Inside the Glasgow gelato shop described as 'best outside of Italy'

A new coffee and gelato shop has become the talk of the town as Glaswegians flock to the Southside for a taste of La Gelatessa.

The buzz started before owners Chiara and Dave Pieraccini-Partington could serve their first frozen treat out of the pink shopfront on Nithsdale Street.

When their batch freezer broke just before La Gelatessa's grand opening, the husband-and-wife duo was forced to get creative, serving up decadent hot chocolates that ended up dominating social feeds for weeks.

By the time they were ready to serve their first scoop on April 15, the word was out.

Dave, 38, said: "The hot chocolates were a stroke of genius. Chiara filled the gap of not having a machine for opening, so that was a good boost at the beginning.

"But the gelato seems to have supercharged that. Queues out the door."

Opening weekend saw the pair sell out of 100kg of gelato, with many dubbing the new shop 'the best gelato they've had outside of Italy'.

Chiara, 35, who studied at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, uses organic milk from Mossgiel Farm in East Ayrshire and develops flavours using fresh, seasonal produce.

She said: "It was an amazing opportunity to learn how Italians make gelato and bring that back and try to apply it here."

Chiara's family comes from Barga in Tuscany, often described as the 'most Scottish town in Italy'.

Dave said: “We have a big connection to Italy, it’s our favourite place. We’ve had a lot of gelato there and realised that’s what we want to do.”

Chiara, who has a background working in bakeries, has always wanted to start her own business and experiment with different ideas.

She said: “I’m a very creative person and to be able to get in the kitchen and create and have fun, that’s just the absolute dream.

“I’ve been really enjoying myself in the kitchen so far, thinking up different flavour combinations. Something unusual that you wouldn’t get, even in Italy because they're quite traditionalist."

Flavours on the most recent menu include staples Fior De Latte and Salted Pistachio Di Bronte, as specials like Pineapple and Mint Sorbet and Amarena Cherry with Mascarpone.

Chiara said: “The pistachio gelato has been flying out the door. People are really loving it so that’s a permanent fixture on the menu at the moment.

“But in the coming weeks, this is the best time of year for produce. Because I'm seasonal you won't really find anything that’s not growing at this time of year on the menu.

“I'm really looking forward to strawberries coming in season because Scottish strawberries are just the best in the world when they're in season. They’re just so packed full of flavour.

“There will be a lot of fruitier flavours coming in the next couple of months.”

The couple are over the moon to be finding such success after their rocky start.

Dave said: “It’s really satisfying to see the result that everyone just loves it. It brings a tear to your eye a wee bit.

“Sometimes sitting in the parking lot at Costco prepared to go in and get a big bag of sugar, seeing all the reviews, it’s really nice.”

Chiara added: “It’s a massive relief as well because again when we decided to start the business it was just before there were rumours of recession and the price of everything was going up and still is.

“By the time it hit really bad figures for costs, we were too deep into it so we were like, we just kind of need to keep going and hope for the best.”

Barely a month on from selling their first gelato, Chiara and Dave tease new menu items may soon be available (Sicilian brioche ice cream sandwich, anyone?).

To find out more about La Gelatessa, click here.

Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.

Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.

Last Updated:

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?