to allow customers to «Create Our Own Coppa»
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
I really like this place. You can get a panini, and then if you have room, you can grab some gelato after. Or you could just have gelato. It’s delicious.
I like to eat lunch here while shopping. There is usually space at the counter for you to sit, which is great since the mall sometimes gets crowded and the tables fill up quickly.
One time I was enjoying a panini and got distracted by something. In my daze, I actually walked away and forgot to pay. I didn’t notice until the next day. I called them immediately and told them about my mistake, and they were really understanding. When I came to pay, they offered me free gelato for being honest. I told them I shouldn’t be rewarded for being stupid and making a mistake. But I appreciated the offer.
The bottom line is that the food, gelato, and people here are great.
Place rating: 4
Honolulu, HI
Two stops of gelato in one day. I feel my cholesterol rising as I’m writing this. I know it’s a healthier version of ice cream so I should feel good about it;) Well I did stop in only, because Nadine convinced me she was craving something sweet. She really didn’t have to twist my arm much lol
It’s located in the Kahala mall and it’s a huge kiosk smack in the middle between Jamba Juice, Starbucks and other stores. It’s hard to bypass it and not get one. I’m still on the look out for green tea Oreo gelato. Thankfully they offered a keiki size option. I had samples of pumpkin cheesecake and dragon fruit. I ended up with the biscottini.
The difference of via gelato and il gelato is that there is options of two flavors no matter what size. My one option at il gelato was pretty enjoyable. Bits of biscotti was mashed into a creamy texture that melted wonderfully in my mouth.
The cup is smaller, but flavor is definitely packed inside. I’ll check them out again when I need my fix. ;)
Place rating: 4
Waipahu, HI
Love the cofffee, paninis and waffles! My favorite place to hang and relax inside the mall (if that’s possible.)
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
We first encountered Il Gelato at Eat the Street. The wife being a munchie fan (and it being a hot summer day), we decided to try it out. I don’t remember which flavor we tried… but IT WAS SO YUMMY! This caused the wife to look up on Unilocal to see where their store front was.
For our second tasting of their gelato, we actually went to another popular gelato store then came to their store front at Kahala to compare and see which gelato we enjoyed better. We both decided that we really liked Il Gelato more.
What makes their gelato stand out? The flavors are on point and upon tasting, you’ll know what flavor it is. We once tried their garlic flavor gelato when they were at Eat the Street… and it tasted exactly like garlic (while it wasn’t a flavor we recommend, we appreciate how they always come up with flavors that adhere to the Eat the Street monthly themes). Their lychee sorbet flavor is sweet and tart, as well as refreshing to eat. Their gelato is also very smooth on the tongue. And we haven’t encountered any ice crystals while eating the gelato!
This is possibly the wife’s most favorite ice cream/​gelato place ever!
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
Delicious, wholesome food and friendly staff! They just started making crepes too. There’s even fresh whip cream.
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
I am a big fan. I am here almost 4 times a week and enjoy my coffee. Being from Europe originally this is by far the best coffee I had in Hawaii.
The ice-​cream is creative, tasteful and just yummy, I absolutely suggest to try a «AFFOGATO»
which is an espresso over ice-​cream of your choice. A piece of heaven on a sunny or rainy day.
IL GELATO is located in the Kahala Mall and has a unique round bar, which makes it easy to also connect with other people who enjoy their treat. The staff is always friendly and kind which makes the experience even better!
Enjoy!
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
Il Gelato has some really unique flavors such as the Dragonfruit and Lemongrass-​Lime sorbetto. I tried them both and they were both refreshing. We were at Kahala Mall and the hubby wanted to try them out. We decided on the four scoops for $ 7.50. That’s cheaper than most gelato places, but the servings they give are smaller. We also got small pieces of wafers for $.15 a piece.
The four flavors we settled on were snickers, coconut, sea salted caramel and chocolate dipped strawberry. All four flavors were on the sweeter side. I liked the chocolate dipped strawberry the best. It had a strong strawberry flavor with bits of chocolate. I didn’t care for the other three.
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
After eating gelato in seattle, this gelato store here in hawaii tastes a bit different. The flavors aren’t as strong and it tastes more like icecream:
chocolate gelato — 3 stars — tastes like light chocolate icecream.
vanilla gelato — 4 stars — there’s a different taste to this. My son said it tasted like medicine, but I thought there was a taste like red whip candy flavor at first bite.
Strawberry lemonade sorbetto — 2 stars — was really sour.
pistachio gelato– 4 stars — had a nice strong pistachio flavor to it.
service — 3 stars –Overall I tried some flavors but the woman seemed to be irritated at us for asking for samples so we ordered the vanilla and chocolate blindly.
Overall, it’s ok, but the amount they give ($ 5.76 for two small scoops) is a bit pricey.
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
The flavors are hit or miss.
Green tea was good last time but this time was so watered down. Not even the dark green color that it should be. (miss Dave’s green tea).
The workers are so slow that there’s always a huge line. They should hire more workers or workers that scoop faster.
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
I’ll keep the review short — similar to my experience there on this hot Sunday afternoon.
Ok gelato.
Ok service.
Scoops were really small.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
Sooooo yummy. I tried snickers icecream and chocolate gelato. Worth price. good to treat yourself once a while..
Place rating: 3
Honolulu, HI
While visiting Kahala mall last week, I thought that getting a gelato might ease the pain of my Apple Store repair visit. Well … I was partly right: the gelato was good, although NO WHERE near the flavor and value of a REAL Italian gelato in Italy.
