Finding the love at Love Gelato

A couple days before AC left the country for a months-long stint in Uganda, we met up for the last time in a while at Love Gelato in the West Village. It's an attractive little gelato shop, bright and white with large windows facing the bustle of 7th Avenue South. The decor is uncomplicated, and the focus of the room is a small gelato case holding a dozen or so flavors. AC and I sampled our way through the menu before deciding on our flavors.

A small cup is really small, and you can only have one flavor because, as the scooper told me, it's "one scoop." So after sampling a few flavors, I settled on a scoop of the hazelnut flavor. AC went for the tiramisu, with the scooper kindly including one of the ladyfingers garnishing the gelato tub upon request.

Light 'n' fluffy

Swirls of coffee

While this clearly isn't the most authentic gelato in town-- the scoopers use an actual ice cream scoop rather than a paddle, and they give out faux-silver plastic spoons rather than the traditional gelato mini-shovel-- it's pleasant enough. The hazelnut wasn't in-your-face, but it was pleasantly nutty. The tiramisu, on the other hand, smacked you in the mouth with its powerful, bitter coffee flavor. Texturally, Love's gelato is a little lighter than others around town, with an almost whipped appearance and a slightly plasticky, buttery, glossy sheen to it.

I wouldn't return to Love for the gelato alone, especially with so many outstanding options nearby (Grom, L'Arte Del Gelato...). But if you're looking for a place to sit and linger, Love fits the bill: with a handful of tables, it's a good place to linger over a cup of uncomplicated frozen treat.

Love Gelato
167 Seventh Avenue South at Perry Street
212-929-2870