Pistachio gelato was money and the espresso counter allowed me to pretend I was in Italy for a millisecond.

When looking for good gelatto in San Diego, no one needs to go any further than Pappalecco. Whenever I'm in San Diego, I make a pit stop here first, and then head to Extraordinary Desserts for a take home dessert. The wife and I were referred to this place by a server at a different restaurant who told us the owner is straight from Rome and that they make their gelatto in house so it is fresh and good quality. Never verified the Rome bit, but can verify their gelatto is certainly made in house and it is definetely fresh and good quality. It is also OH-mazing! I've had several flavors and I like to combine, so chocolate with banana is really good, chocolate with hazelnut is divine! The fruit like raspberry is out of this world. You really can't go wrong. ' It has been busy each time I've been there so I recommend going there with a patient attitude. Service is pretty fast so the line will move quickly. They have coffee, hot chocolate, and I think they're doing paninis as well. I always go for dessert so I have no comments on anything else. The look and feel of the place is pretty hole in the wall so don't go expecting a really European feeling coffee shop. But go! Go, go, GO!!!! read more

SERVICE: Have to talk about the service first because this is what brought this place to a 5 star. The workers were so sweet and it warmed up my day! LOCATION: Located in Little Italy near the street of the weekly farmers market. GELATO: I ordered a small raspberry and lemon gelato. The small comes with 2 scoops, medium comes with 3 scoops, & so forth. The lemon gelato had a nice citrusy taste that wasn't overpowering to the raspberry. As for the raspberry, it wasn't too sour and had a light raspberry taste. Overall, probably the best gelato place you'll find in SD! I'm definitely a sucker for gelato whether it's summer or winter! read more

Pappalecco - Small mixed fruit and lemon gelato! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Cutest little Italian bakery with probably the friendliest staff I've encountered for a while. They took the time to ask my name and address me by name, which is rare but was so nice! Not to mention there was plenty of authentic Italian dessert and baked goods. I stopped in for some gelato. Really great place, recommend if you're in Little Italy! read more

Pappalecco - Pistachio and coconut gelato, my two favorite gelato flavors - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Gelato wasn't as great as I had hoped (might just be the flavor I tried but basing my review on its texture), nor the Napoleon dessert.....BUT their service, Tiramisu, and Pappalecco Panini won me over!!!!!! ABOVE AND BEYOND level of service by Fernanda and Barbara! They treat you as if you're a friend or family member visiting their home. Need energy? Lorenzo makes awesome foam on your pick me up! Worth driving here just for his foam, and I mean this guy can whip up anything -even milk substitute!! This Place! read more

I stopped in here last week because I heard the espresso was good. I ordered a double espresso and a tiramisu and sat outside. I don't like writing this but I absolutely got food poisoning from the tiramisu. I didn't know until after I had it that some authentic tiramisu uses raw egg, if that's the case for this place, i hope they can put a warning on the tiramisu for future customers. I was pretty sick and it took 2 days from my vacation... read more

Simply incredible. In the heart of little Italy, this place has charm and cuteness all in one corner store. Sandwiches on croissants, pastries, coffee and more! I had the pappalecco (chocolate & amaretto) and pistachio gelato and A cannoli (all time favorite)! Both were amazing. read more

Pappalecco - Gelato & Cannoli deliciousness! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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Best afogatos in town! Every time my boyfriend and I are in San Diego, We always make it a point to go here. read more

Spectacular Gelato! I loved all the flavors that I tried. I particularlly thought the pistachio flavor was excellent! Additionally, the lemon sorbetto was perfect on a hot day --- fruity, tart, and refreshing. There is very limited seating. Also, you'll need to pay first before you sample or get a cup/cone. read more

I love this place!! I can see why it's so popular because everything just tastes so authentic and fantastic!! I get gelato and espresso here every time and sometimes I get a pastry to share. This time, they had a apple one that seemed popular and I got the last one in the display case! It was just as delicious as I thought it was going to be!! Wish they had one closer to my neighborhood! read more

Pappalecco - The gelatos are the best!! This one is pistachio and the Pappalecco and the other one is coffee and banana. - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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I admire this place!! What a great service and great food!! This is probably the best breakfast place in San Diego! No wonder why it's packed all the time! Sometimes I wish there were more seats! However, everything is great! My favorite one is "the Italiano" ! it's incredible! Squires orange juice is always fresh! And pastries Re delicious !!! The girls always greet you with "buogiorno"! Which creates that Italian atmosphere! I love it! I keep coming back!!! read more

