Carabè Firenze

Best gelato I’ve had since arriving in Italy! The flavors are creative, natural, and not overly sweet… just perfect. You can really taste the quality of the ingredients. Prices are very reasonable too. I especially recommend the funnel and ricotta flavor, absolutely delicious!

Great gelateria with awesome flavours and nice variety. Texture is nice, but is not as creamy as I was expecting. Nevertheless you can taste the quality and care that is put in the product. It’s not cheap, but I would still recommend it.

This is our favorite place for gelato and granitas! Lori is the kindest owner and always has a beautiful smile. It’s a great combination when the product is delicious and the people sharing it are just as wonderful! We’ll be back next year!

Hands down the BEST gelato we had in all of Florence! The flavors were incredible—so fresh, rich, and perfectly creamy. What made it even more special was the amazing customer service. The owner is truly one of the hardest-working women we’ve ever met—there every day from open until close, always with a smile and kind word! You can tell this place is family-oriented and built on love and dedication. It felt like more than just a gelato stop—it was an experience. We ended up coming back multiple times because we just couldn’t stay away. A true gem in Florence!

This is it, the best by far ice cream in Florence. The flavours are amazing, and it has flavours you cannot find in other places. The service is great.

We absolutely love this gelato shop! It’s become our go-to spot in Florence—so good we’ve been back four or five times. The owner is amazing and always so kind and loving with our daughters. The gelato is delicious, and unlike the places that are crowded thanks to social media hype, there’s rarely a long wait. A true hidden gem!

5 STARS!!!! Carabè is authentic and just downright delicious. The owner is LOVELY, the service is perfect, and the gelato and granita are to die for. It truly is authentic!!! Super fairly priced. My husband and I loved coming in almost every day of our honeymoon while in Florence!!! We’ll keep visiting while we’re here—we love it!!!

Got a cup of granita- lemon mint berry -delicious! It’s the original slushy. Then I got a cannoli, also made fresh for you. €4 each (She charged me twice for the granita I think on accident)

Definitely an artisan Gelateria, not one of those commercial huge servings with ostentatious display. Though most people are here for the gelato I came for the cannoli. I had a beautiful fresh piped cannoli with a slightly warmed up shell and it was fantastic. Highly recommend I plan to come back for another one before my trip is over.

We had just finished exploring Galleria dell'Accademia when we were looking for a little gelato. A quick Yelp search brought up Carabé just a short walk away, and since the reviews looked great we decided to head over. The setup of Carabé is similar to other gelaterias we went to in the city - walking in there was a small standing area to order and a bench to sit that faced the main coolers. The flavors offered were standard, which was fine with me because I don't get too adventurous with flavors to begin with. I got the smallest cup size available and decided on the cream. The gelato had an interesting consistency - it wasn't as smooth or creamy as other gelati I had, and I actually learned after the fact that the gelato is prepared Sicilian style which is more watery vs creamy. It wasn't bad it's just different so people may be caught off guard. Service was good, the woman behind the counter was very friendly and overall I had a good experience at Carabé. I still prefer creamer gelato, but for something a little different close to dell'Accademia this is a good option.

Stopped by this place late at night. The lady behind the counter was very friendly. They have quite a few flavors for gelato like almost 15 and about 8 flavors for granite. We tried the lemon and cream gelato and the florentine spirit flavored granite which has a blend of lemon, oranges, and other fruits. Both were very good. The gelato was creamy and smooth. The granite was sweet and refreshing. I would recommend this place. Just a bit of a walk from the Duomo though.

I loved this place so much. Amazing gelato, so much flavor and you can tell it's great quality. And with the friendly and wholesome staff, you can not ask for anything better. Definitely worth the visit.

With many gelaterias in Firenze, this is one of the better ones. They have fun flavors like olive oil, kiwi, and apricot+rum. I see some other reviewers complain that the gelato here is icier than other shops. Who cares, these are just different styles. I still think the flavors are wonderful and solid...icy solid.

I am in love with this place and their gelato. The Sicilian chocolate flavor was the best thing I've ever eaten. And the owner was so friendly and just lovely. It's a cute shop, I am so glad we had a chance to stop by. If we end up in this part of Florence again, I am definitely coming back.

Pretty good gelato place. Popular and def not one of those generic tourist traps. For the level of gelato you get in Florence, this is a solid 4/5. Back home this is an easy 5/5. It's excellent, but I found even better places in Florence. Service was good. Place was actually larger than most and clean.

