Shy Guy Gelato

amazingly fresh, super delicious flavors, friendly and sweet staff… a perfect pit stop to cool down Lemon Mint Lemon Basil Nectarine Hazelnut … just to name a few of my favorites

Shy Guy is probably the most admirable and adored small business in Burlington. When I was 7 years old, Paul opened in the downstairs of a small run-down apartment building up my street. Multiple businesses had failed there and the neighborhood considered it cursed until Shy Guy came around. They filled the building and neighborhood with joy and became the ones that got away a few years ago when they moved to their new building on St. Paul. I’m 18 now and Paul still recognizes all the old neighborhood kids and tries to give us free gelato. What a cool guy.

Loved that we could get 3 flavors even in a small cup. So the two of us split two smalls, and were able to try all 6 flavors they had. They all blew me away, except the peanut butter cup which I merely thought was good. The dark chocolate sorbet was ridiculously good and dark chocolatey, we were shocked it was a sorbet. Greek yogurt crunch was maybe my next favorite, but really, they were all excellent. The place is tiny but there's outdoor seating

These guys flavors are insane and unmatched. I’m always blown away, most recently the raspberry rhubarb sorbet and dark chocolate sorbet combo was out of this world delicious, rich, tart, and fresh.

This is an ice cream parlor. Many young people love their ice cream. Many flavors to choose from. Also clearly identifying gluten, vegan, nuts, egg for your preferences. We ordered Coffee, Strawberry, and peanuts butter . Rich flavored but not too creamy.... Service was good...

Loved how I was able to get 4 flavors in a medium cup! Between the chocolate, fior di latte, lemon cream pie, and cantaloupe flavors, the cantaloupe was by far my favorite. While the shop itself is small, there’s seating available outside and the line moves quickly!

Extremely good gelato, exciting flavors, very good value for money, lovely friendly staff. Some of the best ice cream I’ve had in a long time

I honestly have so many praises for this place. The qualityf of the gelato, the service, the owner of the place... everything was a really nice experience! We went to Burlington for the day on june 30 and wanted to get some ice cream because it was really hot! We looked up the place with a friend and we are so glad we did! I never tasted gelato this creamy yet textured and fresh. The menu is changing daily, and the gelato is made on the spot and is incredibly delicious. The BASTANI gelato was out of this world. The layers of flavours and the different texture was amazing. I first got the BASTANI and STRAWBERRY LEMONADE and it was delicious! I event got to taste the NECTARINE one and oh my god, it was even better than eating an actual nectarine. The owner is so sweet and the place is neat and friendly. I would recommend stopping by Shy Guy Gelato for anyone going to Burlington. My friend who spent some time in italy said she went 3-4 times a day for gelato and Shy Guy Gelato really give a run for the money for so many places in italy. I myself have family over there and I am a hardcore fan of gelato and I never tasted anything like it. We wanted to walk and eat the gelato but endend up sitting at a table to actually enjoy it. The whole time we were eating, we couldn't believe how good the gelato was. I live in Quebec and I would gladly go back to Burlington only for the Shy Guy Gelato. If I could rate it 6/5 I would! After we finished our ice cream, we headed back inside to say how much we actually enjoyed the gelato!

HOWWWW have I not written a review of this place yet? It's worth all of the stars. All of them. And if you're thinking, "IDK, the prices are kinda high and the flavors are kinda random," let me reassure you by confirming that I'd pay DOUBLE the prices. I've gotten all sorts of flavors in store, but most recently, it was a dark chocolate one that stood out. And of course, during the "off season," you can buy pints, which I recently did and wanted to cry because the malted cookies n' cream one we selected was truly that good. Anyways, if you're in the area and they're open, don't even think about skipping out on this one.

Wow !!! . I definitely had to stop here and see what the amazing talk was about the delicious gelato. By the time I walked in their I automatically said wow this place is really cute." Everything was nicely set up and presented really, really well. They might not have had a lot of flavors left over because they sold out a lot, but other than that, the employees were really nice . They let us try a couple of samples first before trying, and wow, it was really, really good, and you can definitely taste the flavor . The prices we're also really good as well. I would highly recommend coming here and checking this spot out.

Great vegan options! The peach rhubarb was sooo yum. And the dark chocolate sorbet was also super yummy. Doesn't take lime sorbet in a good way. Very reasonably priced. $4.50 for a small, which was just the right amount. Got a split scoop of flavors above. Lots of nice outdoor seating. Would come back!