Pappalecco - My favorite "Italiano" breakfast!!! Amazing!!! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Papaleccos reminds me of the old school Italian espresso, the perfect mix of robusta beans and biter sweet caramel notes; straight forward taste that pleases. They also have what you will find very common in Italian coffee places, traditional pastries and a selection of little sandwiches that will hit the spot just right. The service here is also great! Way better than you will get in Italy for sure :) the people working there are attentive, friendly and fast! Thumps up and five star just for the service alone. The place is situated away from the little Italy herd of tourist and traffic, but is on a very good corner where you can stop your day for a moment and enjoy people and the surroundings. read more

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In San Diego's Little Italy in August, Pappalecco is the place to go for delicious treats and relief from the summer heat. Next time we're visiting family in San Diego, we are going to return to try the rest of their menu. Everything sounds so good! read more

Pappalecco - Yummy gelato! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

I feel like I stepped into a restaurant in Italy where they greet you in their native language. I love the Italian accent. The Caprese Panino was excellent! The panino was grilled perfectly with a tang of basalmic vinagerrette! Next time I will definitely have some of their famous gelato! read more

Came here for some Italian desserts. They offer a variety of pastries, gelato, coffee, and savory meals. I ordered a medium gelato and got the cookies and cream and pistachio flavors. The gelato is pretty rich and creamy. I also tried a sample of nutella. It was really rich especially because of the nutella on top. read more

Very solid Gelato place. Came here after dinning at Bencotto (another solid place btw!) The location is relatively small on the inside with limited seating but they do have seating outdoors. The barista and the person behind the Gelato counter were both amazingly friendly! You can try as many samples as you need to and they are all so kind and friendly. My GF got this Cookie Latte that was pretty good. I got 2 scoops of Gelato - Pappalecco and Marocchino and they were both pretty good. Service here is great! read more

Pappalecco - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Unsure what the hype about Pappalecco is all about. The gelato is just ok in my opinion. However, the staff is excellent and their accents are so cute. They are extremely friendly and helpful. You have to pay before you are able to sample their flavors which makes sense since it would be weird to just come here to sample all their flavors and not buy anything. However, when it came down to ultimately picking my two flavors for my small cup...I was unsure of what to pick because I was not impressed with any of their gelato flavors. I even tried their speciality, the Pappalecco gelato, and thought it was so-so. I ultimately chose coconut and hazelnut and finished maybe half of the smallest sized cup. read more

Pappalecco - Hazelnut and coconut gelato - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Mangiare per vivere e non vivere per mangiare. Translation? Eat to live and not live to eat. Anyone who greets me with "benvenuto" and says "buon appetito" when my gelato is delivered has already won my heart. The second half of the battle is taste and on both accounts Pappalecco has hit a home run. When you visit Little Italy you can expect to find mostly everything in Italian but the staff at Pappalecco are more than willing to translate, especially when it comes to the gelato names. After trying a few samples of the 16 flavors of gelato they offer, I settled on a rich, creamy piccolo sized treat. I didn't get to make the most of my first visit, so I came back again and bankrolled the hefty $15 for three medio sized treats. I decided this time around to ask what the best mixture would be and ended up with cocco (coconut) and cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate). The mixture was like a coconut brownie but the chocolate portion melted a lot faster in the sun. I had to go back for a second trip since the first visit went so well. My New favorite gelato place for sure! I wish there was one in North County :sadface: Do yourself a favor and stop by. Ciao! read more

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If I could I'd give this place 4.5 stars. The gelato here is good, but I'm just a lover of Bi-Rite and compare all my ice cream to that.

Delicious affogatto! The gelato is clearly labeled for allergens and is very delicious and tastes fresh. We got the vanilla and pistachio for the affogatto, which had a little too much coffee and ice cream was melted before we could take the first bite. However the combination of all the flavors and the delicious espresso was perfect. Definitely get the whip on top. They had a variety of pastries, sandwiches and plenty of gluten-free options. read more

Pappalecco - Affogatto with pistachio and vanilla gelato - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Ok I know this is supposed to be a gelato place but we came here for breakfast on Sunday and it was perfection. My boyfriend and I were staying at the Doubletree around the corner and wanted to find a spot for breakfast so we found Pappalecco on Yelp. As soon as I saw the picture of the Mare Breakfast, I knew we had to have it. Mare Breakfast - Smoked salmon, mozzarella, bed of greens, scrambled eggs, and toasted bred with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.... clean flavors, simple, filling and absolutely delicious Prosciutto Panini - was yummy! Plain Croissant - It was definitely a good croissant but I wished they didn't put powdered sugar on top Coffee - real coffee, not that nasty burnt stuff that you get from other places Tea - good read more

