Pappalecco

Super cute place to have coffee, and good. & Friendly service. I would defiantly come here again, so many things to try.

I was sooo excited when I saw this «new» location. And really bummed when I realized after driving all the way there, that It’s just their distribution center. They need to update their Unilocal page already.

Great gelato and fun employees. I have often left gelato places based purely on the «look» of the gelato. This gelato looks (AND tastes) wonderful. Want to go back to try other pastries and sandwiches and their coffee next tome.

I came here based on the Unilocal reviews that I read.
I love this place though and will definitely come back for their affogatos, which by far is the best I had. I had mine with stracciatella. It was decent pricing for a cup of coffee — about $ 4 – 5.
We went on a Friday so parking was a little difficult to find if you didn’t want to pay $ 7 for a lot.
I would definitely recommend trying this place. Service was fantastic. I didn’t get his name, but he was very informative and helps you taste a bunch of mixed flavored gelato if you’re unsure or feeling adventurous!

This is not a location where you can purchase their products! This is a storage space, or manufacturing facility…
It would be nice to specify in the title, nonetheless, they’re awesome.

This is NO longer a café! Do not go here and expect to find gelato of coffees. Not gonna happen. I just visited on 8÷19÷2015 to grab a quick coffee and was greeted by a nice employee in a clearly commercial bakery /​work space. I was informed that this is a «production center» for the other Papalecco locations.
TL DR; this is not a café!

So sad this place closed! I will have to visit their other location in Hillcrest! Loved getting their Misticanza salad or the Pollo Panini! So delicious!

When I came back from spending a few months in Italy I was craving some authentic gelato. I found this place and fell in love. The gelato is so delicious and authentic. Everyone I introduce to this hidden gem finds it equally as delicious. Just be aware they have weird hours so be sure to check online or call before heading out.

My brother and I were craving gelato so we hunted down the closes one to us and to our very pleasant surprise, Pappalecco was beyond our expectations. We were greeted immediately with a CIAO! And I turn to my brother saying, «ohhh they’re authentic!» hahaha it was soooo good. So good! The lady that helped us was so sweet and let us sample anything we wanted. We couldn’t decide so she told us her favorites.
I got the pistachio and coffee and brother go the nutella and and tiramisu. Both were so creamy and delicious. We both got the medium size and even though the cup looks small, it felt like never ending gelato. The lady suggested next time for me to try the affogato– vanilla gelato with a shot of hot espresso poured on top. Uhh yeah! I’ll be back very soon ;)

I prefer this location over Hillcrest, but just slightly. It’s hard to find and oddly industrial, but the servers are fantastic. Ricardo and Diego do a great job every time we’re in. The only room for improvement I’d suggest is that the drinks be made a little more consistently and that they listen a little more carefully to what we’re ordering, but I’d rather have inconsistency than jerks, so we deal with it. Bring that chocolate peanut butter gelato here and we’re at 5 stars!

A third location has opened in the mean streets of San Diego! We were kind of miffed as we were driving around looking for this place. Your navi will take you through a back alley of a building so make sure you simply drive down Kurtz. This place has a much smaller menu than the other two locations but they have their staple menu items of assorted coffees and gelato. You’ll see a few panini options though!
Affogato — If you’re looking for a dessert espresso hybrid, I definitely recommend their affogato. That monster not only woke me up but kept me up late into the night. The drink calls for your choice of gelato topped with a hot shot of espresso, served in a martini glass. How adult of them! I gave all the power to the super friendly barrista and allowed him to select the gelato. He included one generous scoop of Cappalecco and another generous scoop of Fondente. Both were chocolate based and only enhanced the shot of espresso. He topped it off with a little cookie which gave it such a simple yet cute touch.
Seating is limited here but hey, it’s San Diego. Grab a seat outside and enjoy the sun!

The gelato is amazing!

This place was impossible to find because it was in the middle of this business center and warehouses and such. My friend and I passed it at least a half dozen times before I stumbled on it. I almost hit a parked van finding it. Smaller than the other locations, it still had the same quality gelato. Not many eating spaces and parking is sparse. Also, I got change back all in quarters. Weird.

Ciao!
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Pappalecco (see previous reviews), and this location is no exception. It is a little off the beaten path but I happen to like it that way, it’s kind of a secret, for now, which is why I am a little reluctant to write this review…
It is a little tricky to find, especially if you’re not familiar with the area, kinda industrial. So maybe this will help you out a bit.
This is if you are coming off the 8.
The way my GPS sent me is as follows; turn right onto Sports Arena (because Kurtz is a one way from Rosecrans), then turn right, right before the MMA sign (It’s not a street and my GPS recorded the turn as (******** wth?) to cut through to Kurtz), turn right on Kurtz and look to your left, PAPPALECCO! There is plenty of parking for free on the street, both times I’ve had no issue. The new place is a bit smaller but has all of the same amazing selection as the other locations, including gelato, Panini’s and pastries, etc…, there are 3 cute wooden tables out front but none inside, this location seems to be a café/​production site assuming from the view of the open kitchen in the back.
So Happy!!!
HOURS
7 – 530.

Wow, best espresson i have ever had! And I’ve tried Italy’s best! Great people, great pastries, and great coffee, I highly recommend if you can find them. They are a bit off the beaten path, but a great choice for breakfast and lunch.

Very happy to see Pappalecco expanding out! I’ve been a fan of their other locations in HCrest and Little Italy so it was a nice surprise to see this pop up out of nowhere sorta in the middle of nowhere.
I think of the Kurtz location as sort of a Pappalecco Lite with very limited outdoor seating and a slightly pared down menu due to the size constraints of the place. The food is hand made on-​site judging from the easily visible kitchen and baking area through the windows and behind the main counter and it tastes that way.
The paninis we had were fairly large with one half being quite filling especially when paired with their frappé drink:
*Pollo Panini — thick slice of chicken breast with artichoke and tomato! Can’t go wrong with this one. Light tasting but the portion will definitely fill you up. Your hands will get greasy from the olive oil and spread.
*Frappé — didn’t know exactly what this was other than it used gelato. They mix two scoops of your favorite gelato flavor with some ice and blend it to a smooth drink topped w/​whipped cream. Yum-​yum!
I hope they get some umbrellas set up for shade while dining outside as the sun can get harsh even in winter. Parking in the area can be a bit of a chore but if you’re coming from the north end of Kurtz, you can usually find parking along the street closer to the Arena. A bit of a walk, but much easier parking than the nearby alleys and side streets.
The pair working the front today were super helpful and greeted everyone with huge smiles. Do other shops know that makes customers more likely to enjoy their experience and return? Hoping they thrive, and I’ll be sure to stop back in to try their breakfast soon!