This was a recommendation from a friend of my daughter as a must stop place, and we were not disappointed . The gelato was amazing and the server/owner was so nice. They rotate flavors daily and are posted on social media ! We had the blackforest cake. It was chocolate gelato with chocolate cake pieces, dark chocolate chunks and cherries. We each had a kiddie cup! This was probably one of the best gelatos I have had.

I LOVE shy guy gelato with all of my heart. I don't know what Paul does but his vegan flavors are so creamy and delicious. Everyone is always very kind and the quality is consistently amazing. My absolute favorite is the vegan spumoni however I also love his fruit sorbets, specifically the peach and nectarine!

Simply superb. My husband and I got the salted maple and rice pudding. Wow. Comparable to gelato we had in Italy. Kind and quick service.

Wonderfully delicious gelato with friendly staff. My daughter made us go everyday while we were out there. Def worth it!

Shy Guy is the real deal. Places call weird ice cream "gelato" in this country, and this Italian girl says, "ma certo no.' Shy Guy, on the other hand, has that CONSISTENCY, both in terms of the stuff in the cup and how they deliver time and time again. If you close your eyes while you're eating it, rumor has it the Colosseum appears. The gelato is authentic, with the cool American twist of funky flavors. (Aka, I kind of feel like it's me embodied in a cup: Italian at the core with unmistakable trashy American mixed in.) Thai ice tea? Yes please. Creamsicle reminiscent of childhood? Ok, I'll take two. The people are so kind, and the shop is super cute. They use local, fresh ingredients, and it shows in the quality. We absolutely love Shy Guy, and it's the best gelato outside of the motherland -- hands down. Anybody who gives this place less than five stars is pazzone!!!

Insanely good! Had the Trash Panda & Coffee and Cookies and both were delicious. Will definitely be back!

Hands down my favorite dessert place in Burlington VT; their gelato is consistently top notch and with a wide variety of flavors over the course of a week (as the daily flavors are typically curated to 6 per day. The staff are delightful.

Delicious. I didn't take pictures. I love this place. I tried the raspberry lemon and cookies and cream.

outrageously amazing flavors... fresh, unique, and always a pleasant surprise hard to choose a favorite but let's say... peach hazelnut ‍ lemon basil strawberry rhubarb cantaloupe ...are first to mind the owner is sweet friendly and engaging my favorite spot to soak up the sun and amazing flavors on the sidewalk or patio

I cannot overstate how great Shy Guy is! I have been an avid gelato fan ever since first going to Italy in 2012. I'm always looking for great gelato, and I was really not expecting to find my favorite gelateria of all time in Burlington, VT! Paul makes top-tier gelato, easily the match of or better than anything I've had in Italy. The texture is perfect, and each gelato or sorbet packs an absolute wallop of flavor. They're made with fresh, quality ingredients, and you can really tell from the purity of the flavor that comes through in the final product. The cones are imported from Italy and are delicious. They've got a great crunch, and they aren't overly sweet, which keeps them from overpowering the gelato, which is of course the star of the show. My partner and I first discovered Shy Guy when visiting in the winter (they're open fewer days in the winter, but the gelato is still incredible), and since we moved here we've been going pretty much every day that they're open. They've got new flavors daily throughout the summer, with such a massive collection of recipes that you rarely get repeats, which makes it worth following them on Instagram to check the daily flavors and make sure you don't miss out when your favorites pop up. You can mix and match flavors in a cone or a cup, which helps with the FOMO of not wanting to miss out on any of the flavors of the day. There is always at least one vegan option on the menu, so don't let a dairy intolerance or dietary restriction stop you from popping in. The location on St Paul Street is super cute, and it's an easy walk from City Hall Park. There's shared outdoor seating with Cafe St Paul next door, and there's also a little bar inside for standing and eating at when it's cold or rainy out. We also love everyone who works there! They're all so friendly and accommodating, and they're always willing to help out when you've got analysis paralysis about which flavors to choose. Anyway do yourself a favor and don't miss this wonderful spot!

Amazing stuff. 100 stars. Super friendly staff too. Please keep the spumoni in the rotation.

I tried a mix of the vanilla latte and the chocolate sorbet and both were delicious. The vanilla was really tasty and the chocolate tasted like chocolate pudding- thick and rich. It is a small storefront and they offer about 10 different gelato flavors but as you can see from my order, you can mix them. They have a table or two inside and then a couple of tables outside. Bring cash as there is a surcharge for credit cards of about 4.5%.

