Gelupo

Gelupo is a haven of stracciatella and comfy, curved booths on Archer Street in Soho. There’s an always-shuffling queue of salivating gelato enthusiasts young and old outside, eyeing up another person’s towering pistachio cone while internally panicking under the choice of what to lick. Said queue ends at the counter but, at the back, Gelupo has space to sip negronis and spoon dark chocolate sorbet too. Late afternoon these booths could be filled with any number of Harry Potter enthusiasts but, come evening (and until midnight on weekends), the vibe is less choc chip and more mi scusi darling, the grown-ups have a sugar craving.

photo credit: Elliot Sheppard

photo credit: Elliot Sheppard

Everything is freshly churned daily and as a result flavours change that often too. You can pretty much always expect to see the smooth pastel green of the Sicilian pistachio covered in its toasted brethren, but look out for the specials too. Chewy rice pudding with a dusting of cinnamon, or a blood orange number that is technically a sorbet but somehow manages to encapsulate the joie de sass of Joan Rivers. The ricotta and dark sour cherry is a signature scoop and will always be on our table. Once you’ve made your flavour choice, there’s only one decision left. To cone or not to cone?

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Ricotta Sour Cherry

Rich ricotta with dark sour cherries. Dark sour cherries with rich ricotta. Bitter red on sweet white. It doesn’t matter how you put it, it’s a must. Best gelato in London, hands down.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Blood Orange

Quite the little firecracker. The tang factor of the freshly squeezed blood oranges is off the charts and that’s why it’s our favourite sorbet here. Fully vegan and fully the grown-up slushie we deserve.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Mint Stracciatella

Mint with chocolate can be a little bit of a snooze but this is a satisfying exception. The secret weapon? Sweet and dark shavings of the stracciatella. And also the wafer used to bat other people’s hands away from the first scoop.

photo credit: Rob Greig

Bacio

Baci Perugina is a traditional chocolate and hazelnut confectionary. Bacio translates as kiss. See, the more you know, the more likely you are to make exceptional ordering choices. One for the crunch heads, the rich nuttiness makes this a great shout if you’re stopping by for something particularly indulgent.

photo credit: Rob Greig

Pistachio

This classic is executed to perfection. Neither the nuttiness nor the creaminess win out, so you’re left with a proper pistachio flavour, topped off with even more toasted pistachio.

photo credit: Rob Greig

Biscotti

On the ice cream counter you’ll find a few baked goods and everyone’s favourite Italian cookie makes an appearance. A must-order for scooping purposes if you’re getting involved in the affogato. Proper crunch.