Things we learned this week: ice cream and thunderstorms go well together, as long as one has a covered place to enjoy said ice cream. Thankfully, Caffe Gelato had us covered (literally and figuratively)! We were able to enjoy our gelato on a table under an awning, as we watched some pretty impressive lightning flash in the distance.
Caffe Gelato, a “Northern Italian restaurant,” is a staple on Main Street in Newark, Delaware serving brunch, lunch, dinner, and gelato! While we know the food is good from previous experiences, this visit was solely focused on the artisan crafted gelato (the important stuff).
Caffe Gelato offers about a dozen flavors of homemade gelato showcased as you walk in the restaurant. We can attest that the colorful flavors will catch your eye and draw you in, and that the flavors won’t disappoint. You can get simple scoops of gelato or, if you are feeling fancy, they also offer gelato sundaes, frozen gelato drinks, and pints of gelato to-go.
The staff member serving our gelato graciously indulged us as we proceeded to try ~almost every~ available flavor. As a whole, the gelato was light and creamy, and the flavors were well developed. And, we loved that every part of the gelato is homemade by the restaurant. Everything tasted very fresh and we appreciate the dedication to making everything from scratch.
The Flavor Review:
Stracciatella: This flavor’s name is a fancy way of saying chocolate chip. I enjoy stracciatella though because it is different than just the typical vanilla with chocolate chunks in it. This flavor was a simple white base with more like chocolate shavings inside instead of chunks. This scoop was a refreshing treat that was much lighter than I expected.
Peanut Chocolate Chip: Shocker, we tried another chocolate and peanut butter flavor. This peanut butter base was light and creamy, with a strong peanut butter flavor. I thought the chocolate pieces throughout added some texture. I’m also thinking that this flavor had chopped up peanut pieces in it, which is not something that I usually see in peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream. It was a bit of a surprise, but I appreciated the additional texture.
Creme Brûlée Toffee: Yum! This flavor was delicious. The creme brûlée flavor reminded me of a sweet caramel without being too strong. I made the rookie mistake of asking if the toffee was from Heath Bars and the sweet server informed me that they make their gelato in house with homemade ingredients so the toffee was homemade and not from a mass-produced chocolate bar – oops! I did think this flavor could have used more toffee chunks, but I am known to enjoy chunks in my frozen treats so maybe gelato is known for keeping the add-ins minimal.
Creme Brûlée Toffee: This flavor surprised me – in a very good way. I thought the creme brûlée base hit a delightful sweet spot of being sweet and caramel-y without being overly sweet. I’ve never had ice cream with this flavor base, so I appreciated the uniqueness (and deliciousness) of it. I thought the toffee was very yummy, but I wish that the chunks had been a bit larger, in order to give more flavor and texture to the gelato.
Overall Scoops (out of 5):
Natalie: 3 Scoops – I was overall impressed with Caffe Gelato’s gelato and the experience at their restaurant. We were able to sample as many flavors as we wanted (always a plus!) and the serving size was perfect. As we have said before though, we truly love ice cream so while it was delicious, it was still gelato which is just not my favorite. **There is nothing wrong with gelato, my tastebuds just prefer ice cream.
Rebecca: 3 Scoops – If you’re looking for delicious gelato, this is a great choice. I enjoyed each flavor that I sampled and I love that everything was light, creamy, and homemade. The service was great and I appreciated that they let us sit and enjoy our treats at one of their tables outside. I would absolutely eat this gelato again! However, as we’ve noted, ice cream is our first true love, so it’s hard to give any gelato place a super high score (which explains the 3 scoops). But, if gelato is your thing, this is definitely a place for you!
The Inside Scoops 