Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Install the Yelp app
    Continue your search on the app. It’s easier!

    Gran Gelato Caffe

    4.9 (9 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:30 pm

    Gran Gelato Caffe Photos

    Business Info

    GRAN GELATO CAFFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Gran Gelato Caffe

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    The beef was tender and the filings like nothing you have ever had in America. Wow
    Consula S.

    The best sandwiches in Santa Cruz County! Real Italian food--pastries, Gelato and Paninis with excellent salads. I highly recommend this place across from the new Library being built in downtown Santa Cruz. They have a top chef from Italy and it shows. Wonderful service, kind counter people and a menu to die for, for sure. I love the al fresco dining on the quaint alley.

    Affogato, baci, coffee, biscoff
    Myagi J.

    Such a little gem in Santa Cruz! Genuinely fantastic gelato - better than ice cream and worth the diversion to pick! Lucianna is one of a kind need I say more. Thanks Lucianna!

    Samantha C.

    Stopped by with a friend and staff were very welcoming and friendly! We got to try lots of different flavors and chose grapefruit and lemon. Both were so delicious and refreshing! Would love to come again to try other flavors

    Italian lemonade
    Andrew B.

    Saw this place opened up recently. Wow the tri tip panini is amazing! I'm glad I decided to stop and check this place out. Price was reasonable for the sandwich and side salad at $14. I tried the gelato and it was really good. The guys working the counter have thick Italian accent so it makes you feel like your in a coffee shop in Italy. Check them out!

    See all

    27 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 days ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Myagi J.
    116
    21
    2

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    28 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    28 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Gus U.
    92
    34
    14

    2 months ago

    Pistachio and Nutella a were awesome. Espresso was fantastic! Very warm service. Even the free water was superb.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    Ask the Community - Gran Gelato Caffe

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Coffee & Tea 2,551 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Penny Ice Creamery

    The Penny Ice Creamery

    4.4
    (2.4k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Years later we still try to come here whenever we are in downtown Santa Cruz. It is not cheap, but…read moremy goodness is it luxurious! I was so full from lunch so I shared a small handmade waffle cone with their rich and vegan dark chocolate sorbet covered in their homemade marshmallow fluff and torched to perfection! My spouse ordered an espresso milkshake with their vanilla bean ice cream. It was the perfect birthday treat!

    Sometimes, the best adventures are the ones you don't plan. While hunting for a parking spot the…read moreother day, the family and I happened to stumble upon a fantastic local spot called The Picnic Basket. Intrigued, we decided to step inside and check it out. The building has a wonderful setup, functioning like a mini marketplace with charming little shops nestled inside. The one that immediately caught our eye, of course, was The Penny Ice Creamery. Right off the bat, I loved the aesthetic of the shop. The design is nice, simple, and wonderfully understated--nothing is over the top. It has a clean, minimalist vibe that makes you feel instantly welcome and lets the focus stay right where it belongs: on the treats. While the rest of the crew decided to sit this round out, my son and I eagerly stepped up to order. My son went with a classic scoop of Vanilla Bean. To say it was a hit would be an understatement. He kept talking about how delicious it was and just how good the flavor tasted. I decided to try the Chocolate Toffee Swirl. The chocolate base itself was rich and tasty, though I do wish it had a bit more of that crunch--it could have used a heavier hand with the toffee, as the pieces were a little sparse in my scoop. One thing worth noting is that they feature a curated, rotating selection. While everything they make is fresh, the menu is on the smaller side, so you do have to choose from what's available that day. I'd love to see them expand the menu a bit in the future because I'd definitely be curious to try more of their creations. We ordered the "kid scoops," which turned out to be good portions. Being a supportive dad, I naturally stepped in and finished the rest of his vanilla bean--and I can officially confirm his review was fairly accurate. Overall, The Penny Ice Creamery is a cool little shop with good treats. If you find yourself exploring the shops inside The Picnic Basket, it's absolutely worth a stop to cool down with a scoop. Have you been to The Penny Ice Creamery yet? What's your favorite flavor combo? Let me know in the comments below.

    Photos
    Mandarin Sorbet with rainbow sprinkles
    Mandarin Sorbet with rainbow sprinkles
    Dark Chocolate (Vegan) with Toasted Marshmallow topping
    Dark Chocolate (Vegan) with Toasted Marshmallow topping
    Verve coffee praline ice cream with roasted marshmallows topping! Hee.

