Pappalecco

My favorite cofee shop in San Diego. Staff is always warm and friendly, mocha is the best, creamy and rich chocolate flavor. The gelato is also as tasty as it looks. Highly recommend.

The gelato here is very good — creamy and smooth and delicious. I got a medium gelato with the pistachio and hazelnut flavors. The hazelnut was my favorite, with a very strong yet delicate hazelnut flavor. The lady behind the counter was very nice and let me try 2 – 3 flavors before deciding. Unfortunately they were out of their signature «pappalecco» flavor the afternoon I visited (apparently it’s amaretto flavored) so I’ll have to come back and try it the next time I’m in San Diego. Although I took my gelato to go, the café seems like a cozy place to sit and get some work done so far. Seating seems limited.

Cute place in the heart of Hillcrest customer service is up to par and not much waiting time for your delicious drink. :)

I actually had the Little Italy Pappalecco bookmarked a while ago and were planning to head out towards that direction after we finished our lunch at Hash House.
Luckily, while we were looking for parking on a Sunday afternoon, we ended up parking right in front of this location so we didn’t have to make an extra trip.
As soon as we walked in, the cashier greeted us and when we told him it was our first time there, he said «great! I have just the perfect flavor for you to try.»
He grabbed three tasting spoons and gave us each a taste of the Pappalecco, then he gave us each another spoon of the nocciola. Both flavors were rich and tasty so Joshua decided to get a medium with both flavors.
Owen got a medium with the Pappalecco and chocolate and I got a small of the pistachio. I also asked to taste the Nutella, which was also good. But the pistachio was my favorite of them all. Yummy!

I love the gelato here and I never found a place in San Diego that has served a creamy textured gelato yet. The outdoor seating it warm and comfortable, it feels really private which is good for a date. There gelatos are mostly savory flavors which I don’t mind. My favorite is their pappalecco and nutella. Eventually I will try their other desserts but I’m always going back for their gelato.

Adorable café. You cannot go wrong with gelato! Try a sample of each and every flavor — Just don’t leave without a «CIAO» from the friendly gentleman behind the counter!

I got a waffle cone with a scoop of the hazelnut and pistachio gelato. They both were a perfect amount of sweetness. I loved it!
The café was also super cute. It’s a little crowded though, so it may be hard to find a spot to sit down inside. There’s also space on the patio out front if you want to enjoy Fifth Ave.

Came here with my siblings to satisfy a gelato craving and was not disappointed c:
Ambience: (⁵⁄₅)* relaxed, free wifi, and cute décor makes it a perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch, quite dinner, or snack spot. *I came here late on a Sunday evening though so I can’t say what it’s like normally.
Service: (⁵⁄₅) super friendly happy staff that are attentive and quick.
Food: (4.5÷5) i came here specifically for the gelato so the rating is for that only. lots of flavors to choose from and you can sample them beforehand. i got the milk and chocolate which was very subtle in flavor (my sister said it tasted like sweet ice) she got the pappalecco (signature flavor!) and my brother got the limone (which had just the right balance of sourness and sweetness)

Gelato: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Ambience: ⁴⁄₅
Overall: 4.67÷5
The gelato here is soooo heavenly. I got the affogatto with pappalecco gelato and it was the most amazing affogatto I’ve ever had! The espresso was so fragrant, and every bite was the perfect combination of nutty, coffee deliciousness.
The people here are so sweet. Every one of their workers greeted me at the door and also whenever they passed by me later on in the day (I was studying there for hours), and are very gracious with their samples.
This place is such a cute, kitschy feel to it. The outside seating is quite nice, except it can get a bit cold. The inside could be a bit better lit towards the evening. I recall straining to read the words in my notebook. The café can also get a bit loud sometimes because it’s a pretty small, confined area. However, this is a great place to stop by and relax whenever you’re in Hillcrest!

