Jason F.
Yelp
When walking around the trendy Union Street in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood, seeing GIO Gelati is like a beacon of light, especially on a warm sunny day in the city. Located on the corner of Union and Buchanan Streets, the GIO in GIO Gelati stands for "Gelato Italiano Originale" and their goal is to create the perfect gelato, thanks to the handcrafted all-natural and locally sourced farm-fresh ingredients they use for every scoop they sell. Not a day or night goes by, in the busy thoroughfare that is Union Street where there isn't a line out the door of GIO Gelati, as fans throughout the city come far and wide to try their rich unique flavor combinations. What brought myself and a group of friends here on a warm weekend afternoon was a little desire to go shopping in the trendy neighborhood, and the desire to satiate our sweet tooth's while we were there, and with little to no competition around, no wonder they remain so popular. There was a line out the door of people waiting to order their scoops of gelato, but I have to admit the team managed to move rapidly and smoothly enough that the wait was not long at all.
The variety of flavors of gelatos that GIO Gelati sells includes your standard Vanilla, Pistachio, Salted Caramel and Milk & Figs, plus they have a number of unique vegan flavors including Banana, Kiwi and Lemon. After sampling a number of favorites including both their Espresso and Cappuccino, there was something about their Tiramisu that kept calling my name, and thankfully I wasn't disappointed as a cup of their single, which was small in size but mighty in flavor thanks to the extra ladyfinger piece that was added to the top of my cup, which made things not only festive in appearance but managed to break up the monotony of what normally is a cup of basically Italian ice cream. Others in my party ordered a cup of the Espresso and their Strawberry and everyone really seemed to be satisfied with their purchases that enjoying their delectable gelatos in our cups as we sat on two benches that they conveniently had in the front of their storefront that had open windows to allow sunlight and fresh air to come through the interior of their gelato shop.
Beyond coffee drinks, they even have baked goods and chocolate covered gelato popsicles that resemble pieces of artwork for sale, so obviously a return visit will always be in order for GIO Gelato - San Francisco, as they are one of the few restaurants exclusively dedicated to serving up dessert in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, which is a surprise considering all of the happening nightlife and activity that constantly goes on here. Now are they the most affordable place for your traditional dessert? That's debatable, but their price for a small cup being about 6 dollars is, for the most part, comparable to the neighborhood in which they are serving up their treats. When I checked in on Yelp, they had a deal for a complimentary espresso with a 10 dollar purchase and after presenting the check-in deal to their staff, they looked at me dumbfounded, so I would suggest that they update that check-in deal moving forward or at least stop promoting giving Yelp reviews at their counter area, when quite frankly there is no rush to do so. Nevertheless, GIO Gelato provides a nice respite with all of the traditional trappings of a street and neighborhood in full business mode, with shoppers, families, and exercise enthusiasts all out and about, making for a wonderful stop for all to enjoy every once in a while.