    See all

    Verve coffee praline ice cream with roasted marshmallows topping! Hee.
    Bottega Del Lago

    Bottega Del Lago

    4.6
    (44 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    They import the Bindi brand of gelato from Italy. $6 for two small scoops. Options:…read more- Gelato: Black cherry, French vanilla, regular vanilla, hazelnut, pistachio, coffee, coconut, chocolate, strawberry. - Sorbets: lemon sorbet, strawberry sorbet, mango sorbet. 2/5: The pistachio gelato is meh. It has a very mild flavor: Bindi is skimping on the expensive pistachio. It also contains chopped pistachios that are rubbery from being exposed to the gelato. 4/5: The regular vanilla gelato is good. Nice flavor, good sweetness level. It's heavily stabilized; it has an elastic/chewy texture. 2/5: The Fratema sandwich $12 has grilled eggplant, mozzarella, pesto, semi-dry tomato. The flavors are meh; didn't work for me. 2/5: I did not like the cannoli $7.50. The shell tastes very processed, like it's loaded with trans fat. The filling has great texture but is way too sweet. 5/5: The double espresso $4.75 is excellent; bold, rich, and dark, without being sour or citrusy. they use Vergnano coffee.

    Really delicious couple sandwiches from Bottega del Lago! We weren't able to get our first choices,…read moreas these were the last two sandwiches left. But both were really solid, particularly the meat one with the pepper spread. The eggplant one was quite good, though I think it would have been just as good with just the mozzarella and pesto! Really excellent overall, would recommend

    Photos
    Inside and menu
    Inside and menu
    Lamericana panini and truffle chips!
    Lamericana panini and truffle chips!
    Inside

    See all

    Inside
    Donnelly Fine Chocolates

    Donnelly Fine Chocolates

    4.6
    (240 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$$

    This review needs updating. I am now confident in saying that these ice cream bars ARE the best in…read morethe world and would love to be proven wrong (hey, IF a better ice cream bar exists it would have to be mind-blowingly good). It starts by them using quality ingredients. They use Marianne's vanilla ice cream, and Valrhona chocolate (a French chocolate used by gourmet chefs). You can choose milk chocolate or dark. They have a bunch of options for what you can include in your bar, including chopped almonds, caramel, and marshmallow. My favorite is #4: dark chocolate with caramel and marshmallow. It is insanely good. After each bite I am thinking "oh my god this is good." Frankly I am glad it is in Santa Cruz (and not in my town) or I might be 50 lbs heavier. I just had one yesterday and the experience is still vivid. Oh, and their chocolates (which also use Valrhona chocolate) are also damn good. And if you like brownies they've got you covered too. The guys running this place could not be nicer, which makes this place a joy to visit. This is really an exceptional place to come to and we are lucky to have it in our area. I am now a regular almost every time I am in Santa Cruz (and I come here often).

    Small shop with no tables for enjoying your sweets after purchase, but that part didn't bug me too…read moremuch since I got mine to go. A bit on the pricey side for sure, but holy cow was it delicious! My wife and I both had to be careful not to eat it all in one go. We wanted to spread out the joy of eating it. Incredible chocolate, local business, somewhat pricey. Definitely worth checking out!

    Photos
    Exterior
    Exterior
    Dark chocolate almond caramel ice cream bar
    Dark chocolate almond caramel ice cream bar
    Chocolate bars

    See all

    Chocolate bars
    Chocolate

    Chocolate

    3.5
    (771 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

    Pros: Service was friendly, the setting was very romantic…read more Cons: I don't mind paying for a nice dinner, but (and I really hate to say this) the food was quite disappointing. We ordered: - pasta pork bolognese: Large portion but it was just ok. - miso salmon fillet: my SO enjoyed this. Wasn't overcooked so still nice and buttery. Nice flavor. Might just be me but rather small portion for around $30? With sides come out to about $40. I may be unfair to the here given the outrageous rent they most likely pay here. - broccoli entree: regular broccoli, no char (streamed?) and sauce was meh and didn't come with the fried garlic topping as mentioned. Honestly came off as (some) sauce and frozen broccoli for $13. Again, maybe it's the rent driving the prices up but I truly think they could do at least a bit better. - chocolate orange tequila, glass of wine: admittedly we are out of our depth to comment on these. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and I don't regret going, but unfortunately most likely won't be returning. We've been so excited to go too :/

    Photos
    İnside
    İnside
    Coconut Cheesecake!
    Coconut Cheesecake!
    Outside

    See all

    Outside

    Gran Gelato Caffe - coffee - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...