I really like this place! I ran into it and I’m glad I did. The staff are super friendly and this place is very Italian cozy. I had some gelato which was sooooo BOMB! I mixed the Nutella and pistachio in a medium cup. It was perfect amount and it was so good. I also tried the cappuccino and it was presented nicely and tasted very good. I didn’t even have to add sugar. Everything was so good so naturally I had to try a sandwhich. I think it was called gelitino??? (That’s pb wrong) anyway, it had cheese tomato spinach and balsamic. Of course it was super delicious as well. I recommend coming here for a casual date or a business meeting of ur sick of Starbucks. Or just a place to catch up over coffee. Very quaint. I will def be coming back.
All of the food turned out to be $ 14. Not bad in my opinion.

The gelato here is hands down THE BEST in SD. I just had the Pumpkin Nutella Walnut and it is seriously the best flavor I have ever had. The spice, hint of cinnamon, creaminess, and thick swirls of Nutella and nutty walnuts are to die for.
The texture of the gelato is just like how it is in Europe. This location is laid back and you can enjoy wine, cappuccino, and little panini. Servers are friendly in this neighborhood café. A few people can hang out and work at the tables with all the ample outlets along the wall and free wifi.

Pappalecco is one of my go-​to places when I need to study or get some work done. Wifi is free and (so far — fingers crossed!) I’ve always been able to find a spot to park myself for a while. I honestly have never eaten here before, but the food looks delicious and everyone raves about the gelato.
Beba (she’s Venezuelan, btw, not Italian ;)) and the other gals who work behind the counter are as sweet as can be and service is friendly and efficient.
Might I suggest you try a blueberry iced tea with lemon? So good!

LOVE this café/​gelato spot. One of my favorite places in San Diego to stop in for breakfast or gelato. Simply Yum.
Every gelato flavor is delicious. I’ve tried the pumpkin, pistachio, coconut, chocolate, Nutella, mint, stratiacella, papalecco flavor… (Omg, have I really tried every flavor?!). All of its good but the pistachio’s my go to. Pick a
Size cup/​cone first, THEN order your flavors in any combo. Had the chocolate chip cookie which is sinfully delicious also! They warmed it up for me so the outside was crispy with a gooey inside! And help yourself to iced water afterwards…
The coffee here is a little strong for me. Vietnamese drip coffees got some competition here.
The employees are so much fun. Super friendly, super cool, and seemingly always from a different country which can make for fun conversations.
Both the little Italy and hillcrest locations are wonderful.
I’m a regular here!

Bad luck, Sadly the drink was just plain ‘ol espresso with frothy milk, no nutella flavor what so ever!
Almond Crème croissant, EXCELLENT!

Imagine walking the streets of Hillcrest and after a nice long day stumbling upon this cute little Italian-​style café. I’ve never been to Italy, though many of my favorite little cafes, restaurants and hoods tend to fall into the Italy theme here in San Diego. Let yourself momentarily get whisked away by the sights and sounds of Italy in your own backyard. It’s full of pastry options and a wide selection of gelato. Every time I’ve come into this place, there were no available seats. I finally had my moment to step in and grab a seat.
The employees/​staff were/​are very friendly. One of the managers is very helpful and sounds Italian to me. I may be racial profiling, so forgive me. The other employees are helpful and usually throwing around a few good words at each other having a good time. Paula helped serve my hot tea and was generous with her time and patience. I’m very thankful. I couldn’t stomach much after stuffing my face for lunch at the Whole Foods salad bar. The vibe is great.
Outdoor seating looks pleasant and somewhere I hope to sit next time. There are limited outlets if you’re looking for a place to settle and get work done, but there are a few. I will be back for gelato and other treats in the future.

First of all, I may be a little biased due to my love of accents but I was absolutely enthralled by the voice of the clerk. She was sweet, friendly and I felt like I could’ve spoken to her like an old friend. On top of that, it was the first time I had a gelato frappuccino which was the perfect compliment to my morning as we waited in the absurd line to try Hash House down the street.
I could imagine on a busy day the entrance would become extremely crowded and this would only be made more frustrating by standing in the hot sun. However, for my experience at 8 am, there was no line whatsoever and the gelato tasted fresh. Plus, we easily found street parking just around the corner and the meter still had 30 minutes left inside it.
It was an unexpected stop while we waited for our table but altogether very satisfying. If I was in San Diego looking for gelato, this would be my first stop.