Three words: dark. chocolate. sorbet. Wow! My friend who lives in Burlington had said good things about this sorbet. His wife advised that not all flavors were created equal, and she generally enjoys combining a fruity flavor with something more custardy. Both of them were correct. My friends have great taste. This cute little shop had a freezer full of house made gelato and sorbet. But it's a small shop, and they have a small freezer. At capacity, it holds just six different flavors. On the board, there were pre-packed pints of other flavors available for purchase. However, without any dry ice to bring it back to Albany, we had to limit ourselves to the six flavors being scooped. It was a hard decision. An impossible decision. In the end we went for one cup with the chocolate sorbet and lemon sorbet. The other cup was filled with nectarine sorbet and fior di latte. With the weather being so hot, neither pistachio nor salted caramel really were appealing. Although we sampled a bite of each, and they were delicious. While I would like to be nothing but gushing and positive about the place, I have to say I wasn't crazy about the lemon. I love tart and bracing lemon. But for some reason this flavor took on the character more of lemonade mix than fresh, vibrant fruit. I'm not sure why. Cutting it with a generous amount of fior di latte helped to take a bit of the edge off. But had we tasted the lemon at first, we probably would have opted for another flavor entirely. Hindsight is always 20/20. But I would have put the chocolate sorbet with the salted caramel. That would have been crazy crazy good. Next time, shy guy. Next time.

All I can think about since leaving Vermont is this amazing little gelato shop. I am still astounded by all the cantaloupey flavor they got into my cantaloupe gelato. Like biting into the ripest, most perfect juicy sweet cantaloupe. I can't buy a cantaloupe in the grocery store that tastes as fresh as this gelato. And ditto for the peach!!! How do you do it, Shy Guy?? Seriously, they blew my mind. I cannot wait to visit again. I keep stalking their Facebook page to see what new flavors they are making and thinking about doing the 8 hr round trip drive just to get more. I am ruined for other gelato shops forever.

A bit pricey ($12 for a pint) but quite good, and you can tell that cost covers fresh quality ingredients. I got Raspberry Dreams and S'mores. The Raspberry Dreams is so fresh, the raspberry taste is so good it tastes like they used in-season berries with a peak raspberry flavor. Such a nice bright flavor. The pistachio and chocolate pieces are nice flavors, pair so well with the creamy raspberry gelato, and the crunchy pieces add a nice texture. I can't imagine how this could be improved. This is a top notch gelato. Perfect combination of ingredients, tastes great. The S'mores surprised me. The graham gelato has almost a cereal milk flavor...I'm not a fan of cereal (or cereal milk), but I liked this. I generally prefer milk over dark chocolate, but this milk chocolate is very mild...I think using the same dark chocolate that's in the Raspberry Dreams would be great. What really impressed me was the Italian meringue. I was expecting a weird hard texture to be mixed in. I was thinking of pavlova style meringue, and that chewy hard texture you get when you freeze a marshmallow. Not so! This is like a meringue swirl, and it somehow retains a perfect fresh meringue texture...fresh, bouncy, whipped texture. The meringue has a really light flavor, sort of vanilla - you notice the texture difference in a spoonful of the graham gelato and it's really interesting and satisfying. It's good! The meringue kept this one interesting, and was way better than any marshmallow inclusion could be...and I say that as someone who enjoys a classic marshmallow s'more. Ben & Jerry may be considered THE Vermont ice cream, but Ben & Jerry can't touch Shy Guy Gelato.

I had the dream mix and my husband had the creamy mango. So yummy! I am glad they are still in business even with their new relocation.

The most amazing gelato and the nicest people! There is not a better non-dairy ice cream on earth than Shy Guy's chocolate sorbet. It is SO GOOD and like nothing else!

Great flavors selection. very creamy, lovely texture. Flavors are subtle and some might want them to be stronger but natural flavors are more subtle.

the best gelato in burlington. flavors change daily and they are always exciting and delicious. you cannot go wrong with the chocolate sorbetto

Came here moments before they were closing, mainly because I needed some gelato therapy and saw that it was walking distance from our AirBnB, in addition to having 5 stars! I like that there are only a few choices in flavors - helps my indecisiveness and also makes me feel like it actually is homemade in small batches. Really tasty, rich texture and interesting flavors.

Some of the best gelato I've had, and I've traveled a fair bit. Burlington is lucky to have this gelato! Friendly staff and just so delicious. They use local ingredients which is a plus. I know it's expensive, but they use local ingredients and make small batches so consider the price worth it for such deliciousness.

