Ice Cream News
New gelateria and dessert bar opens next to downtown Dallas pizzeria
A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in downtown Dallas has spun off a sweet new sibling: Zero Gradi Gelateria and Dessert Bar just made its U.S. debut in Dallas’ City Center District, serving pastries and gelato, which you can find just off the shores of the Amalfi Coast.
Zero Gradi was created by Johnny Di Francesco, the award-winning chef behind 400 Gradi, a Neapolitan-style pizzeria from Australia that opened a location at 2000 Ross Ave. According to a release, it's inspired by his travels to Italy.
Zero Gradi Dallas features a full espresso bar, a dessert bar with an Italian-inspired menu of pastries, and a gelateria with more than 20 traditional gelato flavors, including several fruit-forward sorbettos.
The original Zero Gradi opened in 2016 in Melbourne, Australia; this is the first Zero Gradi in the U.S.
"The Amalfi Coast is renowned for its traditional gelato made with Italian expertise," Di Francesco says in a statement. "We couldn’t be more excited to bring Zero Gradi to the U.S. and give Dallasites a taste of authentic gelato and premium desserts."
He says they chose Dallas because of its multi-cultural food scene and the people.
"You can’t find the same Southern hospitality that you get in Dallas, anywhere else in the states," he says. Hey that's a compliment, we'll take it.
The company was founded in 1984, and uses good ingredients including pistachio nuts (versus paste), hazelnuts from Piedmont (the source of the best hazelnuts), Illy coffee, and fine chocolate.
Their sorbets are made from fresh fruit, and don't contain dairy derivatives, coloring, preservatives, or artificial aromas. They also make cakes and semifreddo (ice cream cakes). Their Instagram page is fairly torturous.
The release says that the inspiration for their decor came from pastel-colored parasols that lined the Amalfi Coast beaches during the '60s and '70s. They hired Dallas design firm Harrison to execute the vision.
Zero Gradi Dallas is located next to the pizzeria at 2000 Ross Ave., #180.
