Cici
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
181 reviews
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
"Tuttimelon's really doing it for me! LOVE their promo & their prices, LOVE their yogurt! A small is only 99 cent right now, and is…" read more »
19 Reviews for Cici
This place is great. I have been coming here since they first opened, and they have improved so much since those first couple of days. I like the fresh, organic, seasonal, local thing they have going on.
My favs: chocolate and salt, chocolate chip, yogurt, lemon, coffee.
I really like the two owners as they really love what they are doing. I hope that this becomes a permanent fixture in the MVCA.
the meyer lemon sorbetto was perfect on a hot sunday afternoon. Light and syrupy and delicious. I paid $2.50 or so for a kids size, which was pretty pricey but I do believe it was worth it.
However, the inside decor leaves a lot to be desired and there weren't a lot of flavors to choose from.
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Expensive? Yes. Fresh and delish? Yes.
I love coming here in the summer because the flavors remind me of the time I spent in Italy. The person behind the counter (I think the owner) is super friendly. The lighting is fluorescent, which is weird for a gelato shop. Get your $5 small to go and walk around the town square.
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BEAUTIFUL flavors. There's nothing like it in Marin. Their flavors are delicately balanced but strong, creamy, and rich, and ingredients are always seasonal. I was disappointed when my favorite fig flavor (August) wasn't there on my next return (January) but of course it wasn't -- they had used fresh figs for the batch during the real fig season.
My favorites right now are the Yogurt and, as always, the hazelnut.
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Excellent, creative, organic, homemade flavors, open to requests, hospitable hosts, local, good ambiance, and interesting vibe.
I live really close by, and I go ALL the time, and have an amazing experience every single time. This place just doesn't seem to disappoint.
Each visit is a surprise to see the different flavors available. Family owned, and the workers are always kind and generous. Going with friends is always a pleasure, and although prices seem a bit steep, the gelato is entirely worth it!
Dear Cici,
I was hesitant when I stepped into your brightly-lit, Mill Valley gelato abode. After all, I'm from Oakland and the only way I see this kind of gleam is when the sun shines off the Mormon Temple. I was even more hesitant when I saw the almost $5 price tag.
I knew that either you and I would hit it off or we would fail miserably. Sorry Cici, it's the former.
Your flavors were cold and hard like ice cream, not smooth and snappy like gelato should be. The coffee (espresso?) flavor was good, and tasted like it was full of strong-coffee-goodness, but again, way too hard.
I tried to like you. I tried to get behind seeing a Marin County gelateria, but Cici, I'm afraid it's just not going to work this time or ever. You stay on your side of the bay and I'll stay on mine.
Sincerely,
lisa
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I had the Lemon gelato.
It
was
terrible.
It was like Italian ice. Gelato isn't supposed to be all grainy and chunks, eh?
Perhaps it was a little freezer burnt? I don't know, but I'm probably not going back.
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Although the name, logo, and font are incredibly cute, this place was also incredibly disappointing.
After lunch, a few friends and I decided to check Cici out. I had driven past this place before, and was excited to give it a try.
The prices are comparable to other geleterias - $4.50 for a small (1-2 flavors). The gelato selection was on the small side. We ended up trying the Vanilla Bean, Apple, Lemon, and Fig flavors. Besides the Vanilla Bean, which was fairly good, the gelato's consistency was chunky and icy. Pieces would crumble off the wooden spoons before you could get it to your mouth.
If you do decide to come here, I would definitely recommend sampling the flavors out before choosing one or more.
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CiCi is the best gelato in the Bay Area and I'd even venture to say the best outside Italy. The more I go back the more I appreciate the quality and attention to detail. Reading some of the other reviews I want to address some common misconceptions that bugged me.
1.0 Gelato is not ice cream (Scoop) and is not frozen yoghurt (Woody's). They are different products and great ones at that.. Gelato uses milk not cream so it has ~50% less fat content. In addition it is made with less air ~30% vs 50% for ice cream. With the less fat content there is less fat coating your tongue so the flavor is more pronounced. So when eating gelato the flavor should pop. If you can, try the two at the same time.