I lived in Italy for 3 years and I’m always in search of cannolis in the West. Came for cannolis and gelato and they are way overhyped… not impressed. I mean the experience was awesome because the ambiance is sooooooooooo like the café’s in Italy/​Sicily, but the quality of the food was definitely not up to par. Sorry, I really wanted to love you…

Haven’t been here in a while but right when we walked through the entrance and was greeted by an adorable Italian voice, I knew why I fell in love with this place in the first place. From the service to the gelato, everything is so authentic and transports you to a little café in Italy — or that’s the impression I get even though I’ve never traveled there. It’s homey, it’s soothing, and it just makes you feel so content. Unlike Extraordinary Desserts, Chocolat, or some of the other bigger dessert places, Pappeleco is definitely more down to earth and calmer. Pricing is more than reasonable considering the quality of ingredients and the execution of all their products.
Since I was horrendously disappointed with Pan Bön’s cannoli and have been craving one ever since, we decided to try theirs in addition to their gelato. I highly recommend the cinnabon gelato; however, since they didn’t have it tonight we tasted their pistachio, coffee, and pappalecco. If you love coffee, definitely try that flavor. It’s strong with a slight appetizing, rich bitterness. Their pappalecco is like a nutty chocolate — warm and decadent, and the pistachio is nothing to complain about. What I love about their gelato is that it’s smooth and stretches as you lift your small pail-​spoon from the cup. The small bits of nuts or other textures folded throughout their gelatos is what makes their gelato even more addictive.
Don’t worry I didn’t forget about the cannoli. Holy cow, I was dreaming after each bite. The shell was crispy, not to thick nor thin, and the cream filling with mini chocolate chips kept me spooning for more. We ended up cutting/​smashing the whole thing and ate it like pudding with a spoon. It was so good that I actually went up to special order one more dessert.
Do me a favor and just try this!!! I asked if it was possible to do the cannoli filling on the bottom with a scoop of gelato on top. Okay, this was the best thing of the night. If you love a light, creamy dessert yet packed with so many different flavors and textures, just try this. The gelato did not overwhelm the ricotta cannoli filling at all. Each was distinct in appearance, texture, and flavor. Next time, I’m going to try this with a warm cookie on the bottom. Mmmm I’m dreaming already.
Can’t wait to come back. The lady that helped us was like bubbles in a box and so accommodating and patient (as we tried multiple samples). When I asked her if it was possible to make my little creation, she also raved about the cannoli cream. Made me smile even more. Great place. Great people. Great dessert.

I stopped by here while waiting for a friend and to do some business on my computer. This shop is a gem in Hillcrest. I have been looking all around San Diego for a piano and in this café, there is a beautiful upright in the dining area. I have yet to ask if I am allowed to use it, but I will ask next time I come here for another coffee.
The drinks are a little pricey, but very high quality. The caffellatte is amazing, and perfect temperature. I like when a coffee isn’t blazing hot at first sip. That way I can actually taste the coffee without my tastebuds burnt off.
I also had some of their pastries in the case. The strawberry croissant was very flavorful and not crazy sweet at all, which I love. And the chocolate shortbread cookie was bomb. Overall, I am eager to return here to try their sandwiches and other food items, as well as the piano.
And I almost forgot, the café is known for their gelato, so try it out!

