Where the concierge points people first
- Gelateria Theobroma — The gelato counter of chocolatier Kotaro Tsuchiya's Theobroma, near Yoyogi-Hachiman. Unsurprisingly, the chocolate flavours are the reason to go. (35.6687, 139.6899)
- Premarche Gelateria — A small Naka-Meguro shop with a rotating list built on Japanese seasonal produce, including some flavours that sound odd and turn out not to be. Handy for a walk along the Meguro River. (35.6433, 139.6994)
- Giolitti Cafe Yurakucho — A Tokyo outpost of the historic Roman gelateria, in Yurakucho. The pick for anyone who wants to compare Tokyo's gelato against a Roman benchmark without leaving the Ginza side of town. (35.6744, 139.7638)
- 中村藤吉抹茶本店銀座店 — Nakamura Tokichi, the Uji tea house, in Ginza. Not a gelateria as such, but its matcha sweets and ice are the reference point for how green tea should taste. (35.6833, 139.7500)
The rest of the gelato shops in Tokyo — every one we hold
- Asatte no Gelato (35.7272, 139.7659)
- Bel Amer (35.6714, 139.7659)
- Donatello's (35.6876, 139.7022)
- FLOTO (35.6792, 139.6919)
- Fun Ice (35.6729, 139.6912)
- Gelateria e Cioccolateria Preferita (35.6283, 139.6859)
- Gelateria Italiana Ciao (35.6202, 139.7063)
- Gelato Bravo (35.6468, 139.7030)
- gelato Giannini (ジェラート ジャンニーニ) (35.6357, 139.7055)
- Gelato Mammamia (35.7086, 139.7714)
- I’m mikan (35.7151, 139.7919)
- Kii Stand (35.6821, 139.7646)
- L'ibisco (35.6715, 139.7669)
- Mom and Pop's Gelato (35.6605, 139.7299)
- Premium Mario Gelateria Shinjuku Isetan (35.6915, 139.7042)
- Slow Gelato (35.7161, 139.7663)
- Yayoi Tokyo (35.6461, 139.6705)
- グルグルジェラート 谷中銀座店 (35.7277, 139.7651)
- ジェラテリアアクオリーナ (35.6380, 139.6909)
- マリーズ (35.6909, 139.7927)
- マリオジェラテリア (35.6731, 139.7693)
Japan grades ice cream by law, and the label tells you which grade
Japan's food-labelling rules sort frozen desserts by milk content. Aisu kurīmu (ice cream) must contain at least 15% milk solids including 8% milk fat; aisu miruku needs 10% and 3%; rakuto aisu can have as little as 3% milk solids and is often made with vegetable fat. Gelato is naturally lower in fat than ice cream, so good gelato can legitimately be labelled aisu miruku. It is the rakuto aisu label, on a supermarket tub, that marks the cheap stuff.
Ask NUM for a gelato shop near you in Tokyo
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