Nick K.
Yelp
Já que muitos paulistanos conhecem desta jóia, vou escrever em inglês
When i returned back to São Paulo two years ago, a friend of mine took me out to ice cream. Back then, i had no idea that this would become an addiction for me! It was nighttime and i was genuinely surprised at how many people stood in line just to buy ice cream. The line went out of the store and spilled out to the sidewalk. Now, standing in line is a daily tradition for Brasilians everywhere, but imagine my surprise of a line for ice cream!
After some time had passed, we finally were able to enter the place and i was immediately drawn by the posh interior design (clean, modern) and by the assortment of flavours that they offered. i quickly realised that this was no ordinary ice cream, but Italian gelato. i picked my three flavours and took my first bite
WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT IS THIS????? My first experience of gelato was NOTHING compared to this: silky smooth and full of pure flavour. Like Americans, Brasilians also tend to eat their food either too salty or too sweet; this gelato had such a sublime and delightful sweetness to it
At Bacio, they offer usually three to four variations of flavours: chocolates, fruits, special limited offerings and their normal collection of "classics" (such as pistachio and their signature "Bacio di Latte"). Whatever flavour you may choose to get - you get to pick three flavours regardless of the offering size - it tastes as it should taste. For exemple, fruit offerings in other places tend to have an overt sweetness and an almost "industrial" taste about them. Bacio's fruit offerings somehow transplant the nuances and characteristics of each fruit in its purity. A pear tastes like a pear. A strawberry taste like a strawberry. Simple
They proudly state on their walls that all of their ingredients are fresh and locally-sourced. Not only that, they make all of their gelatos on premise; no distant factory of mass production!
When i first visited Bacio, they only had this (the main store) and another location in São Paulo. Now, as of July 2014, they have 11 locations in São Paulo and two in Rio de Janeiro. When they began this expansion, i feared that quality would suffer but thankfully, they are maintaining their award-winning standards (it has been voted the best ice cream in São Paulo the last three years running) at every location i've visited
Two years on, i am still crazy for Bacio. i have never been this crazy for ice cream until Bacio. Please do yourself a favour and try it once; you might get hooked like me!
