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Best Gelato & Italian Ice Shops in Orlando & Kissimmee: A Local's Guide to Cool Treats
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items Florida heat calls for something cold, and Orlando and Kissimmee are packed with authentic gelaterias, Italian ice stands and creamy dessert shops worth the drive. Here are my favorite local gelato and Italian ice spots around Central Florida, plus a...
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The Florence original's only US outpost is right at Disney Springs, and the gelato is as dense and rich as it gets. I always go for the pistachio or the affogato with a shot of espresso poured over it, and it's a perfect excuse to skip the park crowd...
Vivoli il Gelato
Tucked into a plaza on Hoffner Ave near the airport, this little family-run gelateria makes small batches in-house and the flavors rotate constantly. The dulce de leche and the fruit sorbettos are my go-to, and they do gelato cakes for parties if you...
Heavenly Bites Gelato & Desserts
Jeremiah's started right here in Central Florida, and the Kissimmee shop off US-192 near Celebration is my usual stop after a long park day. Get the Gelati, which layers their Italian ice with soft serve, and try the Scoop Froggy Frog if you like min...
Jeremiah's Italian Ice
This is the Poinciana Rita's on Cypress Pkwy, so it's the closest cold treat to home for a lot of us. The mango Italian ice is unreal on a 95-degree afternoon, and the frozen custard is thick enough to justify a Gelati or a Blendini every single time...
Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
Right on Park Avenue in Winter Park, Gelato-Go is the spot for a proper Italian-style stroll with a cone in hand. The gelato is made daily and the hazelnut and stracciatella are as close to Italy as I've found in Orlando. Great for a date night walk ...
Gelato-Go Winter Park
The Winter Garden location on Plant Street is a full Italian cafe, so you can grab an espresso or a panini and then finish with a cup of gelato on the patio. It's a short walk from the Saturday farmers market and the West Orange Trail, which makes it...
Gelato-Go Winter Garden Italian Cafe
La Carraia is a Florence institution, and their Dr. Phillips shop in the Marketplace plaza brings the same recipes to Restaurant Row. The pistachio and the ricotta with fig are the ones I keep going back for, and the portions are generous for the pri...
La Carraia Gelateria (Dr. Phillips)
Not gelato, but the Audubon Park original on Corrine Drive belongs on any Orlando cold-treat list. Kelly's churns small batches with local ingredients and rotates flavors weekly, and the Guinness and the salted caramel are the ones locals argue about...
Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream
If you want real gelato at home in Florida, a compressor machine is the way to go because you never have to pre-freeze a bowl in a freezer that's already packed. The ICE-100 has a dedicated gelato paddle and can run back-to-back batches, which is exa...
Cuisinart ICE-100 Ice Cream & Gelato Maker
The CREAMi is the fun option: freeze a pint overnight, spin it the next day, and you get gelato, sorbet or a protein ice cream in a couple of minutes. My kids love making mango sorbet with nothing but frozen fruit and a splash of juice, and the pints...
Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream, Gelato & Sorbet Maker
Homemade Italian ice is basically fruit, sugar and water, and these Zoku molds are the easiest way to turn that into pops the kids can grab from the freezer. The silicone release actually works, and they're dishwasher safe, which matters when you're ...
Zoku Classic Pop Molds (6-Pack)
For the nights you don't want to leave the house, Luigi's cups are the closest thing to a boardwalk Italian ice you can keep in the freezer. Lemon is the classic and strawberry wins with the kids; I keep a box on hand for after-school and pool days a...
Luigi's Real Italian Ice Variety Pack
This is the book that finally explained to me why homemade gelato comes out icy: it's about the sugar and fat ratios, not the machine. Forty-five recipes with real technique, and the fruit sorbetto chapter is perfect for using up Florida mangoes and ...
Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer
Once you start making gelato at home you need somewhere to store it, and this long, low Tovolo tub is the one every ice cream nerd recommends. The shape makes scooping easy, the lid seals tight against freezer burn, and it slides into a crowded freez...
Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop Ice Cream & Gelato Tub
The Zeroll is the scoop the real gelato shops use, with a heat-conductive fluid in the handle so it glides through rock-hard gelato straight from the freezer. No moving parts, no dishwasher though, and it'll outlast every other scoop in your drawer. ...
Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop