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Juicy Gelato at Gelateria Naia
By Lynda Nguyen
Staff Writer
Among the blazing lights of the bustling Castro district lies
a place that will satisfy any sweet tooth, a place that is open late enough
to sate a midnight craving. What else would one crave on a hot summer night
in San Francisco but gelato? Although there are a plethora of gelato shops
throughout the city, especially in North Beach, vegan gelato is hard to find.
Luckily, Gelateria Naia offers a huge selection of gelato that is either soy — or
fruit-based in addition to a myriad of flavors of regular gelato. A large portion
of the rightmost freezer is labeled vegan-friendly.
One can choose from small, medium, or large cup sizes or
have the gelato served in a cone. The medium cup (less than $5) enables one
to mix up to four flavors together, so that is what my friend and I decided
to order. The servers there are incredibly gracious and offered us small spoonfuls
of samples of our choice. I chose the pear flavor, which is a white gelato
that tastes like Bosc pears. It was good, but I was in the mood for more tropical
flavors. I ordered the mango, kiwi, coconut, and honeydew melon gelato while
my friend chose the strawberry, banana and kiwi. Unfortunately,
there is no seating in the store, so we headed out to the outside patio, which
hosts a few stools and a small counter. Our experience was marred by the smokers
who congregate along Castro Street on Friday night.
The medium-sized cups are very large and one cup could easily
suffice as dessert for two. Although it was quite a feat to finish the large
serving of gelato, we easily managed to do so since it is so delicious! The
gelato is smooth, the sweetness is natural and just right and not a speck of
poorly crushed ice can be discerned. One can almost taste the fruit! My favorite
flavor was honeydew melon, and my friend liked banana the best.
You can find
Gelateria Naia in the Castro district; a few doors down from Castro Theater
and near the Castro Muni stop, as well as in Berkeley near the downtown Berkeley
BART station. A new store in North Beach will be opening soon. Since they are
open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, this is a great place to go for
a late-night dessert.
4/5 stars
451 Castro Street (between Market and 18th St. )
864-6670
Sun-Thurs noon to 11 p.m. ; Fri-Sat noon to 1 a.m.
2106 Shattuck Ave. , Berkeley
(510) 883-1568
Sun-Thurs 11 a.m. -11 p.m. ; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. -midnight
www.gelaterianaia.com
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