The gelato looked good. Unfortunately we were looking for frozen yogurt. The place doesn't sell frozen yogurt. Staff was very nice and tried to recommend other places. My 2 star rating is not against this place at all.

Don't understand why their website, google and yelp all say this is open to 9 but at 8:36 they are turning away customers on a Saturday night.

We had just come back from a brewery crawl and we needed to "cleanse" our tongues with something sweet. On our way back, we saw this gelato stop with parking in front. We jump off and went right in 10 minutes before they closed. I got the salted caramel or what was left of it, they literally had zero product left in their case. The three of us ordered, went outside, and were blown away at the creaminess and flavor of their gelato. Keep in mind, our gelato was the scraping of the bottom so it could've been subpar scraps of the heap. But it was actually pretty damn good. Not bad for an impulsive drive by decision to have some gelato. I now know where to get my gelato if I'm ever back in Burlington.

SoYo is our first choice but that place is in disarray at the moment due to a new owner... This place was GREAT. Delicious treats and friendly service!!!

Love this place! They always have interesting and unique flavors that are different everyday.

Travelled to Burlington with the family to visit UVM and stopped by this gelato shop for an after dinner treat. They were right at closing time and only had a few remaining flavors so we decided to pass. The two individuals at the order window guaranteed we would like what they had and all I can say is wow! The flavors and texture were perfect and the passion of the staff handling us was impressive. Highly recommend this shop and we'll certainly be back on our next trip through town.

Quite simply, this is the best gelato in the states I have had. My friend who recently went to Italy - proclaimed this better than gelato in Italy. Every day there's 5-6 new flavors made fresh and scooped until they sell out. There's crazy flavors like graham crackers, wonderful fruit blends, everything you could ask for. You can sample all the flavors you want. Honestly everything is so good - it's so light, flavorful, not too sweet. I have never eaten a pint of ice cream, but I can kill a pint of this easy and come back for more! You can get different sizes, or a pint of 2 flavors for $10. Don't forget to get your rewards card, 10 punches and a free small - which I have redeemed mroe than I care to share. You can also get day old pints that didn't sell out for $7-8.

This gelato is ridiculous. The varieties are so intriguing and fun. And if you are a traditionalist, the dark chocolate sorbet will make you think you are trying chocolate for the first time. It defines rich and creamy. We are moving to pints to take home!

So delicious best flavors super friendly very informative about ingredients and how it's made. Our favorite sweet treat

We stopped by this spot on our way out of Burlington... and boy are we glad we did! If you are not looking for it, you will miss it. This is the best gelato I have had (and I've had a lot!). We had the pleasure to chat with Paul, the owner (The Shy Guy). He makes fresh gelato everyday! If you are in the Burlington area, plan a stop here... you won't be sorry!

Wonderful! My husband and I visited this gelato shop during a trip to Vermont earlier in the summer. The first day we went, they were out of everything except for the avocado flavor. We tried it anyways and were pleasantly surprised. It was smooth, creamy and rich, and though you could taste the avocado flavor, it wasn't weird at all. Of the flavors we tried, we enjoyed this one the most. The next day we tried chocolate, strawberry, a lemon flavor and sweet corn. I would give the strawberry second place, and the chocolate flavor third. The lemon wasn't for me but the sweet corn was alright. This was an amazing find and we will be stopping by if we ever visit Vermont again.

This is by far the best gelato I have ever had - and this includes all the gelato I have tried and eaten all over Italy. Fresh, quality ingredients and impressive flavors. You can get something classic like Stracciatella or Dark Chocolate, or something more interesting and complex like Lemon Basil or Cardamom Coffee - and all will be mind-blowing. Also, everything is fresh made. To top it off, the owner is amazing, too. Worth every cent. My only concern is for my waistline since I live within walking distance!

Imagine yourself sitting on a blanket in the high rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside with the Italian Cypress trees visible all around you. Envision that the day is just now settling down and the sun is making its slow descent in the far off west. Now, feel the longing eyes of your Italian lover searing into your flesh with a passion beyond words- wanting, yearning, needing... ...Needing gelato that is! Sounds good, right? Right- so go grab a pint of the Gelato created by Shy Guy Gelato and you will have a sensational experience. The Shy Guy Gelato is simply exquisite- it's melt in your mouth delectable. The flavors are so fresh, so true, and so smooth that your taste-buds won't know what hit them. If you like ice cream at all, go have a bite of this heaven- but just one. I bet you'll soon find that one bite is just not enough. So, have a paint, or three; one for you and two for me! As an added bonus (as if great tasting Gelato right in VT isn't enough), I want to say that the Shy Guy creator, Paul, is really personable and easy to chat with. He actually spent quite a bit of time in Italy and learned from the Gelato Masters. His creations are very clearly the sharing of a true passion...

