Best Gelato in Como: Six Gelaterie Worth a Detour
Where to eat gelato in Como: six artisan gelaterie between the Duomo, Piazza Cavour and the lungolago, the flavours to order, and how to spot real gelato.
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The best gelato in Como is concentrated in the streets between Piazza Cavour and the Duomo, with one lakeside stop on Lungo Lario Trento for anyone walking the waterfront. Six artisan gelaterie are worth planning a walk around, listed here by neighbourhood so the pick depends on where you already are rather than on a ranking. Each entry gives the address and the flavours to order.
Como is a working lakeside city rather than a gelato theme park, and the shops below are small, family-run or laboratory-led operations with rotating seasonal menus. If you want a full eating plan for the day, start with our guide to the best restaurants in Como and slot a gelato between meals.
Gelateria Guidi, via Domenico Fontana: between the two piazzas
Gelateria Guidi sits on via Domenico Fontana, in the corner between Piazza Cavour and Piazza Volta, which makes it the easiest stop if you are moving between the lakefront and the shopping streets. It uses natural ingredients and seasonal fruit only, and the flavour list runs from classics to basil, almond with green pepper and bergamot, cinnamon and roasted chestnut.
Beyond gelato, the shop also sells granite, frozen yogurt and a long list of sorbetti including lemon and ginger, pear with grana and banana stracciatella. In winter it stays open and switches to gelato affogato drowned in hot chocolate or coffee, so the address is useful outside summer too.
Gelab, via Cinque Giornate: the laboratory a few steps from the Duomo
Gelab is a small gelateria with a laboratory you can watch, on via Cinque Giornate a short walk from the Duomo. It puts real weight on dietary needs, with plenty of lactose-free and gluten-free flavours and gluten-free cones included rather than charged as an extra. Flavours are creative and change often, which suits anyone who wants something beyond the standard case.
In cold months the shop adds hot chocolate, warm zabaione (a whipped egg-and-sweet-wine custard) and crepes, so it functions as a winter stop as much as a summer one. Order a coppetta rather than a cone if you plan to keep walking towards the lake.
Gelateria Rossetti, via Francesco Muralto: stone-ground hazelnut and Sicilian almond
Gelateria Rossetti was founded by Gianfranco Rossetti with the aim of making the best gelato he could, starting in the 1970s at Lora before the shop on via Francesco Muralto in the historic centre, behind the Banca d'Italia building. The flavours lean on carefully chosen raw materials: stone-ground Langhe hazelnut, stone-ground Sicilian almond, and a stracciatella made to an old recipe. The chocolate gelato uses Modica cocoa at 86%, and fruit flavours are built on a high proportion of fruit.
There are vegan options and fruit sorbetti alongside semifreddi and a coffee and pastry counter, so a group with mixed preferences can all order something. If you want a sit-down meal nearby afterwards, our pick of the best pizza in Como covers the savoury side of the same streets.
Gelateria Lariana, Lungo Lario Trento: the lakeside cone
Gelateria Lariana on Lungo Lario Trento is the waterfront stop, a historic shop with the lake directly in front of it. Flavours rotate with the seasons and include local-inspired ideas such as honey and walnut, alongside richer creams. There is no seating inside, so the routine is to cross the street and walk the pedestrian lane towards the Tempio Voltiano, where benches in the shade look over the water.
The shop does not operate all year, so treat a lakeside cone as a warm-weather plan and check before making a special trip. A sorbetto travels better than a cream flavour if you plan a longer walk along the lungolago.
Gelateria Sottozero, via Cesare Cantù: the big flavour case near Porta Torre
Gelateria Sottozero on via Cesare Cantù in the historic centre, a few steps from Porta Torre, runs one of the biggest flavour ranges in the city, many of them lactose-free and all made with fresh ingredients. It is also the place for granite (a coarse, icy Sicilian slush) made with lemon juice and Sicilian blood orange juice, plus bubble tea, frappé-style shakes and bubble waffles if the group cannot agree on gelato.
For anyone staying near Porta Torre or arriving from the southern side of the centre, this is the most convenient stop and needs no detour to the lake. Ask for a taste of the uva fragola (Concord grape) flavour before committing to a whole cone.
Al Bottegone, via Vittorio Emanuele II: crema di Lago and salted caramel
Al Bottegone on via Vittorio Emanuele II is a small, long and narrow gelateria that is often busy, and the queue is part of the deal. Its signature is crema di Lago, a blend of creams, alongside salted caramel and cream flavours loaded with nuts, including a pecan version. There are also good artisan granite and several vegan and lactose-free options.
Because the shop is narrow, plan to take your cone away rather than linger, and go slightly off peak if you are with children. It is a practical stop between the Duomo and the shopping streets rather than a destination in itself.
