Tutto Amore Gelato

OMG so fresh and tasty!

Really relaxed feel, guy working there is nice and friendly.

The best thing about this place is their experimentation with flavor like tomato basil, and spicy flavors. But my fav is the pistachio.

If you are in the mood for Gelato, you wont be disappointed!

Simply amazing..  what more can you ask for...   fresh, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, delicious, orgasmically yummy gelato on top of a waffle cone..  while strolling by the beautiful beaches of Laguna. :)

The wonderful owners (although my good friends, I am not swayed!) work hard to get that perfect taste, prepping the gelato every morning for six hours before opening the shop.  You can really taste the freshness, especially in the fruit gelato.  I tried about 15 samples out of the 30 some.  

My favorites were Giandula (which is a mix of hazelnut and chocolate) and pineapple (surprising, since I'm not a huge fan of pineapple) .  The pineapple shocked me...in a good way.  It was perfectly tart and super fresh.  Even if you don't like pineapple and plan on getting another flavor, just try it.  Trust me.  Coconut and pistachio are also delicious.   The most popular seemed to be chocolate.

Notice the art  work under the gelato display.  Made personally by one of the owners, it shows the little details that make this shop so darn charming.  

So next time you're around the area, after your stroll on the beach, drop by Tutto Amore.  Highly recommended :)

Tim:  Ganbatte ne~!

Pss... word is that Will Ferall was spotted here this past Sunday!  Ooh i love him...

You know, I'm very frank when it comes to my desserts but especially with Gelato. I've never really liked it per se' especially after trying a few flavors from Trader Joes (Creme Brulee' and Strawberry for the loss). However, after coming here on the suggestion of fellow Yelper Kat L. to introduce to the many Yelpers who joined me in the Hidden Kitchen Quest how can I resist an icy treat before a retreat back into the Bay Area.

The companions: Sharon, Rob, Kat, Kate, and Myself

The Target: This place's Gelato.

We were greeted by the owner and manager of this place and he urged us to get a taste of all the variety of gelato. Mystery Flavor, Hazelnut, Chocolate, Strawberry, Green Tea (least favorite, but definitely tasty for a first time try) and much more.

He also gave us the inside scoop on the creation and foundation of what Gelato really tasted like, and his passion to further sharing the world with this Italian Delicacy. Talk about dedication indeed, well back into the specifics of this place:

Cons:

-Hard to find from the Street (need's better signage)
-Lack of Seating and perhaps Wi-Fi (once more people frequent this spot it might be useful)
-A closer location (I'm sure it'll be a hit (especially in Irvine,  but every business needs to take baby steps before expanding right?)

Pros:

-Wide Variety of Flavors (enough to explore your tongue with all day and night)
-Reasonable Prices ($5.00 for a pint...I'm game and it's more than enough for me to finish)
-Open to flavor suggestions/customizations ( as any new business, its always good to consult the consumers what's in demand, I wish more places do this)
-Flavor preferences: Tiramisu and Ferrero Rocher = An Italian Hybrid of Heavenly goodness
-Surprise treats: Mystery Flavor Bacon and newly made batch of Garlic (first time I've ever tried it, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be).

Looks like I found my new comparison spot, so Gelato places bring it! Because this place has definitely opened my eyes to how delicious it can really be!

We came back here a few nights ago and I'm sad to say there are no more of the unique flavors. Everything was your regular sampling and although I still think the texture and consistency of the gelato is superb, I would've liked to have those special flavors in place.

They now have fresh OJ as well and prices are still steep. Luckily I don't eat sweets very often!

On my way to MEXICO on a recent trip I stopped by Tutto Amore after reading some of the reviews I was excited to try the Habanero Chocolate and or some other exotic flavors, it's a small but nice shop just a block away from the beach yelp.com/biz_photos/RKw3…, after taking 1 picture OUTSIDE from the sidewalk I proceeded inside only to be drilled I assume by the owner with questions wanting to know why I'm taking pictures of his shop?. Because I'm a freaking tourist and I want to, damn I'm outside on a PUBLIC sidewalk! so I did not bother taking pictures inside as I did not want to further hassle with this guy.

So basically the day I went they ONLY had a bunch of basic flavors with fancy names and a few unusual but nothing to interest me, NO Habanero flavor, NO Bacon flavor etc...

So I got the Strawberry something something for my wife $3.00 for 1 small scoop yelp.com/biz_photos/RKw3… , and I got Cream Caramel and Tiramisu, 2 scoops was $4.00 yelp.com/biz_photos/RKw3…

YES, I know pictures look good! but I just did not care for the taste of the flavors, Tiramisu my first thought when I chose this was PORTO'S and they make an awesome Tiramisu cake and Cream Carmel just sounds so smooth and rich but I was disappointed with both flavors!, the funniest thing is I LOVE fresh strawberries but....not Strawberry Ice Cream, Jelly etc.....BUT.....I must admit the Strawberry my wife had was pretty good and obviously the best of the three flavors I chose.

