Review: Gelato Mammamia ★★★★★
There is no shortage of ice cream in Japan. Hit up any super market or convenient store and you’ll find freezers full of frozen treats. From bottom barrel ice water to premium brands, ranging from the mundane to the horribly unique (vegetable soup ice cream… gag me with a spoon). There are also plenty of Basken Robins 31 dotting the landscape or hidden away in the shopping mall food courts, nestled between the ubiquitous fast-food offerings of curry, ramen, and hamburgers. Japanese people love sweets. Their love of ice cream is so great that they’ll wait in line for it during the winter. That’s why Tokyo needs a place like Gelato Mammamia!
With such a large market of ice cream lovers in Japan, you would be forgiven if you believed there was a healthy artisan market creating high quality offerings. You could be any further from the reality. While there are a couple of artisan gelaterie (in Italian, this is the plural spelling of gelateria), they are few and far between. Even rarer in Tokyo is to find a genuine Italian artisan pouring his heart and soul into making gelato. This should be the tipoff that this place is the real deal.
A Happy Accident
We actually stumbled upon Gelato Mammamia quite by accident. We were exploring some backstreets south of Ueno Park when walked by this gelateria. The shop is smack in the middle of a red light district, which does give it some character. We weren’t going to get anything, but the owner, Andrea, came out to the street with a sample of mascarpone gelato for each of us. It was love at first bite. After that we were hooked and started visiting every week. It’s also why I rank Gelato Mammamia as one of my top 5 ice cream parlors in the world. I take my rankings very serious!
The Magic of Gelato Mammamia
What makes Gelato Mammamia so great? Andrea is there making gelato fresh, right on sight, every single day. When you taste the product, you feel that he’s using top quality ingredients to create these frozen delights. He also only uses fruits that are in season, so what’s on offer changes. He not afraid to experiment with Japanese flavors, so you’re always bound to find something unique there.
Each visit is unique and you’ll never be sure what flavors are going to be available, but the surprise of what’s on offer is part of the appeal. Certainly, we’ve never been disappointed. That said, there are a few standards on hand, like chocolate. Keep an eye out for his pistachio flavor and cherry chocolate flavor. Both are incredible. I would go as far as to say that even after touring the gelaterie of Italy during a 5 week trip through the entire country, we was unable to find a shop with pistachio gelato that was as good as Gelato Mammamia. That includes my cousin’s gelateria in Sicily.
Do also try the waffle cones, which are made in-house. They are another testament to Andrea’s commitment to quality. As the story goes, he was unable to source good quality local cones, as they often arrived broken or didn’t taste very good. So, he started making them his own cones.
Finding & Ordering
The shop is located on a small side street, near the Centurion Hotel just south of Ueno Park. As mentioned, it is in a red light district, but don’t let that scare you. Tokyo is mostly one big red light district. There is no danger, but you might see a few colorful characters if you visit after it gets dark.
The ordering system is Japanese style, but simple. There is a vending machine in front of the shop where you pay and get a ticket. Hand the ticket over and ask for the flavors you want. Each purchase entitles you to two flavors. Everything is reasonably priced as well, at around ¥450. If you can’t figure it out, Andrea speaks Japanese, English, and Italian, so communication should not be a problem.
While you’re here, why not check out some of other REVIEWS or TRAVEL WRITE UPS from around the world.
Contact & General Information
Price: Cheap
Hours: Tues-Sun 2pm – 8pm
Website: Gelato Mammamia Facebook Page (Responses in English, Italian, & Japanese)
Location: Google