The best gelato and granitas ever!! The ladies behind the counter are awesome. We ate here each day about twice.

The gelato was not at all what I had expected... we later found out that this gelateria features Sicilian style, which is very icy and more akin to what soft serve ice cream in America is like, or Italian ice if you have ever had that. Not at all the gelato creaminess we are accustomed to. Didn't fully dislike it, but wouldn't seek it out. Also pretty limited flavor options. Staff was lovely and very polite, the seating area outside was appreciated. Overall, just not my preference of gelato!

Excellent gelato! I enjoyed their pistachio (.50 euro upcharge and worth it) and their chocolate rum amd banana flavor, which was also amazing! This place also sells Sicilian granite, which is like a slushie. I didn't try it, but that is how it was described. The gelati is kept covered with lids, which distinguishes the legit gelato vs the "tourist" gelato, as I learned from a few locals.

Amazing gelato! I had hazelnut and my husband had almond. The night before we had terrible gelato from a more commercial store where it was uncovered and had no flavor. Carabe gelato was amazing and I only needed a small cup to satisfy because it was so flavorful. I'm looking forward to going back and trying a cannoli just like my father used to make.

This is the best gelato ever. Of everywhere I tried in Rome, Florence, Arezzo, Lucca, Cinque Terre- nothing beat this. The fresh flavors were amazing and I loveeeee the dark chocolate flavors!! The best was dark chocolate mint, I even got seconds. They did not have that the rest of the time I went, but they had dark chocolate orange which was also amazing. This is seriously the best. The service is awesome as well!

Italian Sean Connery is scooping this delicious this Tuscan treat. He's super handsome ladies!! They have super unique flavors and the vibe is soo nice. No wait!!

Nice enough gelato but not my favorite from Florence. In my opinion, a little overrated and not as flavorful. Mine was a bit icy and not creamy enough.

The best gelato in Florence!!! I've been to so many different places, but Carabè is by far the best. The owners are also the sweetest people you'll meet. They make the gelato experience wonderful. Definitely try Carabè if you're in Florence. You will not regret it!!

The most delicious Caffe Granita topped with Stracciatella gelato. What a delicious treat after seeing the beautiful David Statue. It was the only gelato we had time for. Recommended by a local and did not disappoint!

SO much better than some of the other so-so gelato we've had in Florence. I love how it is icy and refreshing especially on a hot day. The line was long, but it moved quickly and the service was excellent. And the ambiance of the restaurant is just so cute! If we come back to Florence we will make this a must-stop!

After a visit to The David, you may find yourself craving a great gelato. If so, look no further, as Carabe is just a block down from the entrance into the Galleria dell'Accademia. There's obviously no shortage of gelato all over Firenze, but Carabe has been my favorite. The gelati here are bursting with flavor, yet not overly sweet. I've had more than my fair share of gelati in Firenze, but they're so overwhelmingly sweet sometimes that I wonder how people can finish more than just one scoop. Even better than the gelati here is the granita! The granite are super flavorful and not drenched in sugar. Note, these are not the inexpensive ones churning in a slurpee-like machine you see all over, which are super duper sweet, artificial tasting, and usually made from a mix. These are scooped from the same containers as the gelati, and are made with fresh ingredients. I've had several here because it's another one of those Italian food items that you really can't find the same of in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've had the almond, which had a strong almond scent and flavor, along with bits of almonds. I've also had the Sicilian soul, the fig and the lemon. All were really good, but if I had to choose just one, I'd say I was partial to the Sicilian soul. The employees are a bit impatient and not the friendliest bunch. However, I came one evening when the owner/manager was there and he was very nice. Since this is just an easy 5-minute​ walk from us, I've made multiple visits here already. Lucky me!

Meh. Just....meh. We tried a couple of the flavors, and they were all...meh. Not *bad* mind you, just...meh. When you add in the fact that the pistachio costs extra, had less flavor than it should, and was icy, well, you can do better. Go around the corner to Ara...

These cannolis were the best I've ever had!! So good! Light and rich cream with just the right amount of chocolate on the sides make it the perfect bite. I wish we spent more time in Florence so I could come back. Definitely recommend if you wanna try authentic Italian cannolis

Had the BEST cannoli and stracciatella ever here. The staff is so kind and welcoming.

