In Italy, the standards for ice cream are especially high – the sweet confections must meet strict criteria, and the appealing title of “gelato” cannot be used simply to boost sales. The newest ice-cream parlor of Pest’s increasingly appealing Pozsonyi Street, Cioccolatte, definitely lives up to Italian conventions of high quality, and it would still be impressive even if it was offering its sweet treats on the Rimini Riviera. Lorenzo brings his creamy concoctions and fruity sorbets to perfection with 30 years of experience.
The residents of Budapest are very lucky to have so many high-quality ice-cream parlors that are definitely worth checking out to try their creative flavors. There are longstanding and brand-new ice-cream hotspots, but more fresh shops keep popping up around Budapest even now, at the end of summertime. Cioccolatte opened in District XIII at the end of July, and it already gained numerous fans and regulars, from youngsters to the elderly, and from nearby residents to random passersby, all glad to discover the new business operating at 7 Pozsonyi Street.
The store is brand-new, but the expertise is about 30 years old. Lorenzo, the ice-cream expert of Cioccolatte, even won a gold medal for his sweet creations in 2005. He used to operate stores around Europe, and he even had a unit on Andrássy Avenue. The most important rule of the new ice-cream parlor is that they only use natural ingredients, and their ice creams are free of additives, artificial colors, and other agents. The fresh dairy products all come from Hungarian farms in Etyek and Herceghalom, and they do not contain any preservatives, so they can reach their creamiest state. Their fruity ice creams are lactose-free and sorbet-like, so they do not add any dairy products to these treats. It is important to mention that they use seasonal (and tropical) fruits – the watermelon, sour cherries, and apricots are the real deal.
Even though they also distribute their confections to other businesses, their most special creations can only be sampled here at Pozsonyi Street, such as their goat-milk-based concoction with a characteristic taste that is not overwhelming, but due to its high fat content, is even creamier than the other versions. Among our favorite flavors were the date-almond variety (in which both ingredients can be equally tasted), the memorable apricotmade with Maraschino liqueur, the sour mint-lemon, and the Trieste coffee.At Cioccolatte, we always taste the exact flavors of the main ingredients, so we never have to ask anyone after sampling whether we’re munching on strawberry or plum. The flavors are interesting because everything is made with real sugar, as they can’t make any compromise concerning the texture or the flavors, so they stick with the less diet-friendly option. On the other hand, the fruity flavors are lactose-free, and we can even ask for gluten-free cones. A classic flavor costs 300 forints, and the more special ones are 330 forints; they are measured in our cones or cups with special spades. If you really like a certain flavor, you can buy half a kilogram for 3,000 forints, and a kilogram for 6,000 forints for parties (or a weekend-long pig-out session of spooning ice cream on the couch). The small store will not close after the summer; the autumn/winter selection will be made up of true Italian cakes and coffees like Zuppa ingleses, profiterols, and crostatas, enticing everyone into Cioccolatte’s lovely locale during the colder months.
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Address: Budapest 1137, Pozsonyi út 7
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday: noon-9pm, Sunday: noon-7pm
