Pappalecco

This place is SO great; the people who work there are AMAZING, literally the best customer service ever, the gelato flavors are always on point, and the vibe of the café is just so cute and hip!
Although its pretty pricey, I always treat myself with the gelato when I have the chance to visit this place. Their cherry/​chocolate amaretto flavor is my FAV and is legit the best tasting gelato that I have had! They are all really nice about letting you try as many flavors as you want before deciding and you are able to get multiple flavors in a one cup.
Definitely a cute place to sit and have coffee, all the waiters have adorable Italian accents and make you feel really welcome, worth a visit if you’re in Little Italy!

The pistachio gelato is so amazing and delicious. The flavor is perfect. The texture is perfect. The best place to get gelato in Little Italy.

Must get the Pistachio gelato! The flavor is amazeballs, so rich and creamy. Forgot the name of it but the coffee inspired one is good too! I shared a medium size cup with my friend and we were able to get two flavors. Tiny little place but there is indoor and outdoor seating. I’ll be back to sample more gelato flavors and maybe try some of their pastries.

After living in Italy for a few months, i am pretty familiar with gelato; it was really nice to see the familiar names I used to see back in Italy’s gelato stores! I really enjoy the hazelnut and pistachio one. The gelato is really nice and soft and not too sweet. Very friendly workers here too! :)

What a lovely Italian Café!
My friend and I decided to check out Little Italy’s Farmer’s Market and she suggested we get some breakfast here.
Upon entering the café, everyone greets you in Italian, how cute! The inside of the café resembles an authentic Italian café and I know so because I was very lucky and had the opportunity to travel to Florence and Rome. The place is kinda small, but there are a few small tables inside and outside as well.
I ended up getting the Capresino with an iced soy chai latte. The Capresino was love at first bite! The Capresino is basically eating the Caprese salad, but as a sandwich. It has the roma tomatoes, with the buffala mozzarella cheese and basil. DELICIOUS!!!
The iced chai tea latte was really good too, not too sweet and it had a great strong chai flavor.
Will definitely be coming back to try more of things on their menu!

OMG — gelato is delicious and fresh and fun.
A real treat with friendly people in an authentic environment.
No parking — walk or über.
They stay open late.

Hands down the best Gelato in San Diego…

Delicious, yummy, high quality gelato! The service was friendly and inquisitive, and the glass case was full of Italian sandwiches. Fresh and varied. The Pappaleco gelato was my favorite.

Ayeeee papa-​YES! So, yes, I’m currently out of the country writing reviews… But, hey gotta keep that elite badge right? Hehe
Anyways… I’m obsessed with this little authentic Italian gelato and coffee shop. Twice in the past year I’ve been in the area and had to make a stop. They’re gelato is authentic, real, Italian gelato… Hey, even the girls there are real itlianos!
I had the stratieccella (chocolate chip) because I know I spelled that wrong. It was so creamy and delicious — go get, now. Oh, and the mint chip is actual mint not that fake ish.
I highly suggest this gelato spot — best gelato in SD for sure!!!

Super delicious food I had breakfast here and it was a simple salad, eggs, bread, potatoes and prosciutto but it has been one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.
I will definitely return next time I’m in San Diego.
Tiramisu is delicious.

Always a favorite place to visit when we’re in little Italy. The croissants are so good! I get it filled with nutella AND strawberry jam. Yes– you can have both :)
Coffee is high quality. Staff is super friendly. Small place but perfect.

Honestly, I think Pappalecco is overpriced for what it is (a simple Italian café), but it’s hard to complain with such great service. The staff did their best to make me feel at home, and they genuinely seemed to love what they were doing.
Today I had a sandwich with fried egg, ham and cheese on really, really good bread that they freshly toasted. Even though it was afternoon, the breakfast flavors worked perfectly; I’d definitely come back again for this any time of day. For dessert, the stracciatella gelato does a great job combining sweet milk with dark chocolate, and the strawberry is wonderfully tart.
Only complaint: there wasn’t enough seating, even on a Friday afternoon!