Probably the best gelato in Firenze (at least in my humble opinion). This hole in the wall Gelateria is owned by locals and is actually known more for their granita than the ice cream they serve...but do not misunderstand, their gelato is simply off the charts yummy. The emerald pistachio is as good as all of the rave reviews it garners. It happens to be come with a 50cent up-charge for the same size of another flavor. For me, Pistachio is the flavor by which I evaluate the quality of gelato. So for me, this place just rose to the top of my list. It is on a small street not too far from the duomo but you'll need to seek it out or you might just miss it.

I hate to start this beautiful trip with a negative review but if I can prevent one person from getting ripped off until I can post my other very positive reviews then I have done my duty for T he yelp community. Walking back from seeing the majestic David we saw this place and decided to stop in for a cool treat on a very hot day. The service was fine (maybe a little direct for Firenze) and we ordered 2 medium gelati. This was priced at EUR 12 for 2 medium sizes which were priced at EUR 4.5 according to their sign. I asked the woman if the price was right since the math didn't work out and she insisted this was correct. I paid and then went about my business. It was such a shame knowing they wanted to scam a tourist in this beautiful city full of other much better (and kinder) business owners. I know, it's a couple euro. Not a big deal. Right? Stand in line for David for a few hours and walk back to the Duomo. If you figure 1:50 tourists stop in to this place, you'll quickly realize what it can add up to. Sorry guys. Average gelati paired with deceptive business practices don't earn a positive review. I hope this helps at least one person.

Excellent gelato. Very authentic and not like some of the places you see in touristy areas. Great customer service

A fellow Yelper sent me a list of places to go, and this was near the Accademia Museum, and since we didn't want to wait in the long line to see David, we came here instead. Great selection of gelati! But it was the homemade cannoli that I had to try and the granite. They make the cannoli when you order it. I was under the impression that they also made the shell at the same time, but at least it isn't premade and sitting in the case. So the shell was crunchy not soft. The granite is an interesting dessert. Two or even three flavors and one is a little more on the slushy side. I had the friendly girl make me one she'd think I'd like: Cafe and almond...and it was really good! The gelato is some of the best! We came a second time after seeing David on another day....and the woman working wasn't as friendly. Definitely worth a stop after seeing David!

I've been here 3 times, every time I've been to Florence. That should let you know how good this place is. Carabé has the best, freshest granitas. It is conveniently located a couple blocks from the Duomo and not too far from the train station. During a typical boiling hot day while walking around the city, getting a granita is honestly one of the best things you can do. My personal favorite granita flavors are limone and melone. You can taste actual pieces of fruit inside. Much better than the machine churned granitas from the touristy cafés. I've also had their stracciatella gelato and it was one of the best I've had (out of many stracciatellas). Very creamy and delicious! I will come back again and again and would recommend to anyone visiting Florence.

my favorite gelato place by far in Florence. The owners are extremely kind and friendly. They have a ton of flavors and all of them are amazing and unique. The shop itself is very cute with nice seating outside to enjoy the gelato. My roommate and I come here almost every night after dinner.

Don't make the mistake we made the first time we went here: get the granita! We tried the gelato here, but it wasn't very good. However, when we went back, we got the lemon granita, which was so delicious. It wasn't overly sweet, and had the perfect juice/ice ratio. They also have great cannoli - the best we tried in Florence!

Not my favorite gelato. Now to be fair, they specialize in *Sicilian* gelato, which does not use eggs or cream. This results in a thinner, sometimes grainy gelato. I suppose it really lets the flavor shine more but I've come to really love thick, creamy gelato. The granita was a little better but I have no desire to try it again, But can we talk about the cannoli? They fill it to order, and the harmony of crunchy, almost nutty cannolo shell, creamy filling, and the added texture of chocolate chips and chewy candied fruit was music to my mouth. Best. Cannoli. Ever. PLUS, the employees there always tolerate and entertain my use of Italian--I always try to speak Italian and appreciate it when locals tolerate my butchering of their language so that I can practice. Lastly, their napkins actually absorb spills as opposed to the plastic-y napkins we get at other places. But anyway, yes, come here for the cannoli.

I thought their gelato was just ok. I've had better in Italy but it's pretty good gelato than anything you find in the U.S.

