Ciao Gelato

Visiting my mom in Venice, FL from Highlands Ranch, CO.
This was a great stop on our shopping trip down the main street of downtown Venice.
I had a small cup of coconut and chocolate. Pure heaven! I also had a cappuccino. Mom had coconut and salted caramel. Both were incredibly tasty!
We were waited on by an adorable girl who was just as helpful as could be. We sat outside and watched the people walk by.
Relaxing, fun with great gelato!

Not sure why this place only has 3.5 stars, guessing it’s all the hard to please, seldom impressed, tastebud lacking clientele. I happened to think it was one of the better Gelato spots I’ve been and could actually taste a noticeable difference from Gelatos usual alternates. We had the peanut butter, choc, choc chip, pistachio, and English toffee.

I was so excited to see a wide variety of gelato flavors here, including some traditional ones likes straciatella and pistachio. However, I found that the flavors tasted slightly artificial and not very authentic. I would skip Ciao Gelato next time and try the old fashioned ice cream parlor down the street.

The best sugar free chocolate gelato ever… The staff (Rose and Miranda) knows there product inside and out… A big plus for downtown Venice…

They have changing flavors daily. The portions are large and prices are comparable to other artisan ice cream. I would exchange the «shovel» for a spoon because of trying to eat it before it melts In the FL humidity. I loved the salted caramel and pistachio. The staff were friendly
Both times we visited. Will return!

I’ve been here before, gelato is a it below average and on the expensive side. Hey but whatever kids wanted it.
I bought three kids size gelatos and since they asked what I want I went with a kid size for myself. I got an attitude that kids size is only for kids — dumbfounded for a split sec and not wanting the ‘Murica size portion I pointed at my other kid that just woke up and said «it’s for her». My wife was equally dumbfounded. Hey but it worked just had to dock a star for the unnecessary hassle to get a smaller portion and comments/​demeanor of someone that may have been the owner or senior staff.
The hazelnut was worse than last time. Service was way better in the past.

Excellent gelato and espresso! The owner was kind enough to let my three young kids watch him extract the gelato from the machine that’s in the back of the store. Very friendly staff and tasty treats!

When my friends and I vacationed in Venice, Fl, I Unilocaled gelato places and saw this place. When I read the 2 or 3 negative reviews, I was hesitant to check this place out. My friends and I decided to give it a shot and it was such a great experience.
We showed up around 8:30pm on a Monday and the two women who were working were more than willing to allow us to try any flavor we wanted. They provided recommendations and joked with us. There wasn’t a line and there was great outdoor seating.
As soon as we paid for our gelato and went to sit outside, 3 or so families arrived and the line was out the door… so the line can change just like that.
Would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting the area :-)

Delicious ice cream and friendly service.

Charming, friendly, delicious — I could go on and on. The gelato is varied and yummy. Try one or two and you will be hooked.
Their iced coffee is a secret weapon of cold deliciousness … They use ice cubes made of coffee! Have one and chat with the lovely owners or people watch outside.
You will not leave disappointed. You will definitely return!

Four star gelato, –1 star service. The older woman with the short hair and really dark tan working yesterday really had her panties in a bunch and was so rude. Although we really enjoyed the gelato, I don’t think we will be back because of the lack of hospitality.

My family and I love Ciao Gelato! Their gelato is fresh and delicious and they always have a great variety of flavors. The biggest draw for me personally is their non-​dairy gelato! I have to be dairy-​free, which is difficult when you have a sweet tooth! But thanks to Ciao Gelato, I get to satisfy my sweet tooth with their dairy-​free chocolate gelato. It is sweet, rich, and delicious! My husband likes it too and says it’s just as good, if not better, as regular dairy chocolate. Their dairy-​free fruit flavors are also really good! I was really impressed with their mango-​pineapple mix. My absolute favorite is ordering non-​dairy chocolate and raspberry together; it’s the perfect combination of sweet with a touch of tart. Not to mention, the customer service is fantastic! The owners, Daria and RJ, are so friendly and sweet; very accommodating! I actually live on the east coast of Florida, but I’m in Venice often visiting my in-law’s. RJ has told him to let him know a few days before my visit and he’ll be sure to have a batch of dairy-​free chocolate for me! Absolutely amazing and I appreciate it — keeps me coming back for more! I can’t say enough good things about Ciao Gelato! Dairy-​free or not, I’d choose it over the run-​of-​the-​mill ice cream, like Kilwin’s. They also have a location in Siesta Key which is great as well!