2.0 The texture is dependent on the flavor and if its Gelato (milk based) or Sorbetto (water based). To make all the flavors have the same texture and increase its shelf/freezer life you adjust the amount of stabilizer (aka gum). Gelato typically has a short shelf life (2-3 days) so the amount of what you use depends on how you plan on using/storing it. Unfortunately the more stabilizer you sacrifice flavor and texture. Too much and you get a smooth gooey product (like soft serve) but a great shelf life. Like any chef its an art to find that balance that pleases your taste and texture of what you want and that of your customers.
CiCi's product speaks for itself and I encourage everyone to taste. I don't love all the flavors, but they taste how they should. For example I didn't realize how artificial mint flavor has become compared to the real thing. Try it. Yoghurt tastes tangy - like it should. Mix it with a Mandarin (Orange) and you have a great mix - if you like real yogurt.
The flavors are fresh and seasonal (no strawberry in the winter so its not shipped from around the world or frozen). If you are eating strawberry in the winter it didn't come from around here.
CiCi has helped me rediscover my tongue - thank you!
Some people don't care and thats fine. But I can taste the difference and Im willing to pay an extra buck for that. The guys in Chowhound I think have a good perspective as well.
http://www.chowhound.c...
CiCi is the same price and cheaper than many other gelatorias in the bay area. Ask the competition is everything is fresh and made onsite? I recently had gelato in Boston that was trucked 4 days to get there!
Is it Organic? Look at the price of organic milk!
Note:
The wooden spoons are now gone! They listened.
Finally the coffee is fantastic. If you want a deal stick with the Affogato. $3.50 gets you coffee and a small gelato combo of heaven. How much did you pay for your latte the other night? Come on, fresh organic gelato and coffee? You can't beat that!
After a long wait for this place to open a few blocks away - while still living in MV but now back in SF - I've been there a few times. I was really disappointed with their vanilla (always a starting point for me) - weak flavor and not as rich as I would like. Plum is good but, I think the Bacio is the best out of the bunch - chocolate & hazelnut. Interior is a bit somber - especially for bright Mill Valley. Am I the only person who thinks this place is mediocre?
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Update, 12/7/07: Wow, can anyone spot the bogus review?
Anyway...
Good flavors, bad texture, laughably high prices.
Cici is yet another Bay Area gelateria that doesn't have a clue about authentic Italian gelato. It's clear that no one involved has ever set foot in Italy, much less a decent gelateria.
Cici's texture is chalky, hard, and far too cold - much more like plain, old ice cream - but ice cream that's been sitting around in the freezer for too long. (Good, authentic gelato is never chalky, hard, and too cold, regardless of flavor). The problem with this scenario is that that's just not gelato, and texture is every bit as crucial with gelato as the flavors. Gelato should be ultra-smooth, soft but dense, goopy, snappy, and a bit melty. It should almost look a bit like toffee, the way it stretches and snaps when licking or scooping it. A far cry from the sad stuff at Cici. Plus, I think Cici may be storing their gelato at temperatures that are too cold, because good Italian gelato is *never* this cold.
However, Cici does get some of the flavors right. They nailed the nocciola (hazelnut) pretty well, and the espresso was nice and potent too. I'll give them a point for that. However, the chocolate was bland and underwhelming.
The prices are absurdly high. $4.50 for a small? An additional dollar for a cone? But this is Mill Valley, a town where most residents' income exceeds 6-figures, so Cici can get away with that. But Cici is charging a helluva lot more than vastly superior gelaterie in Italy charge, not to mention, the best gelateria I've found in the Bay so far (Gelateria Firenze, in Oakland) is a dollar cheaper on average. So, basically, Cici is selling an inferior, mediocre product at a stupidly high price.
It'd be nice if Cici's owners had ventured over to Italy to see what the real thing is like before trying to make their own.
PS - the wooden spoons are kind of lame - you taste a hint of wood with each bite. That can be avoided by using the plastic spoons used everywhere else. Cici - get with the program!
Delicious, almost as good as the gelato in Florence.
I love they are open late!
Currently the best gelato in the Bay Area.
The tangy yogurt gelato is a must-try. Cherry vanilla, chocolate and raspberry sorbet was also excellent
Segafredo Zanetti coffee from Italy is served.