I give Tutto Amore 2 Stars

3-Stars for the Gilato
-1 Star for the High Price vs serving size, and attitude of Owner

"Yelp Loves Us."  They have a sticker in their front window and it is the first one I've seen at a business.  Guess they know the power of Yelp!

I thought it was important to have a thorough examination of their fine gelatos, so we went here three times during our stay at Laguna Beach.  

I sampled the chocolate (which was surprisingly blah), Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, Italian Coffee and Tiramisu.  I fell in LOVE with the Ferraro Rocher and really liked the Cookies flavor.  You get two flavors with the small bowl, three with the medium, etc.  Even though the bowl is small, I was totally satisfied with the small serving.  I also love the little plastic shovels (I mean spoons) you use to eat.  

The interior has cool red chairs and a great display case with all the gelatos and sorbets (yes you can go low cal if you want to, but why would you want to?), but this location is just a block from the main beach at Laguna.  We usually grabbed our bowls then walked to the beach and enjoyed the sunset on the benches with our treat.  Ah, bliss!

I'm not a big fan of gelato to start off with. I'm more of the ice cream loaded with unhealthiness kinda gal. Plop me down on the couch with a tub of ice cream and all the seasons of Grey's Anatomy and I am a happy camper.

But ... I may have a newfound love for gelato. More so because of the experience I had with the visit to Tutto Amore Gelato.

Upon entering we were greeted and did a little small talk. We then were told we could sample whichever flavor we wanted.  Very very friendly people working here and are always open for suggestions about what new flavor to come up with .. I'm sure he got a few from that night talking with us =p

There were many flavors from just plain to watermelon to passion fruit to strawberry bananas to coconut to milk chocolate to tiramisu to mint to ... msytery flavor, only for the daring. Our mystery flavor for that day was ... black licorice. eeck! I'm not a black licorice fan so it wasn't for my palate. Besides the mystery flavor, I liked most of them.  The strawberry, passionfruit were a little too sweet fo rme. But I loved the coconut, with tiny pieces of shaved cocnut mixed in .. you get that taste/feel as if you're actually eating a coconut. I also loved their tiramisu and the watermelon was quite refreshing to the mouth. It literally felt like I was biting into a nice cold, fresh piece of watermelon.

I already finished my two to go tubs of ice cream .. time for a visit soon? =p

Absolutely the best gelato

They should have a gelato nazi serving because proprietors that demand the very best in ingredients, mixing procedures, accurate storage temperature, etc should demand the most of their customers too.

I base my gelato reviews on
Quality of  Ingredients
Gelatoer
Storage temperature volatility - did the gelato get transported in an ice cream truck or worse a freezer truck.  It needs to be a truck that sets at a temp just for gelato (that's also why you can't take gelato home and store it in the freezer)
Distance traveled from manufacturer

Tutto knocks it out of the park in all the above categories.

Do not be surprised when you taste the fruit gelatos because they are absolutely bursting in flavor.

Maybe this is one of those places that quality loads all on their front end / grand opening, (i.e. great at first be skimps later) but its soooo very very great right now.  Enjoy it!

Will update here after subsequent tastings.

What is it Ron Burgundy says to Veronica Corningstone as they're gliding along in Pleasure Town? "I FRIGGIN' LOVE YOU!!!"

That's how I feel about Tutto Amore. I don't get to Laguna Beach often, but since this store opened I have not made one visit without stopping in, and every single gelato I've tried, even flavors I haven't liked, has been wonderful. As they've continued to reinvent the menu, it's gone from fantastico to orgasmico!

My absolute total don't ever stop making it favorite is the Black Sesame gelato. It's so insanely good I had to buy a pint and call all my friends in the tri-county area to meet and sample it. Also fine runners-up were the wasabi (yes, wasabi!), miso strawberry, Ferrero Rocher, guarana, red bean, and green tea. This is not your nonno's gelateria!

I don't speak Italian, but I'm pretty sure "Tutto Amore" roughly translates to "Gelato so non-stop delicious that you'll just want to violate it." Roughly. I can't believe I've lived this many years on Earth thinking gelato was just "alright." I just never had the right gelato. The kind of gelato you want to make sweet love to. Until Tutto Amore, that is.

I got schooled in gelato the day I visited them. Tim told me all about the base flavor, and how you're supposed to judge everything based on that. I smiled, and nodded as I was taking a peek at the Ferrero Rocher flavor out of the corner of my eye. He was happy to let us try as many samples as we like. And try, I did. Lemon, hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry miso, garlic.

Good prices too. I was really surprised. I think it's like $2 a scoop. Not too shabby. I opted for Ferrero Rocher and vowed to come back again to try more. Oh, and of course...there was the "mystery flavor." And I love me a good mystery. But, I Nancy Drewed the shit out of that mystery when I took a taste and immediately declared, "bacon!" Hell yeah.