Bologna’s best gelato: my must-try spots

Bologna is one of the best cities in Italy for gelato, we even have a gelato Museum and we finish all our food tours in Bologna with it.

The number of quality shops is impressive: here is my shortlist of the best gelato in Bologna you shouldn't miss.

Are you in the best city in Italy for gelato?

The number of quality gelato shops in a limited area makes Bologna the best city in Italy for gelato. Whether you like soft eggy creme or delicate fruit sorbet, in Bologna you will find your favorite place.

At what time do Italians eat gelato?

From afternoon to late night, it's always time for a good gelato in Italy. Just avoid mornings, because gelato places usually open around 11 am.

In Sicily, you can have granita served for breakfast with a typical brioche not to miss.

The best gelato in Bologna

Most of the gelato shops you find in this list are in the Bologna city center. A few of them might require extra effort by bus or car.

I keep the list updated, as much as my cholesterol allows me.

There are many reasons to visit the Via Galliera.
Galliera 49 is one of the best.

Seasonal and organic fruit flavors (you won't find melon in December) and great classics such as rum chocolate or Mediterranean cream.

​But if you're looking for their best, ask for granita.

Favorite flavors
Melon and figs granita

Info
Via Galliera, 49/b Bologna
Tel. + 39 051 246736
www.galliera49.it

Far from Bologna city center, you need to catch the bus to get there but well deserves the effort.

Born in 2004 by the mind of a software architect who discovered the perfect alchemy of gelato, it is now one best references in Bologna.

Which to choose?

Stay on the classics (cream, chocolate sorbet), or try unexpected flavors. Gorgonzola cheese and almonds may sound weird but believe me, it's just delicious.

Or go with Sciroccata: granita, ice cream, and panna: pure pleasure.

Favorite flavors
Gorgonzola cheese and almonds

Info
Via Agostino Barelli, 1 Bologna
Tel. + 39 051 6010051
www.cremeriascirocco.it

Imagine a small French patisserie where you can have the best gelato in Bologna and maybe in Italy.

This place is really tiny and charming: if you're lucky you could sit and taste the Crema 7 Chiese custard or Cioccolato del Baraccano chocolate or try the homemade ghiaccioli (ice sticks).

They also have a lab next door where they produce brioche, focaccia and panettone.

Get focaccia with gelato but don't tell your doctor about it.

Favorite flavors
Crema libanese, caffè bianco, Spagnola

Info
Via Santo Stefano, 70 Bologna
Tel. + 39 051 227045

At Sablé, expect the unexpected.

Owned by Alessandro Cesari, Sablé offers a daily tasting experience crafted from seasonal ingredients.

Cesari's background is as rich as his flavors. He was raised in a family of bakers, and he turned to gelato after developing an allergy to flour.

Sablé's gelato is not for everyone.
If you're looking for that creamy, milky, fatty ice cream, this is not your place.

If you're looking for new, delicate flavors and unusual pairings like Bolognese cream with Japanese azuki beans, go straight here.

Cesari personally sources ingredients from local farms and even his garden, ensuring each scoop tells a story.

Cesari's commitment to quality means no preservatives, thickeners, or artificial emulsifiers. With a daily limit of just 5 kg per flavor, once it's gone, it's gone.

The shop is open from March through November, offering a dozen ever-changing flavors.

Favorite flavors
Haiti chocolate, sake kasu milk

Info
Via dei Mille, 3a, 40121 Bologna BO

sablegelato.com

Strolling around Via San Vitale you can meet a gelato shop directly from the south of Italy.

At Gelatauro you taste pistachio or almond gelato like only in Sicily or Calabria.
The jasmine granita and the sweet manna (a resin that only grows from ash trees in Castelbuono) are unique.

​The place is cute and you can also have one of the best breakfast in Bologna there, trying some of their handmade cookies or (in winter) their hot chocolate.

Favorite flavor
Ginger

Info
Via San Vitale, 98 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 230049
www.gelatauro.com

Cross the bridge of Bologna train station to arrive in the best new neighborhood for foodies in the city.

In a few steps you can find Trattoria di Serra, Bianco Farina, one of the best pizza in Bologna, and a stunning Japanese called Yuzuya.

And here you find Stefino.

Stefano Roccamo's small shop opened in 1998, and since then, the idea has been simple: Make the best gelato in Bologna with local and organic ingredients, not too sugary, and low in fat.

The list of flavors is short, and that's good news.
It means he makes gelato daily.

You have to try the sorbets.
Figs, mandarin, and Yucatan, a chocolate sorbet with pepper.

And in summer ask for granite: peach, almond and lemon.

You can also find Stefino at Mercato Ritrovato, one of the best food markets in Bologna.

The cone is vegan and gluten-free.

Favorite flavor
Peach granita

Info
Via Domenico Zampieri, 4/2c, 40129 Bologna BO, Italy
Tel. +39 051 041 8945
stefino.it

Sure you know everything about gelato?

Great, now you know where to eat the best gelato in Bologna.

But why Bologna is SO famous for gelato?
How do you choose a good gelateria just by walking past it?
What do you need to know to get a well-made gelato?

Learn this and more stories and details about Bologna food tradition in our Bologna food tour.