Maybe I’m the odd one out. But I don’t see what all the hype is about. I wish I could like this little «Gelateria,» which offers Italian gelato, sandwiches, pastries and coffee. The Gelato, however, fails to impress, the service is rather mediocre or average at best, and some of their pastries are unreasonably priced.
The café’s inside is cozy, kept clean with simple and cute decorations. The outdoor seating is another option in case you want to enjoy the sun or the inside is too packed.
The Gelato is OK. It’s not bad, but it’s not so amazingly increibles or «to-​die-​for» as I saw in some reviews. Firstly, the selection is extremely limited. I’ve been to Italy many times, (because I’m part-​Italian) and never have I seen such a small and odd selection of gelato. They do not offer most of the standard chocolate, crème, nut or fruit flavors. Instead this Gelateria has combined certain flavors in an attempt to make exotic Gelato «fusions.» In my opinion, some of these fusions taste too commercial, «American-​ized,» and unusually exotic. I suppose Papalecco wants to distinguish their selection by offering exclusively unique and creative flavors, as a strategy to differentiate themselves from their competition and so people will talk about their flavors. But, for me, it fails. Secondly, the texture lacks the silkiness I recall that is associated with quality gelato. The silkiness is a result from the slower whipping of Gelato and the temperature it is served at. In my opinion, the Gelato I was served was too cold, and therefore it affected the silkiness and softness commonly attributed to a good Gelato. Once again, a major fail.
Furthermore, their staff seemed uninterested in its customers. They gave off a negative vibe, giving the impression that they did not enjoy their job. With such extremely high ratings, I was expecting more warmth and courtesy. There was no «how are you» or «would you like to try a sample?» They made no effort to proactively «sell» the Gelato; it is as if they thought their product was too good for them to put in the effort sell it. I would understand such lack of courtesy during their busy hour. But when I went in, my girlfriend and I were the only people in line and no body was behind us. There might have been only 6 people at the Gelateria.
On the bright side, this Gelateria is conveniently located in the heart of Little Italy. And I suppose you can impress your date for dessert if she desires to experience «dessert» the Italian way, in Little Italy, or if she is craving Gelato and Papalecco is your closest and only option.
However, overall, here you’ll find mediocre service and average gelato. Maybe I will give this place another shot in the future since I haven’t tried their «espresso with gelato» or one of their sandwiches. I really do want to like this place, but I’m just not impressed. Until then, Arrivederci, Papalecco.

This is a cute little shop in little Italy. I found this place on Unilocal 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 :)

Every time I venture into a new area, one of the first things I always look for is gelato or ice cream shop. Pappalecco is a small gelato café located in Little Italy (started in 2007) and there are also two other branches scattered around in San Diego (one in Hillcrest and another one in Kensington). Now I really don’t need to elaborate downtown San Diego parking situation — it is pretty bad and you’ll be lucky just to find an open spot.
Supposedly Pappalecco’s gelato only use 5 main natural ingredients. Before you can EVEN sample any flavors, you’ll have to place your order and pay to the cashier first. I tried several flavors and I found that pistachio wasn’t that impressive (I typically judge gelato based on each shop’s hazelnut and pistachio). Oh you can get two different flavors for small or medium order. If you are one of those ice cream sandwich lovers, then croissant gelato is also available.
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Pear and hazelnut (medium, $ 4.99): Hazelnut had a such strong flavor that I had to drink half a cup of water first before I can even detect a hint of pear flavor for my second scoop. Overall B+ in creaminess and flavor, but not as dense as few other gelato I’ve tried. The balance between sweetness and creaminess tilted toward sweetness side a bit more.
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If I can get my perfect gelato combination in San Diego, then I would get hazelnut here and pistachio from Gelato Paradiso (
). The chances are you won’t be disappointed with Pappalecco’s gelato.

If you ever find yourself in downtown San Diego, head down to Little Italy and #treatyoself to Pappalecco. Do it. You won’t regret it. This place is super authentic, and although i’ve yet to visit Italy, I imagine this is what real, Italian gelato is intended to taste like!
We came in around 10pm, and the tiny shop had quite a few people in it! They have you purchase your gelato before you start sampling, which is brilliant because then you and the server can both rest easy, without the pressure of having to quickly decide, and they won’t worry you’ll try one of everything and take off. I absolutely loved so many of their gelato flavors! The ones that really stood out to me were the Nutella & straacciatella (milk and chocolate), which I got in a small cup. It looks small, and sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but it is so rich and creamy, the small was a perfect size! The other flavors that I sampled but didn’t ultimately change are: frutti di bosco (mixed berry), nocciola (hazelnut), fragola (strawberry), and although I didn’t try it myself, Devin C swears up and down that the Cioccolata Fondente is amazing (it was out when we got there, so it must be popular)!
The gelato is delicious, their pastries and cookies look freshly made and friends attested to their quality, and I look forward to trying their coffee and espresso on a future SD trip! An especially big shoutout to the super friendly staff, you were all so cute and sweet!

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.