Pappalecco - Mare Breakfast - DELISH! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Came for the gelato, and had the dark chocolate and nutella. Dark chocolate was uber rich and decadent! Definitely for the chocolate lover. It was almost as if we were spooning into some cold dark chocolate cake batter. Nutella didn't taste quite like nutella but was creamy and rich in its own right. A good contrast to the dark chocolate and provided a good palate cleanser, if you will. All in all good, and a small size is definitely enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. Prices are a bit on the steeper end, but a good way to indulge every once in a while. read more

Pappalecco - Small dark chocolate and Nutella - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Very authentic, they speak Italian behind the counter and many of the other customers were speaking fluent Italian. The ambiance is very personal and decor is cute. My biggest complaint is that it's pretty expensive for the portion sizes. A small gelato and tiny chocolate eclair was almost $10. The mint gelato tastes like an actual mint leaf rather than artificial mint flavor. It's both good and bad in the sense that it's different, but also lowkey tastes like tooth paste. Would recommend though. The chocolate eclair was average, nothing spectacular but the dark chocolate definitely stood out. The main reason for this being 4 stars as opposed to 3 stars was the atmosphere and authenticity. read more

Pappalecco - Entrance at night - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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After a delightful meal in Little Italy, the mister and I decided to walk off the dinner and look for something sweet. We stumbled upon Pappalecco and headed into the little corner shoppe curious to what kind of sweet treats we could enjoy. It was nice and warm inside--from the temperature and the warm greetings we got from the lovely people that work there. A full coffee bar with various pastries and treats and a full cold case of gelato. Don't be afraid to ask for a sample or three. They encourage it to make sure you get the best combination of gelato because you know you can't just choose one! They have a unique take on an ice cream sandwich here. It's a warm croissant with two scoops of gelato in the middle. After careful deliberation, we went with the fresh strawberry and hazelnut gelato in our croissant. We took it outside and found a table around the corner with a little tea light to illuminate our dessert. The croissant is warm and flaky. The gelato slowly melts into all the nooks and crannies of the croissant. The flavors of gelato are fresh and creamy. I want to savor every bite before it melts so I use my little plastic shovel paddle to scoop away. You can pull apart the croissant and make mini sandwiches too. No matter how you slice it, go out and try a croissant gelato at Pappalecco sometime! read more

Pappalecco - Hazelnut and Strawberry Croissant Gelato the tastiest, hot gelato sangwich in town! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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The go to spot in Little Italy for a quit bite or incredible espresso or for that munchies order - Gelato !!!!'

What's NOT to love ... from the coffee to Pastries, gelato, and food & wine!! Their in the perfect spot in Hillcrest. Great hang out spot for any Occasion any time!! read more

1 word- affogato! Amazing delicious so very decadent. Their croissants and gelato and espresso standalone are great too but they come together to deliver heaven. Great service and pretty fast too. I have to go back again and soon read more

Pappalecco - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Delicious, creamy, gelato! The Pappalecco gelato flavor is outstanding. The nutella is also delicious. Staff is super friendly. Will be back for sure, next time I'm in Little Italy. read more

Pappalecco - 1/2 Nutella, 1/2 Pappalecco! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

This is a cute little shop in little Italy. I found this place on Yelp and came here for brunch. I got the customized breakfast which was so delicious and filling. You can choose the type of bread you want, how you want your eggs cooked (I.e. Scrambled, sunny side up, omelette, etc), and the type of meat. The dishes also come with potatoes and mixed greens as well. I loved my breakfast, but the only complaint is that my omelette was very salty. Service was great. All the workers are friendly and checked in with us a few times to make sure everything was okay. You place your order at the register and can sit either indoors or outdoors. I think this place is known for their gelato ice cream, so I'll definitely need to come back to try that :) read more

Pappalecco - Customized breakfast :) the front plate has a prosciutto omelette, potatoes, mixed greens, and wheat bread - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Gelato, gelato, gelato. What more can I say? They have perfected the craft. I literally cannot recommend this place enough. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. read more

