Gelato Classico Italian Ice Cream

We walked out of this joint. Stay away. Grumpy man was unbelievable. We waited in the line that was long because he was stalling and going very slow, apparently in an attempt to make the line go out the door so it looked busy. The sweet elderly couple who was in front of us in line was chatting to us about the grumpy man’s attitude. They were worried that he wouldn’t make her an espresso which she wanted. Sure enough he claimed the machine was broken. No apology, no sign on the menu, just a scowl. They were sweet and said «darn! We waited so long!» laughed and left. He looked at us and told us it was not his problem and that they hadn’t waited long. Well, we knew how long they waited and knew whose problem it was. so we walked.

Good Gelatos, but service was snail paced. Partly because servers being slow, partly because some customers were inconsiderate of long line and kept trying flavors. They definitely need help and better process.

Hazelnut was good. My husband liked the pistachio and lavender. Rum was not good. With that said go with Vanilla. Thats what my son got. Smart boy. Can’t go wrong with Vanilla. The place didn’t surpass in flavor so I wouldn’t stop by here again. And they only take cash. Sorry that’s an inconvenience for me.

Gelato Classico is tremendously overrated IMHO. The insides are crampy, old and never clean when I look in, passing by. No place to seat down, plasticky and sticky counter. Long lines out the door and absolutely unwarranted at that, it’s just gelato. Not super competitively priced either. Yes, they are open late, so? Often served with an attitude, on the unfriendly side, and long wait for all that? Not my scoop of gelato, sorry to say.

Come in, order some gelato with my friends. Great gelato. Hands down. We all sit down in their 6 plastic lawn chairs around a dirty, outdated table. (Note there were 7 of us in total, one sat on another’s lap) (The shop itself is outdated and messy.) We start playing a card game at this table and are having a wondeful time enjoying each other’s company and, of course, our gelato. Everything is going great! Then the line dies down and soon its just me and my friends in the shop playing our card game. Out of nowhere, the b*tcha$$ manager/​daughter of the owner/​whoever the f*ck she is begins to yell at us behind her dirty counter: «you guys are being really loud and taking up chairs from our paying customers. You can take your game outside and play it there.» C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E. Has this place ever heard of this term!!! WHAT THE F*CK?!
1. We paid for our overpriced gelato along with everyone else.
2. Theres a total of 6 chairs in your dinky @$$ place.
Your chairs are literally plastic lawn chairs.
Maybe if you stopped storing boxes IN THE FRONT OF THE SHOP, there’d be space for more seating!!!
3. You dare kick PAYING CUSTOMERS out???
It’s literally 39 degrees outside and windy.
You’re outside tables look like they haven’t been cleaned in about 2 weeks. Also, there is so much debris surrounding the tables that it’d be nearly impossible to seat 7 people there.
4. You dare confront us about it less than 5 minutes later with an b*tchy attitude?! «Did you guys _​not_​hear what I said?»
5. There are no other customers in the shop. How are we taking the chairs from other «paying customers»?
I am shocked that they could be so rude and aggressive to their own customers. Shape the f*ck up. You guys lost me and my friends’ respect altogether. F*ck your business. F*ck the b*tch that yelled at us. Hope this place goes out of business. Good luck to any of you who dare trying to sit in their store after buying their products. Btw. Why are the gelatos mixed together. How hard is it to scoop without making a disgusting mess in every gelato container?
Oh yeah. Dont forget to bring cash. Cash only. What a f*cking joke. It’s 2016 for f*cksake.
I am thoroughly disgusted with this sh*tshow of a store.
Don’t forget to check the hidden reviews! All the reviews there will tell you all about their «wonderful» service.

this place is a joke.
not only is the gelato subpar, the service is, for a lack of a better word, «f*ing» rude.
«you guys are taking up all the chairs from the paying customers and you’re kind of loud.»
EXCUSE ME? AM I NOT A PAYING CUSTOMER AS WELL?
can’t believe I tipped you people. you guys need to work on your customer service. big time.

I love this place! It’s like authentic and soooo good with many selections! I highly recommend it. Better than anything you can buy from the store!

Shared a regular sized cup of honey lavender, crème brulé, and chocolate fudge with gf. A spoonful of crème brulé and fudge was mmm. Next time would want to try double espresso bean, green tea, and mango sorbetto.

The laundry list of gelato flavors causes for confusion for the new customer. sometimes when there are 50 kinds, it’s tough to make a decision. Additionally, you get to try up to three flavors which adds to the wait, adds to the line, and seems to encourage even more people to join the line to find out what people are waiting for. Turns out, they are waiting for delicious gelato and you actually need the wait time to decide on what flavor (s) to order.
There is a crusty Italian curmudgeon who may be the owner or may be there for authenticity, either way it works.