We stopped in here on a whim for some coffee and had such a great experience we came back every morning of our trip! The staff were accommodating and friendly. We got fresh pots of coffee made, coffee’s with attention to and its a lot cheaper than Starbucks! The staff gave us tourists great suggestions on restaurants, shops and nightlife all of which were fantastic suggestions! Next time we come back we will definitely come back!

I had a regular size gelato $ 4 — some type of chocolate with pieces of chocolate in it. It was delicious. My hubby got an iced mocha that was far better than Starbucks. The girls working the counter were very friendly. I would definitely go back.

We stopped here for an after dinner treat. I got one scoop of a chocolate combination, and I thought it was delicious.
My husband got one scoop espresso and another of stracciatella. The espresso flavor tasted like it was made of last weeks old coffee grounds. It was downright icky. I thought that his other scoop was heavenly, he said it was just okay. He compares it to the gelato of his European travels, and it just doesn’t measure up in flavor and texture. It also costs nearly 500% more than it does in the Czech Republic, so we were hoping for it to be as good or better.
For our three scoops, it cost us about $ 10. It was very good ice cream, but not knock your socks off amazing gelato (which it would have to be for us to spend that much on dessert again).
Note: I got a single scoop, my husband got a double scoop, which came to around $ 10. If you want to save money and try three flavors, try all three in one cup which is a lot less (as noted below by the owner).

Wow! I write this really upset. I had a semi-​bad experience here and wrote about it on their facebook. Instead of responding like a manager of a business about the situation, they deleted my comment AND blocked me from being able to review them on facebook.
Here was my comment and all is true:
My mom and I strolled in there during off season (Venice is very seasonal). They have a lot to choose from so it was taking some time to decide. I put my order in and my mom was still thinking about which one to get. The young man behind the counter was very rude and told my mom to come back to the counter when she «finally decides on what you want». I totally get that if there were a line, but no one was behind us, it wasn’t like there was a line, and she wanted to look at all the flavors. I really don’t think he had to be so rude about it, he could have engaged in conversation, especially for being in a touristy place or even said «Hey, just let me know when you’re ready». I cancelled my order and we left.
I don’t think this is any reason to Ignore my comment, delete it then make me unable to post on your facebook. I’m not being an idiot, just a consumer.
I wasn’t really that upset about it, but now I’m super upset and now I will make sure my family and all of my Venice fishing buddies never patron this place. Good going guys! :)
P. S. It’s super pricy for Gelato. Go to the ice cream place down the block :)

Good Italian gelato. A little bit expensive. Service is very nice. Don’t forget to taste before buying.

Twist my arm — and I’ll grudgingly go to 3.5 stars and might go back.
She was disappointed there were no fruit entrees (she wanted a berry — any berry failing that ANY fruit) — very limited selection of about 12 but for Venice I guess that’s not too bad.
Walking downtown solidifies so many stereotypes of the Venice scene — your parents retire to Sarasota or Ft. Myers — your grand parents retire to Venice. We were attending the 3^rd Thursday evening for the downtown strip. Good God — if you want to feel young again — hit the strip on 3^rd Thursday evening — you’ll bring down the average age by 20 or 30 yrs (no — it doesn’t matter how old you are — if you’re reading this you’re under the age of 90 more than likely).
We shared a large dark chocolate and salted caramel. It was OK. The counter babe was a bit rude/​short (as most transplanted New Englanders in Venice are).

Ordered my favorite Italian ice cream, «Stracciatella «made from homemade fresh vanilla and chocolate shavings.
My son got the Raspberry Gelato. It was even more refreshing for a hot day!

After coming back from a trip to Florence, Italy, I have to say that this gelato is comparable to what you get in Italy esp the pistachio flavor.