First time here, didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. Found this cute little gelateria on here because of the great reviews, just down the street from extraordinary desserts. My first instinct was to go straight to the gelato and ask to try flavors but apparently you have to get in line to pay first before you can be served. There was definitely an Italian feel to the place with all the workers speaking Italian and such. There are some tables and chairs inside but also patio seating outside as well. I tried a couple of the flavors but settled on the Pappalecco and the Pistachio flavors. The gelato was very smooth and creamy just as you would expect from gelato with rich flavors but not too sweet. I would definitely recommend this place for a quick sweet tooth pick-me-up or a nice meet up place to chat on the patio for a sunny day in San Diego. read more

Pappalecco - Piccolo cup with Pappalecco and Pistachio - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Loved this place. Two out of three mornings that I was in San Diego this was my go to breakfast/coffee spot. All of the little pastries were delicious. Each morning I was extremely tempted to get the gelato as well. Definitely a great place to get your morning pickup with their coffee as well. Super tasty. If you're in the Little Italy area, this is place you need to go to. read more

I love this place! Such great quality coffee & yummy food. Anna, the cashier, is also such a delight! Perfect little neighborhood coffee place. read more

Gelato is healthy, right?? ;) Being such a highly rated establishment, I had to make a quick stop here during a weekend trip. I tried two flavors, the star being the BLOOD ORANGE gelato!! Would come back just for that and maybe try their coffees now that i'm a caffeine addict. but BLOOD ORANGE GELATO, GUYS! DO IT. GET IT. DEVOUR IT. read more

Pappalecco - Blood orange! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

1 star for service. 3 for food. Had a very average quiche. Will not be returning. Was not a busy night, plenty of people behind the counter, had to wait an unnecessary amount of time between ordering/paying and receiving my food. If you pay with a credit card, you have to tip before you get served. I tip 20%, apparently this is not enough for decent service. read more

This place is a great little escape in San Diego!! I has the Ouino sandwich which consisted of grilled bacon, mozzarella, basil and tomatoes!! The ingredients were all very fresh and the combination was incredible!! On another note, the Nutella coffee was amazing!! And the little details in the presentation of everything made you feel cared for and valued! The service was great and extremely friendly!! I can see why so many people love this place and now so do I!! I can't wait for my next visit! read more

Pappalecco - Nutella coffee..enough said!! - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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Thank you guys for amazing morning coffee and the best panini ever! Those made our day! This place is full of Italian spirit. Stuff is amazing, each member is super super friendly. I will definitely go there once I'm in San Diego again!! read more

Pappalecco - Chicken panini - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

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Stopped in San Diego for a Friday night. We stayed at a hotel one block away and this place popped up as one of the best places to eat in Little Italy. My husband and I walked over and was greeted by Barbara (the most friendly cashier) She helped us select the best sandwiches. I had the egg, egg,cheese and bacon sandwich. It was good, I wasn't a fan of the bread though. And our 1 year old was so taken by her, she reached out for a hug and Barbara was kind enough to give her a hug and share a few laughs. What a nice place!! I wish we had the time to go back. My absolute fav was the Nutella and strawberry gelato. Yummy! I was so happy the guy serving the gelato recommended those. I wish I'd gotten more but it was late at night and I was cold. Whenever we return to San Diego I'll be sure to go back. Thank you Barbara and gelato guy on 11/18/16 for making our experience amazing! read more

Pappalecco - Sandwiches Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice texture in gelato. The berry flavor was nice; vanilla was nice. The Rossa (blood orange) flavor not so nice. They make the gelato fresh every day, advertised in their display. Their cookie was also nice, but tasteless. Chocolate biscotti also had nice texture; not much taste, hence 4 stars. Small portions. read more

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It is easy to see why this place is so popular on yelp. It is hidden in a corner and very small/narrow when you walk in. There are not a lot of places to sit, and we would have scootered right past it if we had not seen it on yelp. I wish I had a chance to try some of their little finger foods (which all looked delicious) but we were in a hurry and could only pop-in for some coffee. Hubs ordered a Nutella Coffee, and I had the Vanilla Latte. My latte was just OK - nothing I would go back for - by Hubs Nutella Coffee was delicious. It was not overly sweet, and actually tasted like creamy Nutella. I definitely regretted not ordering one for myself! One semi-complaint about this place is that they will not help multiple customers at once. Thus, if someone in front of you is sampling several different ice cream flavors (which is what happened to us), you have to wait until they are completely done and checked out before you can order (even though there was a different cashier and different person helping with the ice cream samples). Kind of ridiculous, and took longer than it needed to. read more