Grateful Spoon Gelato

Hands down, the best homemade waffle cones in the Valley! My husband and I will drive the 20ish minutes for dessert because we can’t seem to find any place we like better. The salted caramel gelato is divine! And if you’re not in the mood for gelato, I recommend the salted chocolate chip cookie — just the right blend of salt and sugar. The workers are always super friendly, and they let you try as many flavors as you want. :)

Quality gelato: cost is worth it, flavors, location, presentation, vegan flavors. Only problem to me is the customer service is NOT consistantly the most cheery, should be for $ 3 a scoop. Plus they used to have there own shop spot, now unfortunately you have to wait in long LGO line.

Helpful staff small servings gelado okay

Hands down the best Gelato in all of the valley.
I contacted Mike, the Gelato chef, at Grateful Spoon, to do some gelato for by girlfriend’s surprise birthday party. I needed something unique, something good, and something that could serve forty or fifty people. And Mike came through like a boss for me. An almond concoction with a lingonberry topping that was out of this world. While there was some cake left after the surprise party, there wasn’t an ounce of the gelato to be had.
It was so good even her vegan dad was sad that there was none for him. More than a dozen times he asked «are you sure gelato isn’t vegan???» It was clear he wanted some, and if this gelato can break a vegan’s will power, you know its the business.
So thanks a lot to Mike and Grateful Spoon. We just tried a sampler of the lime/​cucumber gelato, its fixing to be amazing, as is their in house pistachio gelato.
Sometimes being a «large mammal» has its advantages, like when I can pack it away at Grateful Spoon!

The gelato at Grateful Spoon is a little inconsistent. Overall I wasn’t impressed by the different flavors I tried. I did like the honey lavender and the lemon (nice and tart). The almond lingonberry was the one flavor standout for me.
Prices are expensive, just buy a pint. At $ 5 per pint it’s a much better deal than a small scoop for $ 3.
Service was very friendly and helpful.
Parking is shared with Le Grande Orange, which means parking sucks.

I feel very torn about this place. I went twice and both times were lackluster.
I want to give 1 star to the parking situation at this location. Its always full and an accident waiting to happen because it dead ends and you have to back up into oncoming traffic trying to find a parking spot as well. The two times we came here, we ended up parking in a barber shop lot across the street. You would think with this corner of shops parking would have been worked out better. Don’t come and expect to find parking, ever. I know its not the gelato stores fault for bad parking, but it seriously deters any desire to come here and it just makes it frustrating.
I want to give 5 stars for the vegan flavors of gelato. I had pear and banana and they were really good. Some of the best vegan fruit flavored gelato I have ever had.
I want to give 2 stars to the regular flavors of gelato. They just tasted like milk and melted really fast. I tried pistachio and chocolate.
I want to give 1 star to the scoop size. I swear to god, my scoop was slightly bigger than a golf ball. And for $ 3? Are you kidding? Without the groupon I purchased which was $ 5 for $ 10 worth of gelato, neither time we used the full amount, I don’t see myself frequenting this place as the amount is crazy.
I want to give 1 star to the workers who helped us both of the times we came in here. No joke, I told them which flavor I wanted and they asked «which one is it? Point it out.» Uhh… isn’t that your job to know? Its not like there were 50 flavors to choose from. I think I counted 18. So it shouldn’t have been that complicated.
I am going to settle on 2 stars since that’s what my total averaged out to be. I don’t see myself coming back here for all of these reasons except the fruit flavored gelatos, which I wish were given bigger scoops or the prices were changed. But even for how good they are, I can’t say I’ll be back. Sorry.

One word: Heaven. The bonus is that they have exotic toppings such as balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Yes, it’s bizzare, but it’s a culinary adventure. Who would have known those favors go together?! The only tragedy is that I can’t fit all the flavors I like in one cup!

Very little is better than this place; seriously. That said, since hands have changed, a few things have changed that I could do without. Still, this establishment houses the best cool treat in all The Valley. Full vegan options is a great plus. You can also try any amount of flavors you like without being looked down upon.

If you are coming here at night, beware that there is barely any lighting on 40 Street going from Indian School towards Campbell. It shows up in the same mini plaza as LGO Pizza and Grocery Store. It is a quaint little location that is interconnected to the restaurant and grocery store.
There were not many selections, but all the flavors I tried were excellent. They even had vegan fruits choices such as strawberry, banana, and mango. The vegan strawberry was excellent. The Dulce le Leche was to die for, but there was very little left to get an entire scoop. I saw a new flavor that had almond base and raspberry paste mixed in. I can’t remember the name right now, but it was very delicious. My friends got hazelnut and nutella.
We paid with a $ 10 Groupon, and the final price was 10.98. The lady told us not to worry about the 98 cents, and we were on our way to Gelato Heaven.

I really enjoy this little place. It is in my favorite area right by La Grande Orange…
I lived in Italy and I love gelato… I prefer gelato over ice cream anyday! It is just so much better and creamier…
This place is cute and its a neighborhood place and its a great place for families and those that just ahd dinner to walk too… The people there are so sweet and nice… They have a great selection and you can order gelato pies too! This place is great!