Such a cute little spot in Little Italy.
I was initially disappointed because the dessert spot down the road was packed, but I’m extremely glad that I found this spot.
The employees have that very friendly Italian charm and they’re more than happy to offer suggestions. My sister and I ended up having amazing affogatos that had Nutella ice cream in it.
I will definitely be back for another and I’d suggest others to stop in for a real treat. Just beware that seating is very limited!

For a fine brew that doesn’t involve hops in this city well known for craft beer, head to Pappalecco, the finest espresso roasters this side of Naples. This place is authentic, and I don’t just mean because the staff involves men with better shaped eyebrows than the women. Accents abound here, but the coffee is exceptionally good. This is what the body craves, well coffee and beer. It’s not called Little Italy for nothing. You can also enjoy the brew outside on the sidewalk tables they have, just like in Roma. The gelato and baked goods are worth a stop in for as well.

As a coffee connoisseur, I’ve had more than my share of lattes. I can gauge what makes a good coffee drink and what doesn’t. Big chains are generally a miss, while mom and pops coffee shops tend to harbor hidden gems.
This gem lay hidden in Little Italy in San Diego. A friend and I were in the mood for some mochas, and we wanted to try out a new place. I had been to Little Italy before, and wanted to explore it further. This coffee shop showed up on Unilocal,and hence we came here.
This place is located in a nice neighborhood. Parking was a bit tricky to find, but we lucked out a few block away. The coffee shop was packed, and part of that could be attributed to the Art Walk going on the same block. The line was out the door, but the staff here made sure to keep the line moving.
We ordered some iced mochas, and we had our drinks five minutes later. The drinks were marvelous, and I could tell that they used quality ingredients. The staff was very nice, and they had great personalities. The patrons were mainly locals, and they were also lovely people.
This coffee shop definitely has merit. We enjoyed our lattes as well as the environment. Five stars.

There once was a time when I believed a pint of Talenti, some Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Organic Guatemalan Dark Roast, and an evening with a Hugh Grant movie was the key to a woman’s heart.
And then I discovered Pappalecco.

the nicest Italian people in town. Cutie patootie shop to sit and enjoy your gelato, coffee, pastry or sandwich. Take advantage of the free samples before you buy a cup. My favorite is the Maschino (sp?). definitely coming back to try their fancy schmancy espresso drink.

Heard of this place from Unilocal!I saw that it had so many good reviews so I had to try it for myself!
I came here last night with my friends after we went to The Crack Shack.
First of all, PAPPALECCO HAS THE FRIENDLIEST SERVICE EVER!!! An Italian girl named Iearia helped us and she was super sweet and energetic! She looked like she really enjoyed working there. She said I could sample all the gelato I wanted and she didn’t say it in a way where she was hoping I actually wouldn’t like Baskin Robbin’s 31 Flavors does ha ha She really wanted to make sure I liked what I got.
The ambiance is super cozy and intimate.
I got the Pappalecco and fragola (strawberry) gelato and it was delicious! I’ve been to Italy several times and it tastes so similar to the gelato there! Reminds me a bit of Amorino!
My friend ordered the nutella hot chocolate and it was super good as well! I’ll have to order my own the next time I go!
Definitely make this a stop when you visit Little Italy! LOVE IT!

What a cute little place with Italian baristas and staff! I ordered the iced latte with soy milk. It was good but I can’t say that is something that is extraordinary or a must. However they have tons of Italian desserts and variety of gelato to choose from. We got the Hazelnut and it was HEAVEN!
Definitely would come back to try their desserts!

My colleagues at work have been raving about the award-​winning café and gelato shop, Pappalecco’s, and how delicious the cornetto (similar to croissants) were.
Pappalecco is located on a hot spot on the corner of Date St. and Cedar St., and perfect for a sit-​down treat, Farmer’s Market crowd watching or just simply a quick pick-​me-​up. We enjoyed 3 different pastries — chocolate Saccottino, Cornetto Fragola (strawberry jam) and Cornetto Salato, while pairing it with their famous Iced Latte (w/​piccolo, Nutella and whipped cream). I would recommend asking them to toast the pastries too. The iced latte was decadent and rich, a little heavy and thick, but if you are a Nutella lover, this is the drink for you. Although a bit crowded and rushed, staff are so welcoming and friendly. Bella!

I loved this gelato place! First of all, the staff was super friendly! They all greet you in Italian.
I got the smallest size just to try it out and I was not disappointed. How this place works is that you pay for the size you want, and then you can try the different gelato. You can also add as many flavors you want for the size you got! It’s awesome!
So when I visited, I got the coconut, pistachio, and mixed berries. All were super good but if there’s one flavor you should try it’s definitely pistachio! It has a very nutty but fresh flavor to it!