Gelateria Amoruccio, via Milano: the Porta Torre side of town
Gelateria Amoruccio on via Milano, a few minutes on foot from Porta Torre, makes its gelato fresh every day with Italian raw materials. The creams are built on cream and fresh organic milk with no added vegetable fats, and most flavours are gluten-free. Look for the Lago di Como flavour, a mascarpone cream with vanilla and crunchy nougat pieces, and a lemon sorbetto made from freshly squeezed Sicilian lemons.
If you are heading out of the centre towards the station or the southern edge of the city, this is the easiest of the six to fold into the walk. Cream-heavy flavours here are rich enough that a small size is usually enough after a meal.
How to tell real gelato from a pretty display
Artisan gelato tends to look duller than a bright display case suggests: pistachio should read muted rather than neon, and banana beige rather than yellow. Texture is a better clue than colour, so favour gelato that is dense and served slightly soft over mixes piled into airy peaks, and note whether the tubs are kept covered to protect them from air and hold serving temperature.
A shop that names its ingredients and origins is a better bet than one that lists only colours. At Rossetti, for example, the hazelnut is identified as Langhe and the almond as Sicilian, and the fruit flavours are made with a high proportion of fruit rather than a base mix.
The flavours to order in Como
Start with stracciatella, which at Rossetti follows an old recipe, and with hazelnut or pistachio where the shop grinds its own nuts. Then try the local inventions: crema di Lago at Al Bottegone, the Lago di Como mascarpone at Amoruccio, and the honey or walnut flavours at Lariana. Basil, green pepper with bergamot and cinnamon at Guidi are worth a taste if you want something savoury-adjacent.
Ask for a taste before you commit to a cone, especially with the more unusual combinations. Two flavours in a small cone is usually enough to judge a shop; three in a large is a meal in itself.
Ordering and paying at a Como gelateria
Order at the counter by pointing at the flavours you want, then pay at the till; in most small shops you choose and pay in one go before the scoop goes into the cone. Sizes are usually named piccolo, medio and Grande, and a coppetta (cup) is the safer choice if you are walking to the lake or eating on the move.
Gluten-free cones are not universal, and some shops add a surcharge for them while others, such as Gelab, include them at no extra cost. Lactose-free flavours are widely available at the six shops here, but not at every gelateria in the city, so ask if it matters to you. Carry some cash for smaller shops even where cards are accepted.
Gelato in winter: affogato and hot chocolate
Como's gelaterie do not all shut when the weather turns. Guidi does not close in winter and, around Christmas, offers panettone filled with mascarpone semifreddo and covered in chocolate, while its gelato affogato comes drowned in hot chocolate or coffee rather than espresso alone. Gelab adds hot chocolate, warm zabaione and crepes in the colder months.
A winter stop pairs well with a coffee or a pastry elsewhere in the centre, and our guide to breakfast in Como covers the morning version of the same habit.
Which gelateria fits your walk?
Pick by where you are: Guidi between the two piazzas, Gelab beside the Duomo, Rossetti and Sottozero in the historic centre, Al Bottegone on via Vittorio Emanuele II, Lariana on the lungolago, and Amoruccio near Porta Torre. If you only have time for one, choose Guidi for the setting and the seasonal fruit or Rossetti for the stone-ground nut flavours.
For a full day of eating around the lake, pair a gelato stop with the best pasta in Como and an aperitivo on the same streets.
Explore more Como food guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What are ice cream shops called in Italy?
A gelateria is the Italian word for an ice cream shop, and the plural is gelaterie. The person serving you is the gelatiere, and the product itself is gelato, which is denser and served slightly warmer than most ice cream.
What are the most popular gelato flavours in Italy?
The classics are stracciatella, hazelnut, pistachio, fiordilatte and chocolate, with fruit sorbetti in summer. In Como, look for the local variations: crema di Lago at Al Bottegone, the mascarpone-based Lago di Como at Amoruccio, and honey or walnut flavours at Lariana.
How do I know if gelato is authentic in Italy?
Muted natural colours, a dense texture and covered tubs are good signs. A shop that names where its nuts or fruit come from, as Rossetti does with Langhe hazelnut and Sicilian almond, is usually making its own gelato rather than reselling a base mix.
Can I get gluten-free or lactose-free gelato in Como?
Yes, but not everywhere. Gelab has lactose-free and gluten-free flavours and includes gluten-free cones without a surcharge; Guidi uses no gluten in its gelato, though a gluten-free cone may cost extra; Sottozero and Al Bottegone have many lactose-free options. Ask at the counter before ordering.
Is there anywhere to sit with a gelato by the lake?
Gelateria Lariana on Lungo Lario Trento has no seating inside. Cross the street and walk the pedestrian lane towards the Tempio Voltiano, where you will usually find a shaded bench looking over the water.
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