Very nice staff that encourages sampling.
There is a parking lot in the back in addition to easy street parking.
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Family owned and operated, hence the prices, but worth the extra buck fifty. The Straus Yogurt Gelato is fantastic!
I love that gelateria's have been popping up all over, but I've been noticing a drop in quality at some of my regular East Bay spots, so I of course was hesitant about a new one - but after a taste or two, I was blown away by the creamy, gooey, properly made, very flavorful, delicious gelato, and now plan to make it a regular stop on my Mill Valley expeditions.
The quality is excellent - all made in-house too, which is becoming a rarity. And the owners are friendly and personable. Bonus stars for that.
-- UPDATE --
*You no longer need to speak Italian or ask 20 question here, they have English on the menu.
*The rude lady has either left or transformed in to a jolly good fellow (perhaps less of that "opening a business" stress now).
*They STILL use the CRAPPY TASTING WOODEN SPOONS. Some folks never learn.
---
God cop bad cop, yummy Gelato, lame spoon and price.
Quality gets 5 stars.
Overpriced ($9 for two smalls) and use of wooden spoons (not tasty) drops a star. I especially liked the mint chip as it had bits of mint leaf (yum!). For non-Italian speaking folks, bring your translator. If they are busy, you waste time by having to ask what everything is. An older lady helped us and she was really nice. I especially liked that she didn't know Italian either, so we were in the same boat. This led to much taste testing, which is always fun. A younger lady was there who knew Italian, but she seemed a bit snotty about that rather than helpful.
FYI - free parking can be had on the streets around the corner.
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Most amazing gelato! They just opened and they make all the gelato upstairs themselves. All of the fruit only (non-dairy) is fat free! They try to use all organic products too. It is ammazing! The strawberry tastes like real strawberry, lemon-lemons, almond-almonds...I felt like I was in Willy Wonka. The owners are very nice....I will be coming here often. yum.
It's really surprising this place hasn't been here for years. It's very Mill Valley, fitting right in with the expensive boutiques and holier-than-thou-Marin-environmentalist attitude. The gelato is absolutely delicious, and being a good Marin resident I do appreciate the connection to Marin Organics; it just tastes too good. I'd especially recommend the Florra di Latte- amazing! The store itself is sleek and beautiful. I have never seen an ice cream case quite like theirs.
That said.. I purchased two medium cups for my friend and me and it was $11! Clearly this won't be a frequent summer stop, but I'm glad it's here and hope it stays.
I had a big day yesterday. Took the ferry over to Marin, making my obligatory stop at Ciao Bella for my pomegranate coconut sorbet concoction which I let melt just enough so that I can mix the flavors together... oh yes. Then after dinner, I was offered my second treat of the day, gelato at Cici's, which was a treat indeed. Everything tasted exactly like its flavor, it was almost eerie. I had half mint chip, which tasted like fresh mint, and plum, which was just like eating a ripe plum... except it was creamy. My friend had the pistachio, which tasted just like a pistachio, and the chocolate hazelnut that tasted like a hazelnut truffle. I'd never had such a literal desert before. To top it off, and keep us awake for the movie we were about to dive into, we accompanied our gelato with expresso's - I was told this was a very euro experience. Who knew Mill Valley was hip??
4 stars because, while amazing, I still pledge my loyalty to Ciao Bella.
I wish everyday could be this eventful.
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[pronounced "chee-chee" not "see-see"] named after the owner's italian grandmother
ohmigod gelato in mill valley!
cici uses all organic, natural, local ingredients and the gelato is made in-house by the owner every day. the gelato is light and fresh and is served with bio-degradable spoons. all the eco-friendly stuff aside, the gelato is fantastic! since i'm an eco-supporter i'm willing to pay a little extra since i know the ingredients and packaging are earth friendly.
i love how light and yummy it is. the touches on the heaping mounds of gelato like a whole vanilla bean or fresh berries or mango slices just make me realize how much care the owners take with their product.
the standing bar tables are also a nice perk and the space is very fun and friendly. they're open really late which is great for movie-goers or the after dinner crowd.
a resounding winner.
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