Gelarto Rosa Budapest – Coolest temptation in town

As a rule, whenever I see an exceedingly long queue of tourists somewhere, I take a long breath, realise that whatever it is they are queuing for is probably not worth the hassle and devise a plan B. Except when it’s the queue in front of Gelarto Rosa, in which case I take a long breath and devise a plan A, say banana chocolate and peach sorbet, and a plan B, perhaps the lavender white chocolate and mango. That’s also my top tip: go for a sweet and intense milk based flavour alongside a sourer sorbet, a combo which balances itself out very nicely.

While many other ice cream parlours have come and gone, and some chains have locations of varying quality, Gelarto Rosa’s little shop by Saint Stephen’s Basilica remains a staple, for locals and tourists alike. Although, as mentioned above, there is always a queue during high ice cream season, it moves fairly fast, especially taking into consideration that the ice creams come in a very Instagram friendly handmade rose shape, with three available sizes: the small has two flavours, the medium three and the large one, four. There are always around two dozen flavours on offer, with the classical options of vanilla or chocolate featured alongside more daring experiments such as basil lemon sorbet or Oreo. Low calorie options, made with xylitol, are also available and are basically indistinguishable from their ‘full blooded’ counterparts, making Gelarto Rosa safe for your diet as well.