This is probably my favorite café in town. The gelato is amazing, the staff is friendly and the ambiance is very home-​like.
When you walk in the line may be long, but you are quickly greeted by the amazing staff.
There are so many delicious choices! If you’re a fan of Nutella, they have Nutella cookies and a Nutella pie!
The gelato is amazing! It’s so smooth and rich in flavor. So many favors to choose from! You can also get a frappé with gelato blended in.
The brings me to the coffee. I thought it would just be standard brewed coffee, but no! This coffee has a very in depth flavor. It’s better than any other coffee I’ve had!
Overall, I love walking over when I want to relax and have a coffee. Great place!

What can I Say! this gelato is AMAZING! This is my first time I can say I actually love this place. The gelato was creamy not too sugary (and I dislike overly sugary foods) it was a perfect combination and well balance gelato I have ever tried.
Will come back again when I go back to San Diego!

Pappelecco is one of my absolute favorite gelato places. Not only is the costumer service on point, but so is their food. Two thumbs up.

Good sandwiches, gelatto, but the coffee, they do know what they are doing. I ordered a large thinking it was your average tasty Little Italy brew, big mistake! So good, roasty, dark, but definitely high test. Half way into the cup I was AWAKE! Some of the best coffee in SD. And that’s saying something.
The gals — really sweet and friendly. Almost too much so, though. I think they are going for authenticity, want you to feel like you are in Italy, talking with the locals, an interesting phenomenon, isn’t it — authenticity? But at some point it feels like a Disney experience. I went several times because the food and coffee are so good, and because I was trying to figure out if the accents were real — they are! I heard a couple of the gals speaking fluent Italian.
Anyway, I was glad this lovely little shop was close to our hotel.

This is my first time having gelato and it was wonderful.
The service was great and the girls were very helpful I think I tired literally all the flavored before deciding with mint chocolate chip. I got the small which was very filling topped with whipped cream.
We sat outside, it was a full house. We will be back soon !

This place is great. The cutest little Italian coffee shop that has good food, gelato, and amazing coffee.
I highly recommend getting a croissant with ham egg and cheese in the morning! Good coffee too.
Friendly staff!

Great little Italy spot for gelato. (They have small sandwiches and snacks, but I only get the gelato). They have a good selection of flavors. Good stop for dessert after a dinner in Little Italy or a snack on a warm after the farmers market or on a stroll with friends. My favorite are the flavors with the berries.

Gelato Heaven. Amazing service. Clean and cute shop. This was by far the most delicious gelato I have had in my entire life!
The Nutella gelato was the best!!!

I loved the authenticity of the people and the food. The food was excellent as was my cuppaccino and gelato, unfortunately they thought it was a good idea to mop the floor during business hours with a pungent cleaning agent. The other negative is parking is super limited and we had to resort to paying 11 bucks for 2 hour parking across the street.

Back again for my favorite gelato in San Diego! I always get the marocchino. So creamy with chocolate chunks and coffee flavor! I adore this dessert spot in Little Italy! I come here about once a month as a nice treat :)

FRIENDLY SERVICE and DIE-​LICIOUS GELATO!!!
We skated in before closing the other night and we LUH-​HUVVED this place. First off, you are greeted by friendly and upbeat faces who may very well be family.
The selection is wide, the flavors are deep and tasty, and you can choose two flavors even with the small size.
We had the Pappalecco (chocolate and amaretto) and Coconut flavors after a big meal elsewhere. This was the perfect spot for something sweet and a hospitable, friendly staff makes it all the better!

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!

Great location very nice Italian vibe. Everyone is loud and it’s always busy.
We had a single shot latte and I would definitely order the double next time. The froth was delicious and very milky.
They have soooo much variety of little sandwiches and croissants to eat. We had the ovina (egg, bacon, cheese, tomato and basil in a little Italian roll) it was AMAZING!!! Also had the prosciutto roll which had tomato and mozzarella cheese, it was a little bland but the side of fresh strawberries definitely helped in the flavor department.
Definitely will be coming back and trying their other rolls for breakfast whilst in San Diego :)

Ciao ! Ciao ! Ciao ! Before you even get a chance to check out the flavors, you are greeted with friendly employees with lanyards with enough credentials to get you to the Oval Office.
Hands down, the creamiest gelato in San Diego. The neighborhood and experience walking around adds to the European flair. Moreover, the cigarette smoking outside on the patios too.
My absolute favorite gelato outside Europe is here and I highly recommend for all tourists. Pay for your size first, then proceed to taste, sample, and choose your combinations. Everything is fantastic !