Gelateria Carabé is famous for it's Sicilian granita and rightly so! The granita here is incredible! I had the strawberry with lemon granita and the flavour just burst in my mouth; it was like eating real fruit that just happened to grow naturally as crushed ice. Usually flavoured ice tastes like a watered down version of the flavour of the real fruit it is meant to suggest, but Carabé's granita is an explosion of delicious taste. The strawberry and lemon complemented each other wonderfully, but they have other flavours too like almond or coffee. I tried the gelato here too and it was decent, but not as impressive as the granita. The granita was out of this world and in the heat I couldn't get enough of it's icy goodness. I love this granita! Location-wise, Carabé is the perfect stop on the way (or way back) for anyone going to the Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David, but I would make a trip just for the granita even without David!

Confirmed that this gelateria is one of the great ones. All natural, no energy wasted on beautifying the look of the gelato in the freezers. All the love is put into the texture and taste! We took a cooking class on pizza and gelato where we learned a little about how to spot gelateria that focus on tourists versus authenticity. Tourist driven ones are not necessarily bad, just not true tuscan gelato! We ordered two cones. One with pistacchio and ciocolatti, and the other with caffe and stratiatella. Both were fantastic!

Simply the best gelato I've had (also including Rome). The owner is delightful and the granitas, gelato, and cannoli were incredible. Cannot recommend more highly!

My friends and I came here at night after traveling to Florence from Rome, and it was pretty empty when we came. The people were really friendly though! There was also granita, but we all opted for gelato. We tried flavors as usual, and I ended up getting cherry (which was a seasonal flavor) and kiwi. It was my first time having those flavors of gelato in Italy, and they were both really good! The cherry was real cherry, so it was much better than any other cherry-flavored food I've had other than cherries themselves. The gelato was pretty creamy, and it was overall a very good gelato! The store is pretty small and there aren't many places to sit, but I guess for gelato you don't really need to stay there for long. Good place though; I'd recommend it if you were near the area!

No frills type of place - they focus on making high quality gelato. Nice that they are open late, so you can swing by after dinner. If you like light, fruity flavors, this is the spot! Favorites were the pear and crema.

The best granita and gelato I've had in 2 months in Italy. The flavors are so much more pure and less sickeningly sweet than most of the places you pass in the tourist areas. Each time we walked in, all the customers are Italian, and a few of the employees don't even speak English, already a good sign that it's good stuff. The Mandorla and Spirito Siciliana granita were 100 and the ricotta, pistachio di bronte, and mandorla gelatos were all great. Even their canolo was very good for a gelato shop.

This is the BEST gelato we have had in all of Italy so far! It has an icier texture and fuller flavor than other places. The workers seemed to be annoyed with any questions about the flavors -really?? That didn't stop us from asking anyways!! The small cone allows you to have three flavors! We also got the coffee and almond granita which is like a slushy on steroids! Get this too! I so wish I could go back here!!! I will be dreaming about this place until the next trip.

So glad we decided to give this place a try yesterday. It's half a block from Galleria Accademia. The man at the counter was super nice, even let us sample a few before we made our selection. There were 5 of us, we all got different flavors, and loved them all! We came back for more today.

Great Gelato place and made on site! They make limited quantity with available ingredients. We had kiwi with raspberry and nutella with peanut which he recommended. Fruity and nutty. Amazing! If the display is piled high they are outsourced, overpriced and make you buy super sized.

Any trip to the Accademia to see The David warrants a trip to Gelateria Carabe. The gelateria is directly down the street from the museum on Via Ricasoli. It is not difficult to find as the street is wide, straight, and without twists or turns to distract you. This gelateria is Sicilian. The gelato is softer and more delicate. I have heard that Carabe was more famous for their granita so that is what I chose. It was a nice break from all the gelato I was eating daily. The almond granita was more like a drink. I ate it with a spoon until it completely melted and I was able to drink it like a milk shake. The granita had nice bits of almond in it and the ice was almost none existent except for the cold texture of the granita. Carabe uses no preservatives or artificial flavoring. Let it be known that everything you get here will be fresh. You taste it. Tourists take heed: print the coupon on the website and get a free upgrade in size on your next vacation. http://www.gelatocarabe.com/coupon.html *** Ogni viaggio in Accademia per vedere I warrant David un viaggio a Gelateria Carabe. La gelateria è direttamente in fondo alla strada dal museo di via Ricasoli. Non è difficile da trovare, come la strada è larga, diritta e senza colpi di scena e si rivolge a distrarti. Questa gelateria è siciliano. Il gelato è più morbido e più delicato. Ho sentito dire che Carabe era più famosi per la loro granita in modo che è quello che ho scelto. E 'stata una piacevole pausa da tutto il gelato stavo mangiando tutti i giorni. La granita di mandorle era più simile a un drink. Ho mangiato con un cucchiaio fino a quando completamente sciolto e sono riuscito a bere come un milk shake. La granita ha bit belle di mandorla in esso e il ghiaccio era quasi nessuno inesistente tranne che per la trama freddo della granita. Carabe non utilizza conservanti o aromi artificiali. Si sappia che tutto ciò che si ottiene qui sarà fresco. Si assaggiarlo. Turisti state attenti: stampare il coupon sul sito e ottenere un upgrade gratuito in formato sulla vostra prossima vacanza. http://www.gelatocarabe.com/coupon.html

