If you’re a fan of frozen treats, have I got some news for you! Ice cream, frozen custard, shaved ice, it’s all good and tasty in all forms. But if you’re a fan of gelato, it’s a bit harder to find in the Triangle. This Italian frozen ice cream is typically lower in butterfat but churned with less air for a smoother, creamier texture. The Triangle has smaller gelato options like Sugarland, Whole Foods and some Italian restaurants but never a dedicated gelato shop. Until Amorino hit the scene! I was able to visit as official customer #2 to Amorino on its opening day…
Located right across the street from Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Amorino sits under the Edison Lofts on E. Davie Street. Amorino opens at noon time, I got in about 12:10 and there’s one person in front of me. The space has a coffee shop feel to it with a lot of warm woods, counter order area and sitting area on the side. I lock in on the bright and colorful gelato case to figure out my plan of attack! With 20+ flavors in multiple sizes and in bowls or cones, you’ve got some choices to make! I decide to go with a medium salted caramel and pistachio cone that runs about $6.00+ Amorino has a nice display stand showing off the different sizes and options you have but choosing the flavor is on you! You can also add some other goodies to top your cone, like macarons but I pass.
It takes a bit of time for my cone but when you see it, you’ll understand. My cone looks like a flower bloom with gelato “petals” circled around the top, nice! I nearly feel bad eating the cone, it looks so good but I can’t resist. I can tell you that Amorino’s gelato is some of the creamiest and smoothest gelato I’ve tried. It just melts on the tongue and the flavors are basic and pure. And while the prices might be a bit higher than ice cream, that’s usually the case for gelato. Amorino is committed to all-natural flavors with no artificial colors and flavorings.
Heading around the corner, I grab a seat at the “fireplace” in back while I munch away on the cone. Note that Amorino also offers hot drinks such as coffee and espresso if you’re not in a gelato mood. A marketing gal from Amorino corporate HQ in Italy does a little market research with me, trying to get a feel for my impressions of Amorino and how much I know about gelato, which is fun. And their gelato is so tasty, the cone is gone in 5 minutes and it’s time to head back to work. But I can tell you that I’ll be back soon to try and work through more of Amorino’s refrigerated case and flavors! There’s nothing like great gelato and that’s certainly what they are putting out here, at Amorino…