I love the idea for this gelato business. While they are ramping up they only make 30 pints a week and two different flavors. It's all local. You either stop by the locale on Sunday to pick up a pint or they deliver to you throughout the week. If you want more than a pint, you might want to call ahead and check on the inventory. As customer base builds supply will also. I've tried several types of the gelato. Salted caramel, hazelnut, pistachio, dark chocolate, fior d' latte, strawberry. All extremely good and very "pure" tasting. They only use a few ingredients in their recipes. I especially love the nut flavors. You can really taste the roasted nuts. It's a fun, grass-roots concept and I wish them a lot of success.

Love it. Small cute shop. Super friendly staff. Every flavor so fresh, rich, smooth, not milky. Kids had dark chocolate (amazing fudgy flavor but light at same time) and salted caramel (tastes like creme brulee). Peanut butter great also. Best gelato in a long time. Must visit. Makes your tastebuds sing the hallelujah chorus.

My husband and I stopped in yesterday after reading Shy Guys' reviews. The experience fell a little short of expected (my earth was not shattered), but for $10, we enjoyed a small lime and large pistachio gelato while all the locals lined up for gelato cookies.

Incredibly delicious, fresh tasting gelato with friendly service from a mobile cart on Church Street pedestrian mall in Burlington. We were impressed and so pleased with the flavors we visited their brick and mortar store too!

I have eaten a lot of frozen dessert and this is some of the best I've ever had. The MINT gelato was possibly the best mint gelato OR ice cream i've ever had. And paul, the owner, is so nice. What a gem of a place.

This place has about 6 different flavors of gelato but sells out quickly. We got there at about 8pm and they were almost completely out of gelato. We got creamy strawberry lime, curious George, creamy raspberry crumble, and milk mousse. They all tasted yummy! :) They also had dark chocolate which we didn't get, and mango which they were completely out of. I recommend to get there early if you want to make sure they still have gelato left.

Homemade and freshly made gelato. Tried the mango and mint. Delicious. Staff is very friendly!

Finally had a chance today to stop in at Shy Guy's store on the corner of Howard Street to try the freshly made gelato. The shop is super clean, tastefully decorated highlighting a scrumptious selection of the Italian dessert. My choice? Well it was hard to pick just one. The Pear's flavor made me think I was biting into a perfectly ripened fruit. The chocolate/orange, with its darkly rich color, was sinfully smooth reminding me of expensive truffles. Tables inside and out let you relish every spoonful. Don't forget to lick the dish.

I'm brand new to Burlington and this place is a sign that I made a good choice--everyone is super friendly and they make some of the most rich and devilishly delicious vegan options I've ever had. Will be dangerous living only minutes away.

This is a true gem! I've eaten at Shy Guy ever since it opened, and I have to say the owner is truly a person who's life's passion is his store and his customers. Shy Guy is easily one of the top 5 gelaterias in the United States. I brought my Italian father here and he said it is the only Gelato he's ever had state side that might be better than what he's had in Italy. High praise indeed! The owner has invented some wild flavors that truly show his desire to create and innovate. Japanese yam, Cider donut (containing hundreds of ground up local donuts), and interesting variations on classics make every new day visiting this place a treat. The staff and owner are so nice and always down to shoot the breeze while you sample the variety of flavors. If you dine out in Burlington, skip the restaurants desserts... come here instead.

Paul is an amazing guy that makes you want to stay at the gelato cart and talk all day... but THEN... the GELATO! We walked by several times in one weekend and the flavors change throughout the day, and are all ah..mah...zzzzing!!! We wanted to buy them all! There's also a B&M store that we didn't visit and while we're sure the product is just as amazing, it seems Paul is set up on Church St giving away samples and smiles. Please visit him, buy his wares! It's amazing!! PS - Paul... marry that girl!!

Simply the best. The owner Paul is an amazing person who really cares about the community and about what he creates. No shortcuts. The flavors are made with tons of whatever the flavor is (avocado, captain crunch, whatever). Don't miss it.