Van L.

Although Baccio still holds as my favorite gelato spot in OC, Venchi offers an array of rich and dark chocolate flavors along with a chocolate shop all in one! Out of the flavors I tried, my favorite was the mango! Don't get deterred by the long lines since it moves quick! They also have a system where you choose your cup size and pay before you can sample and pick your flavors, so the line moves quick!

Denise B.

I am obsessed with anything ice cream, gelato or yogurt. While shopping at South Coast Plaza, I couldn't help but notice the almost Disneyland ride like line waiting to get served at Venchi. I kid you not, the line forms around the corner of the store. So when in Rome I decided to wait for gelato. What did stand out was the variety of flavors and the chocolates. My husband and I decided to get the Gourmet option. You pick between spread, Hazelnut Milk Or Hazelnut Dark chocolate, choice of grains and we added the cookie as a topping. The gelato was good but ai was a little underwhelmed considering we waited 20 minutes in line. Gelato 4/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 4/5

Julia J.

Shopping around South Coast ,saw a crazy long line of this Venchi People talks great about their Gelato ice cream. I'm here right the front of their shop so follow the line to grab a cup of ice cream , enjoyed it (so smooth & creamy , perfect sweet enough) The workers are friendly, nicely here.

William M.

While I'm not a gelato fan, I do enjoy great chocolate. Did I get that? Absolutely!! Their variety of solid and filled chocolates (including "white" chocolate) is amazing. I prefer the solid, so I picked out a variety of wrapped squares. Warning: it's $58.00 per pound ($3.63/oz, which works out to around $1.25 per square. The 100% cacao, 77% cacao, 47% cacao and the raspberry were my choices. There's a reason they put sugar in chocolate, as the 100% was super bitter, with the 77% a bit less so. The 47% was most pleasant to me, not as super sweet as a Hershey Kiss but nicely balanced. The raspberry was in a different category, but it was very, very good! This is not going to be the kind of chocolate you can eat every day, but for a special occasion or treat, it's great!

Lisa T.

Ooo if you want to give yourself and your wallet a break, touch down here for some gelato. Venchi is located in the South Coast Plaza. When I was there, the line was okay. It was about 4-5 people in front of us but the line moved slow! There were so many delicious flavors and I went with stracciatella. This is good especially upgrading it to gourment. The extra chocolate spread and peanut crunch is so good. It will definitely hit your sweet cravings.

Ken C.

Venchi is a premium Italian chocolatier with tons of appetizing chocolate; however, the line around the store is for their gelatos and sorbetto, which are delicious. My wife and I shared stracciatella and cappuccino gelatos and we bought a few of their chocolate truffles. If you have a nut allergy, then this is probably not the place for you, as many of their premium gelatos and chocolates have nuts. Cost for truffles are upwards of $15 for a quarter pound. Prices are high; however, the quality is undeniable. Aside from gelato and chocolate, you could also get chocolate and nut pastes (such as hazelnut cream and the pistachio cream that you need for Dubai Chocolates). They have lots of classy, stocking-stuffer gift ideas if you want chocolate that's an upgrade from Sees. If you want chocolate, note that you don't need to wait in the long line outside of the store. You also may be able to order gelato along with your order of chocolate. On a hot day, I definitely would love their fruit sorbets. It's a good addition to South Coast Plaza and it's a good place to check out if you want something sweet after a meal.

Teresa B.

Gelato and another chocolatier store at SCP. If you're interesting in purchasing their desserts, then you must line up at the first cashier upon entering. The line will continue outside the store. After purchasing the gelato cup or cone, then you can sample it. They had a couple of sorbets and authentic options. They had a lot of varieties of the same thing. Like a hazelnut flavor then a hazelnut with chocolate. I got the tiramisu and raspberry. My boyfriend said the raspberry tasted exactly like Talenti. The tiramisu flavor was delicious! It is really busy so the indoor seating and small tables are a bit sticky. They also sell chocolate truffles and have some samples available. I looked into the dark chocolate bars and it doesn't state whether if it's direct or fair trade. The prices are steep and I expect their chocolate to be ethically sourced.

Michael S.

Went to try out this new Gelato shop in South Coast after browsing the Cartier boutique. Heard some good things about it so we had to see the what's the hype. When you enter in, you can see that cool chocolate fountain with their signature logo, lots of candy and chocolate barks on display and their selection of various flavors of gelato. Seating is pretty tight and limited. The lady who served us was very patient and let us sample multiple flavors. I ended up getting Tiramisu and NOUGATINE and my girl got their famous Green Pistachio. Flavor profile was good and it came with this small toasted bread. Wasn't too sweet, just right. Two regular cups was like $17 total. Pretty expensive for the portion, but quality was pretty good. TBH though, I prefer Baccio di Latte in Newport!

Kaylee K.

Great addition to south coast plaza. Very beautiful and luxurious. The staff is very friendly and patient as we taste and decide on what flavor we want. Their gelato is really yummy and flavors are strong and high quality. It's kinda odd they don't have cones though.

Johnna E.

The amount of times I CRAVE Venchi gelato because it is just so delicious is ridiculous. I love coming to Venchi's and getting their gelato + trying their chocolates. All their gelato is fresh and flavorful. It's so creamy and I don't feel gross or overstuffed after eating it. The store itself is a little small and can get packed super quickly. The gelato price is a little more expensive. I got the regular so I can choose two flavors and it was a little more than $8.00 if you want the chocolate coating on the cup and fillings that's an additional cost. I think the gelato is delicious as is that it doesn't need all the extras.

Marlene P.

First time here! There was a wait time to order ice cream, which was nice. I went with the two-scoop option and chose mango and raspberry; both were delicious. The service was pretty good, and I appreciated being able to sample a few gelato flavors. It was a little busy, so ordering felt a little rushed, but overall the experience was positive. I also really liked the décor--it feels very intentional and thoughtfully put together. I was excited to see they sell chocolate bark, but I had already picked some up at Läderach beforehand. Otherwise, I definitely would have tried it here. I will definitely return to try.

Sally T.

I tried Venchi for the first time ever back in 2024 when they opened a location at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, CA. Was pleasantly surprised to find that a location finally opened closer to me in Orange County AND that there was virtually no line. I think we waited at least an hour and half at for the other location, so I was so relieved that not only were we in and out of their line, but we even had places to sit inside!!!! The bar is in hell, lolol. What we ordered: - small-sized gelato with Pistachio Kunafa Delight flavor plus chocolate caramelized hazelnut spread - regular-sized gelato with Tiramisu and Baciodidama flavors plus regular chocolate hazelnut spread (this was my order) I wish my friend got the green pistachio from bronte flavor because the regular sized cup only came with two flavors, but he's a clout chaser and wanted their Dubai chocolate-inspired gelato, lmaoooo. It was good, don't get me wrong. I just feel like you gotta pay respects to the OGs (pure pistachio). I also don't think us adding the chocolate spread to our cup was the best idea either. It was a big back option we had to try, and it will definitely be a one time thing. Made the dessert 10x more sweet than necessary, but to each their own.

Caitlin V.

I was shopping at South Coast Plaza when the bright lights and a bevy of gelato scoops in cones displayed caught my attention. I'm so happy I walked in and ordered their Affogato Gourmet. I got mine with caramel gelato. It was so creamy and authentic, as if I was back in Italy. It also came with chocolate hazelnut, nuts, and whip cream. Talk about decadence! It was so heavenly and the perfect pick-me-up. The service was wonderful as well. I will definitely be a repeat customer.