Hitting the Gelato Jackpot in London

I've kvelled about Capogiro's in Philadelphia, which does fabulous, inventive gelati. I've raved about the Osteria del Circo gelato cart in Manhattan, which I claimed serves the best traditional gelato I've had outside of Italy or Locarno, Switzerland (a semi-secret gelato mecca). Well, Oddono's, in the South Kensington section of London, has bumped Osteria del Circo to second place in the non-Italy/non-Locarno traditional gelato division. Their gelati, which I tried this past Saturday, have the perfect, smooth, light consistency of the best Northern Italian gelati and a remarkable freshness and vibrancy of flavor. I had two of my benchmark varieties, caffe and bacio. The caffe had a rich coffee intensity, perfectly balanced in flavor, with some dark-roasted beans in the mix. The bacio too had the perfect balance of chocolate and hazelnut flavors, neither overtaking the other, with the bonus of some truly fine chocolate chunks mixed in. If you live in London you probably already know Oddono's. If you're visiting London, you'll want to know it.

Oddono's
14 Bute St.
London SW7