A few points before I get into my flavor reviews.
The service was impeccable. For service alone, they would receive 5 stars. I was helped by a lovely young lady who was extremely patient with me as I tried to narrow down their selection to the 3 scoops I was gifting myself with.
The location is convenient. It’s definitely hipster alley, but there is lots of good food around here. Decent amount of parking, as well. Not matter how busy it was, we always had ample parking. Even up close «rock star» parking.
They make all the gelato in-​house using all natural ingredients — just like the old country. I was told they get all of their fruit from a local farmers market and their dairy is local, as well. Their fruit gelato is vegan, which is nice for those of that lifestyle.
The young lady who helped me said this shop was once owned by an Italian family and when they bought the shop, it came with the old country recipes.
Flavors I tried:
Nutella — Interesting choice. It has an extremely potent flavor, so this is not the type of gelato you can eat a lot of – not that you should eat a lot of gelato anyway!
Chocolate Peanut Butter — Very rich, but overall forgettable. It didn’t stand out enough for me to want to come back for more than one little spoonful.
Key Lime — This was tasty, but only in a sample size portion. It was so tart, that it made my mouth hurt. I had to get a dairy-​based sample afterward to remove the taste from my mouth.
Pistachio — Very similar to classic Italian Pistachio gelato. The consistency was a tad off, but that could just be from how hot it was that day in comparison to the weeks prior.
Raspberry — Extremely tasty. Very refreshing. Not remarkable, though. It’s forgettable, sadly, even though it has a good flavor profile.
Lingonberry Almond — My Swedish friends would be very happy! This gelato was creamy to perfection. It’s enchanting mixture of smoky almonds and sweet lingonberry was somewhat mysterious. This is the kind of flavor combination that makes your palate think — which I don’t mind.
All in all, it was a good experience. Based on my personal scale, I’d say 4 stars. Based on Unilocal’s scale, it was A-​OK. I’ve had MUCH better elsewhere. But, for Phoenix, AZ – I’m impressed!

Love the gelato! The creaminess and luxury that you wanna find in gelato you will find it here. They give you options if you are vegan too, with lots of variety on the gelato. Tried 3 different option, the chocolate classic, vanilla and banana caramel. The chocolate and vanilla leaves the most impression for me as I found the banana caramel is too sweet. It’s one good gelato experience!

O-​my-​gosh, I think I’ve fallen in love with Grateful Spoon’s gelato. Why didn’t we find each other sooner? I’ve been wasting my time with other gelato spots in the valley, who will remain nameless.
Hazelnut, Coffee, Pistachio and Chocolate flavors are all heavenly.
Yummy!

They are such nice people and I hate to give them only 3 stars but I am all about the flavor and they don’t have much in their gelato.
They do have one of the most unusual flavors that I have ever tried in a Gelato Shoppe. Cardamom Orange. It has the potential to be really really good but they have not made it creamy enough and you feel like you are eating a cross between a sorbet and a gelato. They seriously need to work more on this flavor because it really could make them really stand apart from the rest of the gelato shoppe’s out there. They let you sample so I tried it… twice…to make sure, but I just couldn’t get myself to pay for it. Ended up getting the chocolate instead and it turned out to be A-​OK.
Grateful Spoon, work on the Cardamom Orange flavor and write me when you have completed your process. I will be back only then. :-p

Thankfully the gelato nearly made up for the utterly cheerless service. That poor girl couldn’t seem to muster a smile for the life of her! Also, if I were the owner, I’d be a little peeved that she is giving the pizzeria $ 1 special to people who didn’t eat there… though I certainly appreciated the cheap gelato!
The gelato was good (I had the honey mascarpone and the Husband had Nutella), but it didn’t seem to be any better than the thousands of other shops around town.
***edited to add: I quite appreciated the genuinely sweet message sent by our server. Sincere apologies go a really long way in my book. Thanks :)

Momma found a new love… Grateful Spoon has some yummy flavors rich and decadent… today’s choice ~Honey Marscapone and Peanut Butter… just so you know my ice cream, yogurt and gelatos are always going to have Peanut Butter in there somewhere. This was very pure tasting, loved seeing their sign that they use local ingredients and no nasty additives. Great taste just wish it was closer. But don’t worry I ll be back to grab some fun stuff over at Grocery in not too long from now…
Prices were reasonable and who doesn’t enjoy the great little shops over at Le Grande Orange… (Spied Tammie Coe in her bakery and about squealed with delight) .I tihnkl I could spend a whole afternoon hanging out… once again wish it was close…

AZ weather in January rocks, it is that simple, this is why I live here. Where else can you stroll over to a local gelato spot, in shorts & flip-​flops without feeling under dressed?
I spent the day cleaning house, literally. It was time to get rid of things that i have been holding onto, why, still trying to figure that out… After dinner and feeling in the mood for something sweet & creamy, what could I have?
Grafetul Spoon was needed at this point. They took over where Arlecchino Gelato left off. Not sure of who is involved from the previous business, but their setup is very similar. The interior has only changed slightly. The gelato is still tasty, different I’m sure of, but not the exactness of it.
I tasted the Blackberry, very sweet, tasted great. Tried the Nutella (the beautiful young counter woman even went to the back freezer to get a sampling for me) it was good. Decided on the Dulce de Lueche without even a nibble, it looked delectable. It was… creamy… sweet… caramely… & delectable.
The prices have gone up by .25 — .50, but this will happen in almost any business. Although the $ 3.24 that I spent on one scoop would buy almost a pint of B&J’s (on sale of course), the freshness and proximity is not lost on me.
Sample then indulge, you can’t pick a wrong one…