If you love gelato, or you just love Italy, you’re in for a treat.
A new gelato place just opened in downtown Walnut Creek. We know–another ice cream joint in the city!
As we shared before, Walnut Creek is fast becoming the ice cream capital of the East Bay. Handel’s opened recently, and now right around the block, there’s another new ice cream spot to try.
The new place is called Annie’s Ice Cream Italian Gelato. It opened up right across from Peet’s Coffee on Locust Street. I stopped by to try it out.
Although Annie’s is locally owned, the gelato here is the real deal! It comes from an Italian company whose roots go all the way back to the 1940s.
There are historical signs sharing the origin story of the gelato. There’s a lot of information, but suffice it to say that this is a real Italian product that reflects what you might find on the streets of Florence or Torino.
Annie’s serves up a wide variety of flavors.
The smallest size costs $6 and allows you to choose two different flavors, and the sizes just go up from there.
I opted for a combination of hazelnut and wild berry. The hazelnut was milky and creamy, and the wild berry had a nice brambly flavor with enough seeds in it to know that it was made with real berries.
My kids tried an Oreo flavor, as well as mango. Both of those were very good too.
Annie’s is a bit different from other gelato places in the area. I love Gio Gelati down at City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, California. Their gelato is freshly made and tastes a bit more fancy and artisan. But it doesn’t have the intense creaminess that you find at Annie’s.
Overall, Annie’s is a bit more like ice cream, even for the fruity flavors. Gio Gelati has some dairy-based flavors, but many of the items on their menu are vegan and are more like a sorbet-style gelato.
It reminds me of Amorino Italian Gelato, which imports gelato directly from Italy. They used to have a location down at the Livermore Outlets, but now it’s just in the city.
It’s nice to be able to stop by Annie’s in Walnut Creek and enjoy delicious Italian gelato.
The storefront is small and has limited indoor seating. At least they do have seats, which is more than you can say for Handel’s!
You can also stop at the brand-new dumpling place right next door. Dumplings and gelato sound like a pretty perfect combination.
Stop by Annie’s and give their flavors a try. It might not be as good as a trip to Italy, but it’s pretty darn close.
And make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can keep you in the loop about other delicious new restaurants in Walnut Creek and its neighboring cities!
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