There are certain flavors that you must try, depending on what regions are emphasized. Carabé features Sicilian flavors, so try the pistacchio di Bronte or the mandorla (almond). Either would go well with gelato allo yogurt, which is just what that sounds like. Actually, I think that yogurt would also go well with any of the fruit flavors, too! And in the summer, try the granita... not just the classic lemon, but try mint or almond or coffee. Delicious.

Rating: 67/100 pts Carabè is apparently one of the more popular gelaterias in Florence, but to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed. The flavors did not have quite as much depth, and consistency was not quite as creamy, as others I had. Although I'm sure you could do worse, there are a handful of other gelaterias, both inside and outside of Florence, that I would be sooner to recommend. Perhaps of note, however, is their granita, a sort of Sicilian version of sorbet, which they have several varieties of. Perhaps worth a try if you're in need of some gelato when near the Accademia--but if you plan to be doing some walking around town, I'd go elsewhere.

Most amazing gelato I've had (in U.S. and in Florence). It's made Sicilian-style (I believe the owners were from Sicily), so the flavors were rich, but the texture was lighter and not quite as thick and ice-creamy as other gelaterias around Florence. It's kind of hard to describe, but I ate a LOT of gelato, and Carabè was simply the best. It's a little hard to find it, the first time I went I was doing a language-exchange with a local from the city centre and she brought me to Carabè. Afterwards I had to make my way to the Duomo and just continue wandering down random streets 'til I found it. I had stracciatella (chocolate chip), which was superb, and since my initial visit I just kept going back for more.

AMAZING gelato. Vanilla is great. All the flavors taste so true to their description!! A must try. Nice owner, too!

This is hands down one of my go-to gelaterie in Firenze, but even more importantly, they make unbelievably delectable cannoli and cassate. This Sicilian-owned establishment makes finding a few of the greatest Italian desserts easy for those walking around the city center. Tutto buonissimo!

After leaving the Accademia, I decided I should stop for gelato. I stumbled across this little shop. Boy am I happy I did! This was simply the best gelato I've had! I got a misto cup which contained different flavors. I chose almond, pistachio, stracciatella (chocolate chip, and vanilla. The almond was my favorite by far! It was extra creamy, smooth, and flavorful. I can't wait to return to Florence to have this again!

So amazing, especially the Sicilian ice!!! Absolutely worthwhile going. Hope to be back on the next trip!

Best gelato! Located on Via Ricasoli, only about two blocks down on a side street of the Duomo. I've read from other reviews that they make their gelato "Sicilian style" so it tastes a bit different than a typical gelato place in Florence, but that's all the better because it was my absolute favorite of the trip. I spent three weeks studying in Florence and my apartment was directly to the left of Carabé. I would stop here almost every single day for a small cone or granita, which cost 2,50 euro. The owners of the shop(I'm assuming) were super nice and welcoming to guests like myself. There was a woman who was there every day, and a tall man who worked the night shifts(they closed at midnight). Their ricotta gelato was my number one favorite, the only downside is that they did not make it every day. Other favorites were their milk cream gelato and sicilian soul granita. I also recommend their coffee granita with whipped cream on top. Definitely worth stopping by if you are visiting the Duomo, the Accademia, or walking towards the train station from the area of the Duomo.

The spirito siciliano tastes like concentrated summer sunshine. The other flavors are fantastic as well. I particularly like the almond granita. I asked for an almond granita with a scoop of pistachio gelato in it--essentially a granita float--and they were willing to accommodate my request. The gentleman behind the counter is--I think--the owner. He is justifiably proud of what he makes, and is willing to explain what each flavor is in English.