Probably the best place for gelato in the area! My personal favorites are the chocolate hazelnut and honey lavender.
There’s always people standing in line, which is always a good sign. But keep in mind that it’s cash only!
Did you just have dinner on Castro? Skip the dessert at the restaurant and come here to instead :)

The short: yummy gelato with a long wait
This place seems very old, based on its décor, and the service is slow. I felt so bad for the one man scooping out gelato, handing out taste samples and ringing up orders while the line extended outside. Still, my friend and I waited. We graciously thanked the man and he felt very appreciative.
I thoroughly enjoyed my honey lavender and pistachio gelato. Would I come here for my gelato fix? Not unless the line was small or nonexistent. Also, the gelato was partially melting before I even dug in.
Side note: cash only

This place always has a line and I can see why! It’s a tiny store, but they carry so many flavors! They’re also really nice and let you try many flavors before deciding on what you want. Not sure about the other reviews, but when I was here there were multiple young workers and they tried to move the line as fast as possible. It was also pretty late… so maybe that’s why the line wasn’t too bad and it moved quickly.
Yes, I get that this place is kind of pricey and it’s CASH ONLY, but I like that the flavors are really good and it’s not overly sweet. I had the honey lavender and it was so good!

Great place to get an affordable, quality scoop of gelato. It’s one of the only places open late in the area, and thus has a tendency to get a bit too crowded late at night. They have a wide array of choices, and the staff is incredibly patient and helpful while guiding you towards your perfect flavor. I recommend anything blending coffee and chocolate, and they usually have 4 or 5 options that do a stellar job of this.
Personally, I enjoy the taste of Tin Pot in Palo Alto more, but if you’d rather not do a 40 minute roundtrip commute from Castro, Gelato Classico is a strong alternative!

Cash only, folks!
I absolutely loved the older dude that worked here. He doesn’t give two hoots about how long the line is. He works at his own pace and gets you your gelato. Patience is a virtue. Hahaha.
I had the dark chocolate and the cappuccino chip which I enjoyed very much! Creamy, chocolately, and sweet just how I like my gelato.
Will definitely be back, even if the line is long!

Seriously old skool and seriously long wait too. Like other people said, there’s only one old dude working here and he takes his sweet time. We probably waited nearly an hour on a Saturday night. It was loud, people were smoking right outside. Fortunately, we spent the time chatting away with our old friend. They have many flavors to choose from. If you get a single scoop, you can only get 1 flavor. But if you decide to screw the environment and get a waxed cup and a plastic spoon, you can get 2 in a small size. :)
I got the lychee and honey lavender. Both flavors were delish! I love how subtle the lychee was… not overpoweringly sweet. Tasted so natural. Yum. The honey lavender was also delightful. DH and his friend both got vanilla bean and complained it was slightly grainy. DH also got half tiramisu and that was yummy. I think his friend got half chocolate hazelnut. Portion sizes are really small for the cost. CASH ONLY.

Things sure do change in four years… aside from the CASH ONLY policy. I get Mountain View is an expensive location but please take a look at the demographics and statistics backing card processing ownership. Square, anyone?
Visited this establishment last night. The recent accolades on the wall is not befitting for Gelato Classico, sorry to say.
Two notable changes:
1) A fraud detection machine that cannot read a single $ 20 bill, no matter no straight or crisp the bill was. Might I suggest a fraud detection pen instead?
2) SNAIL-​PACE service. Why did I wait 30 minutes for gelato that has noticeably declined in taste? Sure, the owner may be a nice guy, but when you have a line at the door and the sense of urgency is comparable to that of the DMV, something has surely gone amiss.
The hired help was, well… of no help. He skipped my friend and I and went to another guest down the line. The elderly owner looked at the young confused fellow in disgust, directing him to help us. The poor soul stood there for roughly 15 seconds wondering what in the world he was talking about before finally taking our order. I could not help but start laughing because all I could think about was «how was this guy hired?» Call it mean, but come on man.
He also took his sweet time scooping the melting gelato for my friend and I. The aforementioned fraud detection machine was not cooperating. I watched the kid scan my bill about 10 times before the old man had to drop what he was doing and scan my 2 different $ 20 bills about 10 times a piece. I gave up and gave him a $ 10 and a $ 1. I got my change and left.
$ 6.20 for two flavors on an «Italian» cone + a 30 minute wait + questionable staff. Not even a Mastercard commercial could justify this place. OH WAIT, THEY DON’T TAKE CREDIT CARDS.
I don’t think I want to come back anymore. Might I suggest the place across the street?

This place is usually always busy, only because it’s usually just the owner who is an elderly man that helps out customers.
From time to time I notice that there are a few other people helping him out but he usually has them help for a small amount of time, seems to me it’s as if he’d rather take control; but the line would move a lot faster if he lets them help out.
The gelato here is really good quality for the wait though so if you’re willing to wait go for it.

CASH ONLY!
This is a cute, family owned shop on Castro. There is usually a long line after dinner on weekends! My favorites are Chocolate Hazelnut, Lychee, and Green Tea, but I’ve liked everything I’ve tried.

