Best Gelato In Orange County
Gelato is not that different than ice cream as both are delicious treats, especially on a hot day. The biggest difference is that gelato has a lower percentage of fat and less air added, making it even creamier and smoother than ice cream. If you're on the lookout for great gelato in Orange County, we've found the best places to find it.
Gelato Paradiso
448 S. Coast Highway, Suite A
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 464-9255
www.gelatoparadiso.net
Even if you know the address of this place, it's easy to walk right by it as it's located closer to the alley than the sidewalk. Still, when you find it, you'll find your reward. Paradiso is a great name for this place in Laguna because it offers a little taste of heaven. It is rich in flavor, but somehow lighter than eating the same amount in ice cream. This place offers more than 20 flavors of gelato as well as some flavors that are only available seasonally. Try any flavor you like on your first visit because you'll go back to try others. Consistently rated as one of OC's top gelato spots, favorite flavors here include banana, ciccolato (chocolate), dulce de leche, menta (mint chip) and tiramisu. You really can't go wrong with anything you get here though.
Mangiamo Gelato Caffe
122 Main St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 536-5388
www.mangiamogelatocaffe.com
When you go to Mangiamo, don't be surprised if it takes you a while to decide what flavor you want. You'll find some traditional flavors here, like strawberry and chocolate, but you'll also find some tempting flavors like Beach Fire, which is basically chocolate gelato with s'mores, as well as a chocolate peanut butter. There are also some more unusual flavors like pear and gorgonzola. No matter what you choose, you won't walk out of here disappointed.
Dolce Gelato
247 Broadway St.
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 715-9249
www.gelatobydolce.com
There's nothing quite like strolling through Laguna Beach in summer - provided that you can actually get there through the awful traffic. If you're planning to do that, stop by Dolce Gelato. This place offers some flavors like lime shortbread and lemon shortbread that are particularly refreshing. In addition to chocolate chip and the delicious salted maple caramel, you'll find a chocolate Guinness flavor that makes you feel like you're enjoying dessert and a cold pint.
Cafe Lucca
106 N. Glassell St.
Orange, CA 92866
(714) 289-1255
www.cafelucca.com
The Orange Circle is an area with a lot of charming restaurants and shops, including Cafe Lucca. If you get the gelato here, you are in for a real treat. First, it is made in the restaurant every night, which means you're always getting it as fresh as possible. Secondly, the gelato at Lucca contains only 7 percent butterfat, about half the amount you'll find in ice cream. Finally, the variety is good. You have 16 delicious flavors to choose from, and you can't go wrong with any one of them.
Scoops
605 E Santa Ana Blvd
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(657) 210-0399
www.cafelucca.com
Santa Ana's Scoops offers a myriad of delicious gelato flavors as well as ice cream too. From unusual flavors like ricotta pretzel and honey gelato to vanilla gelato and many others, this spot gets high praise and reviews for its rich and creamy taste.