One of my friends – who knows how much I love desserts – recommended the gelato from Pappalecco (P) so I’ve had the eatery bookmarked for a while. But, when I found myself wandering around Hillcrest with some time to kill before dinner, I realized that I was pretty close to P so I decided to have dessert before dinner and check out that amazing gelato.
I was warmly greeted by the friendly girl behind the counter, and I guess I looked a little lost upon entering — I didn’t realize that P was a full-​on café, since my friend only raved about the gelato but didn’t mention any of the other dishes. But I told the girl that I heard good things about the gelato, so she directed me toward the gelato case and offered me sample after sample until I knew what I wanted to order.
Some of the flavors that she recommended included the «Marocchino” – coffee and chocolate – as well as the «Pappalecco,» which featured chocolate and amaretto (like the classic cookie). I asked about cup sizes and the girl showed me three variations — small, medium and large, and there are waffle cone options as well. The smallest cup looked REALLY small to me, so opted for the medium, even though it was more than I had wanted to spend. But, then again, I wanted to try several flavors, so getting that size actually ended up being perfect.
There are definitely a lot of gelato flavors to choose from, so whether you prefer chocolate or a fruity flavor, you’re sure to find the perfect option. Plus, the P staff will seriously give you sample after sample until you find a flavor that you love. Chocolate is already my MO – it just depended which type of chocolate gelato flavor I ended up with – but with the medium cup, I could choose up to three flavors to try. Sweet!
I ended up getting the «Marocchino,» «Pappalecco» and «Nocciolato” – three similar yet different chocolate options – and I think I paid a little more than $ 5 for my sweet treat. Even though it wasn’t exactly dinner time yet, every table past the gelato display case was occupied, but fortunately, there’s counter seating so I was able to grab one of the nearby chairs and enjoy my gelato before it melted completely. I’m not the hugest fan of melted ice cream/​gelato, so I had just enough time to snap a picture and then get to eating!
I eat more ice cream than gelato, so I can’t really say where my favorite gelato place is, but my friend was right — the gelato here is flavorful and creamy. Since I’m not going to Italy anytime soon, my gelato cravings can be satisfied by this place for now! I really enjoyed the taste of each flavor that I got and would order them again in a heartbeat.
Here’s what I would recommend:
«Marocchino»: This coffee and chocolate flavor features a strong coffee taste, so if you’re into coffee, this would be the perfect option. Although I would have enjoyed a bit more chocolate in this blend, I don’t get coffee-​flavored ice cream/​gelato that often, so this was a welcomed change. Coffee fanatics are sure to love the strong taste – and fragrance – of this popular flavor.
«Pappalecco»: If you’re eating at a restaurant and there’s an item on the menu that’s named after the eatery … it’s almost silly to not try it! At least, that was my reasoning behind sampling this flavor, and the girl at the counter also highly recommended it. It features the perfect blend of amaretto and chocolate. I don’t eat amaretto cookies very often, but I liked the lighter taste of this gelato flavor. The chocolate was there but it wasn’t a dense chocolate, and I rather enjoyed the amaretto cookie chunks throughout. I think this may have been my favorite flavor of all three that I ordered and I would highly recommend it if you’re visiting P for the first time.
«Nocciolato»: If there’s any chocolate and peanut butter option on the menu, you can be sure that I’m going to try it. This choc-​pb flavor sported a lighter blend of peanut butter and chocolate. I felt that the chocolate was stronger than the peanut butter by far, but it was still delicious, creamy and good to taste. I think actually this flavor provided good balance for the coffee flavor that I got, since the coffee taste was really strong.
«Cannelloni»: If I’m dining in P for a meal, this would be one of the entrées I’d order. I’m pretty simple sometimes when it comes to Italian food, and I don’t like lots of tomato sauce, so this option sounds perfect. It features fresh tubed noodles filled with spinach and ricotta cheese. This entrée automatically had me at «hello» because of that ricotta cheese, which is one of my favorites.
«Lasagne»: Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian dishes, but I don’t make it often because it’s hard to cook lasagna for one. But I’m sure this traditional dish is sure to be a hit at this Italian café; this version features traditional Bolognese. I would probably ask a few questions before ordering this – specifically about the amount of sauce used – but as long as there’s lots of cheese included