They’re good at food in Naples. Birthplace of pizza, home of buffalo mozzarella, inventors of spaghetti – and they’re excellent at gelato too. The city is bursting with geltateria, from upmarket 19th-century cafes to hole-in-the-wall joints. They’re not stuffy about flavours either, so expect to find creative combinations that go beyond the usual pistacchio and straciatella. With so many to choose from, we’ve rounded up seven of the best gelato shops in Naples.
The Best Ice Cream Shops and Gelato Shops in Naples
1. Il Gelato Mennella
They’ve been serving up smashing scoops of gelato for over 50 years at Il Gelato Melo – so you could (should) say they’re experts. There are now a handful of locations across the city, all with queues around the corner. The gelato shop on Torre del Greco is the original location.
Ingredients are sourced locally, from the hazelnuts from Giffoni to the pistachios from Bronte. There are no nasty additives either, which is surprising because it’s some of the creamiest and most colourful gelato in the city. There’s not a soggy cone in sight either – waffle cones are made fresh on-site daily.
2. Fantasia Gelati
Most locals will tell you that for fun and fruity flavours, no one has a patch on Fantastia Gelati. Since it opened in 1994, outposts have sprung up all over Naples but Vomero’s Via Cilea is still the most popular. All ice cream is made in a 1000 square metre laboratory, where extensive experimentation takes place too. It’s not just us who think it’s one of the best gelato shops in Naples, it received the prestigious Cono d’Oro in xx
There’s a staggering variety of flavours to choose from, with over 60 fruity flavours alone. Crowd pleasers include pistachio, strawberry, grape and melon, but don’t miss those made with buffalo milk from Battipaglia. The gelato caldo or ‘hot gelato’ isn’t actually hot, the flavours are just creamier.
3. Casa Infante
Tucked away on the bustling Via Toledo, Casa Infante is famous for its thick, creamy gelato. The shop was founded nearly a century ago by Leopoldo Infante, starting life as a tarrallo shop. He then added products like sfogliatella and babà to his repertoire. In the 1970s, his son decided to start making gelato. Now, you can choose from over 36 classic and creative flavours, including a delicious white fig and ricotta. The gelato is 100% natural, made with organic cream and eggs. Ingredients are sourced locally, almost all from Italy, with lemons from Sorrento, apricots from Vesuvius, figs from Cilento and so on.
4. Remy Gelo
Remy Gelo is a local institution, opened by Vittorio Corradini in 1919 after a long stint in the US. It was initially a latteria, a shop supplying milk and butter, but it quickly gained a cult following for its ice cream. When Vittorio’s son Remo took over the branch, he moved it to a cosier spot on Via Ferdinando – and the street has never been the same since.
Gold star flavours include some of the creamiest fiordilatte in the country and more unusual tastes like jasmine, mandarin and cantaloupe. The cremolata is a crowd favourite too, made with 80% fruit. Most people go for a Remy special though – the Remygnon, featuring miniature portions of gelato covered in chocolate.
5. Gran Caffè La Caffettiera
For a surprising scoop, head to Gran Caffè La Caffettiera in Piazza dei Martiri, a short stroll from the sea. It’s a little more upmarket than your standard yellow-striped awning establishments – inside its all-black tie waiters and flock wallpaper. Gelato purists can enjoy classic flavours like vanilla and stracciatella but those with a more adventurous appetite will win here. Crowd-pleasing combinations include the gazpacho and a saffron-infused mandarin.
They’ve also perfected the art of liquid nitrogen ice cream. It reaches extraordinarily low temperatures below –200 degrees celsius – which means attendants can flash freeze your ice cream in moments, rather than the traditional churning method. That means fresher, flavourful gelato. Ice creams are available in cones, tubs and Sicilian-style sandwiches.
6. Gay-Odin
For a choco-hit like no other, Gay-Odin is unrivalled. Isidoro Odin opened his pioneering chocolate shop in 1894, but it wasn’t until 2008 that the shops started selling gelato. The focus here is on curated chocolate flavours, from creamy milk chocolate to fiery combinations like dark chilli chocolate. If you’ve had your fill of gelato, you can pick up the Naples favourite cozze, chocolate mussels.
There are now nine different stores across Naples, with a handful of sites across Italy, including Rome and Milan too.
7. Chalet Ciro
If you’ve had your fill of cones and scoops, hotfoot to Chalet Ciro for a cono graffa – gelato served in a doughnut cone. Locals call it a ‘bomba’ which, once you’ve got it on your hands, will make complete sense. Located on a busy street along the waterfront, with views over the Gulf of Naples, it’s been a local favourite since the 1950s.