I love this place! I usually get spumone and pistachios. The flavors are so unique that I can’t get it from any supermarkets. They have green tea, chocolate hazelnut, plain chocolate, plain vanilla gelato, etc. but I feel like you can get that anywhere.
The owner who’s the old man seems nice. He has a small business and usually I see two staff working at max for him. The line sure could be faster if he hires more staff, but for some reason he doesn’t. My boyfriend thought it was funny when there were banners that says the place was voted best gelato place in mountain view in 2003, 2004, 2005… all the way to 2015 and he says he gets it! The owner doesn’t have to manually keep going with this each year, just claim that you’re the best gelato place in mountain view period! I do have to agree this is the best gelato place in mountain view.
PS– This place is CASH ONLY.

Came here on a Saturday night and the line was out the door! I was so excited because usually a crowd means its a good place. We waited for about 30 mins. During the wait, i couldnt help but notice all the «best in mountain view» signs that begged the question, «WHO votes for the best gelato in mountain view?» How many people were surveyed? Who gave them these signs? Can I get a sign? can anyone get a sign?
The inside of the shop is small and unremarkable. I ordered the tiramisu + cookies and cream. The ice cream was so melted and could have come out of a Dreyer’s ice cream box. Also its cash only. The whole experience just showed me that Americans are deprived of good gelato. I only learned this recently when I went to Europe, so I don’t blame people for thinking this is good.

Friday night in Downtown Mountain View, and the line for gelato is longer than the lines for any of the bars/​clubs next to it. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
For $ 3.60 for a small, you can pick up to 2 flavors. This was perfect since I was splitting one with Stephanie S. They let you try as many flavors are you want, but we quickly chose Lychee and Honey Lavender. (The Fresh Ginger was also refreshing, so give it a try!) Both of the flavors were light and sweet. Definitely not too heavy and didn’t make me want to hit the gym afterwards.
I thought it’d be all hype because of the line, but it was definitely worth the wait!

Classic gelato store
Walking up and down mountain view downtown, this place is hard to miss. With it’s bright glowing lights, and usual long lines outside, this is THE go-​to place for some late night gelato after a night out eating and drinking!
The senior dude who works there seems to be there all the time. Even when places next to it close down and get replaced, this gelato place still seems to stand the test of time, with the senior dude (who I presume is the owner) holding down the fort, day in, day out.
The gelato quality is amazing. Lots of variety to choose from, and always tastes fresh. Go for the pistachio – can’t go wrong with that.
Definitely worth stopping by every time you’re in the area.

This gelato place was directly next to a boba place I went to try! I got a small which was only $ 3.60 for two flavors! After trying a few, I narrowed it down to the tiramisu and the white chocolate raspberry. So, let’s get down to narrating the flavors:
Tiramisu: If you’ve ever had a piece of tiramisu cake itself, you’ll know that the cake itself is chocolaty and moist. With that being said, we tried the tiramisu flavor which was actually really tasty! It actually had bits of tiramisu cake inside of it which made it so tasty! Everything around the bits and pieces of tiramisu cake was chocolate, but not over powering amounts of chocolate!
White Chocolate Raspberry: For one thing. I absolutely love the color of the gelato for this one seeing as it swirls with the white and red, and if you ever see it in the clear case, the color is absolutely gorgeous! You can definitely taste the white chocolate and bits of raspberry pieces inside of the gelato which makes it so delicate!
Honestly, it wasn’t too bad trying it for the first time at this place. There’s a sign outside that says it’s voted number one for gelato, which I’m sure they meant in the particular area. My only regret in regards to this place was not trying out the Reese’s peanut butter cup flavor because I’m such a fan of it! If you’re ever walking down the street and have enough time to admire the numerous in’s and out’s of the area, definitely stop by this one!

Marchand de glaces qui semble être une institution de Castro Street: en témoignent la file d’attente qui s’étend souvent sur le trottoir et la longue histoire qu’illustrent les coupures de presse et autres récompenses qui ornent les murs. Les lieux eux-​mêmes sont basiques: décor blanc type «no look», quelques tables et chaises de camping pour ceux qui veulent déguster sur place (et surtout qui sont assez rapides et chanceux pour pouvoir s’y installer)…
Mais l’essentiel est derrière le comptoir ! Le client est encouragé à demander une lichette gratuite des parfums qui le tentent, et la menthe chocolatée (pas l’inverse qu’on voit plus souvent) que j’ai choisie était délicieuse. Portions évidemment over the top (vous demandez une boule, on vous en colle 2, mais pour le prix d’une) et service ultra-​aimable (et patient en plus, ce qui est rare aux US).
Une très bonne adresse pour le dessert après avoir dîné de l’une des nombreuses gastronomies de la grand-​rue de Mountain View !
PS: attention, cash only.