The service was good.
MUCH cheaper than the gelato kiosk at Ala Moana. $ 3.75 vs $ 4.75 per SINGLE/​SMALL scoop.
Although a trip to Kahala mall is much cheaper than airfare to Europe, I still prefer the real deal.
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
Being a marathoner and triathlete has its advantages, namely being able to eat whatever I want. And what I want are desserts – especially frozen stuff! I’ve tried lots of places, but now find myself going almost exclusively to Il Gelato at Kahala Mall for its taste, selection, and customer service.
I’ve come here enough and asked enough questions to know that everything tastes so super-​fresh because they prefer to use local ingredients versus shipped, unless the imported stuff tastes better. Great philosophy!
My favorite thing to get is an Affogato Supremo, which is a double espresso with two scoops of gelato topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauces. The espresso is imported from Italy and has a heavily roasted flavor, the gelato is your choice of 15 different flavors which rotate daily, and the unsweetened whipped cream is made to order. The espresso on its own is too intense for my preference, but with the sweetness of the gelato and smoothness of the whipped cream, it’s perfect. It looks like a work of art and tastes even better than it looks. The only thing I don’t like about this treat is that the scoops of gelato don’t count towards the frequency card (10 scoops gets you a free scoop).
When I don’t get an affogato, I usually choose a sorbetto: unique flavors like pineapple mint, dragonfruit and Kahala Sunrise (strawberry, lemon, mango, tangelo). Wow! Super refreshing. Great for a hot day or after a long training run.
There’s a really good vibe from the workers here. Smiles for miles! They’re friendly, tuned into what’s going on, and take the time to make each thing just right, even when handling a rush. It’s clear that customer service is a priority. Kudos to the management team.
I like coming here! The counter is clean. The atmosphere is great for people watching, and there’s enough ambient noise to have a private conversation or do some reading. It’s one of Kahala Mall’s must-​go-​to spots.
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
Lots of tea and it’s half off on all loose tea leaf too!
I got the two scoop regular cone gelato in oreo mint and mac nut flavor. I prefer the oreo mint because it’s more chocolate based and less sweet. It wsa around $ 6, a bit pricey, but closest gelato place to Sheraton Waikiki.
I don’t mind coming back, they do have other things too, like sandwiches and boba drinks/​juice drinks.
Place rating: 4
Honolulu, HI
I really enjoy gelato, and being at Kahala mall I’ve been to this place a few times and I’ve always liked it.
I’ve tried the cookies and cream when they had it (wish they didn’t get rid of it) and I also tried the lilikoi which is super good and tart if you like that type of flavor. This time around we got the vanilla bean it was decent, and I got the blueberry yogurt!
The taste of the blueberry yogurt was super good! Chucks of blueberry which was different and I really liked it. I would recommend that flavor a lot.
There was a somewhat line in front of the gelato case, and the workers seemed confused as to who was actually in line and who was just standing around. We were finally helped and the girl was very nice and let us sample a few flavors first before deciding.
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE 2014−(252÷365) «Reimy The Rockstar!»
During our recent visit back home, I was able to meet the Dirk Koppenkastrop who is the owner of Il Gelato, and after touring his factory and tasting his BOMB creations, he mentioned a retail location inside the Kahala Mall.
Honestly, you cannot go wrong with ANY of these flavors… The flavors and textures of Il Gelato’s products are unmatched. We were able to visit for three times in four days… That’s how ADDICTING Il Gelato is! On our first visit, I tried the Pistachio and Gianduja gelato, and Wifey went with a cone of their Dragonfruit (Pittaya) sorbet which was devoured in no time. Sitting up at the counter, we perused the menu items and came across their selection of Coppas. At $ 7.50 each, they are a STEAL and this is the way to go. My only regret is not seeing the menu earlier! «Well, you’ll just have to come back and try one of out Coppas tomorrow!» says Reimy, who Dirk is very fortunate to have, as she is very personable, very passionate about what she does, and is a great salesperson, as she sold us on coming back to try her favorite coppa, The Amarena Cherry.
We came back the next day after dinner, and sure enough, Reimy was ready to assemble her favorite creation for us. Four keiki scoops of Chocolate and Tahitian Vanilla gelato, Amarena Cherries, cherry syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. The finished Coppa looked even better than the picture on the menu! Reimy’s answer? «It’s because I made it!» LOL!!! We also had to have some Rum Raisin and Salted Caramel Gelato which were just as fantastic as the Amarena Cherry Coppa. We came back for a third time a couple days later to feed our need for more, where we were helped by two different workers. This time, I went with a Kona Royale Coppa-​Kona Coffee Gelato with shot of espresso on the bottom of the glass, studded with at least 10 chocolate covered espresso beans, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. Definitely one for the serious coffee lover! Wifey was in the mood for sorbetto, so the Tropicale Coppa was another winner. Lychee, Mango, Lilikoi, and Dragonfruit Sorbet with fresh tropical fruit, mango sauce, and whipped cream… She STILL talks about it to this day, and its a bummer because we’re thousands of miles away! Looking to return to try the rest of the Coppas and even the «Spaghetti» Gelato (appearance, not flavor) that seems to be the latest craze in the gelato world now.
Do yourself a favor and sit up at the counter and have Reimy fix you an Amarena Cherry Coppa… SO ONO! ALOHA!!!
Shaka Meter: \uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​5