Really great, STRONG, coffee. I got an iced coffee, thinking a $ 2 small would be inhaled in 20 minutes. Not the case — it was strong, even when I added ice after. I’m glad, they didn’t skimp.
Gelato is great. Light, smooth, though a bit sweet. I say this particularly in regard to the pistachio, which I would’ve preferred more nutty, less sweet. But the mocha+chocolate flavor is amazing, would highly recommend if you like coffee & chocolate. Also, can fit 2 flavors in a small!
Slightly weird policy: you have to pay for a size before you can taste. My boyfriend didn’t like that idea very much.
Other than that, you can expect you’ll get a smile with your order. People (both cashiers and patrons) are so friendly here!

OH MY GOODNESS! I am not a big fan of gelato, but this place definitely has my heart! I love it so much I have brought at least 7 friends here over the past few months! Their flavors are so delicious and they offer a large assortment! The price may seem a bit high, but it is well worth it! Don’t forget to sample to make sure you really get what you like!

I am obsessed!!! When I was in Italy I gained like 40 lbs. because everywhere you go, shops, bars, outdoor malls, etc. sell DELICIOUS paninis and gelato. EVERYWHERE.
This place reminds me of those, exactly! Fresh tomatoes (taste like they were ripened under the Tuscan sun!!), crispy flavorful basil, fresh WHOLE MILK mozzarella with really good bread. All of this is drizzled in olive oil and cooked perfectly on a panini press. HEAVEN. GO THERE.
To make it even better, they speak in Italian, are hilarious and engaging and give you free samples of their gelato, don’t even get me started on the gelato, so good! So are their other desserts! YUM, JUST GO THERE. YOU’RE WELCOME.

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!

THIS PLACE IS TOO CUTE. It’s like Little Red Robin Hood’s house but instead of candy, it has delicious pastries and gelato! Which is almost the same thing?
I came here on a Saturday evening with 3 other friends because we heard about the famous «gelato croissant».
After a good 20 minutes, we finally decided on:
–1 gelato croissant with pappalecco gelato + pistachio gelato /​/​Each croissant comes with two scoops of gelato. Pappalecco is like a toned down version of nutella/​hazelnut but with almonds and chocolate instead. DELICIOUS! Pistachio is subtle but also amazing. If you like nuts… definitely go for these two!
–1 gelato croissant with pappalecco gelato + coffee gelato /​/​Croissant is yummy! Not the cheap kind that is reheated, but it’s fresh and doughy. It was cold when we had it, since we took a while to decide what we wanted. Regardless, still yummy! Can’t imagine how it tastes warm!
Pros:
–Good service! Despite being short of hand, and the guy giving the gelato samples couldn’t hear us half the time… but they were very fair in telling everyone to «try as many flavors as you want!» I also love their cute accents… SUCH AUTHENTICITY!
–Great selection! Upon entrance, they have a huge selection of pastries, desserts, cookies… EVERYTHING looked delectable and was reasonable! Good selection of coffee and such too! And gelato selection is good too! I highly recommend: pappalecco, pistachio, nutella/​hazelnut…
–Cute ambiance! I love the simplicity of wooden architecture, red and white checkered colors. It’s almost like going on a picnic with amazing nibbles! Definitely a great place to sit and chill with a small group of friends or even for siting and studying.
Cons:
–Unorganized setting/​/​I guess this is largely due to the small space they have. But the wait was unnecessarily long for how simple the gelato process is. It didn’t make sense to me that you pay in the middle and then you take forever standing on the side to try gelato flavors. And if you wanted «pick up» of pastries, you have to crawl back towards the entrance and cut in front of people. Weird? Hopefully they station more people with the gelato station since that is the busiest place!
–Small portion/​/​The ice cream scoops are small. :(I had to savor it carefully to make sure it fit with each bite of croissant!
–Decent prices /​/​Pricing is about the same, regardless of cup or croissant. You’d get more gelato in a cup but then you don’t get to try the croissant. It’s a trade off and really depends on how much you love gelato.
Tips/​Observations:
–Street parking is nearly impossible around here. But there is a parking structure a few minutes within walking distance!
–They have indoor/​outdoor seating!
–They open super early…7:30 AM?! Don’t be fooled only by their gelato photos!
Overall, cute little spot in Little Italy! I wouldn’t mind dropping by for some pastries and coffee on a sunny afternoon.

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.