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La Paloma Gelateria & Cafe
Category: Food Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
1357 St Clair Aveune WestToronto, ON M6E 1C5
(416) 656-2340
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 8 am - 11 pm
Sat 8 am - 11:30 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
27 reviews for La Paloma Gelateria & Cafe
Review Highlights
27 reviews in English
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Review from Roxann C.
4/16/2012
This place was one of my highlights of my vacation. I absolutely loved the gelato and the place was very clean and in a great location. They had so many flavors to choose from that I wish I had more time so that I could have tried all of them!. I had the chocolate mint and chocolate in a waffle cone and it was so creamy and delicious. I don't know when I'll be able to visit again but if I do, I will definitely stop by this place again!
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Review from Christian P.
Toronto, ON
5/6/2012
Come on! give me a break! 4 and a half for this ice cream parlor?? no way!
Lots of flavours can be appealing to some people (well, travel to Italy and you will no longer be impressed!) but none here is refined and all taste like kinds of "quickly made". Fruit ones taste (chemical) juices, not fruits. Basic straciatella or cassata are so unrefined, so "uncreamy", so sugary to hide the lack of expertise that I can't give more than 2 to those ice creams... never in my whole life did I throw away an ice cream cup still containing some ice cream... I did there. -
Review from Lindsay G.
Harbourfront, Toronto, ON
2/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Omg amazing. Had the dulce de lece, chocolate and coffee. So creamy . The fellow who runs the place is lovely.
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Review from andrew m.
Toronto, ON
11/22/2011
Wide selection of flavors. Very creamy gelato.
A little pricy but once you're eating it you forget how much it cost. -
Review from Ellie A.
6/18/2011
Vegans! Lactards! Diabetics! Do I have a treat for you...
Not only does this place have amazing regular gelato in a bazillion different flavours (see all the reviews before this one), but they have at least three flavours of soy-based, sugar free gelato that is....drum roll please...absolutely delicious! No, really.
I am normally tres anti-sugar free stuff. I just don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners and I prefer little tastes of the good stuff to a cup full of the fake-but-better-for-you stuff. But this soy gelato was out of this world. Rich, dark, chocolatey goodness and a lighter coffee flavoured complement. Go forth and eat! (But leave some for me).
Vegetarian score: 10/10 (my first perfect score!) because gelato has no meat in it, because they have at least 20 different non-dairy fruit flavours, and because the soy-based creamy ones are so good. -
Review from Giuliana B.
SCARBOROUGH, ON
8/8/2010
I love this place. I fell in love with gelato last summer in Italy. Literally in love. I had it twice a day,every day.Which clearly shows that when it comes to creamy, cool, gelato goodness, I have absolutely no control. Unfortunately a side effect of eating so much gelato is that I no longer am able to enjoy regular, store bought ice cream like I once used to.
So when my gelato cravings kick in, La Paloma is one of the places I go to indulge. They have some of the best gelato in this city, and endless choices, which can make it a bit difficult to choose. Luckily, you can ask them for a taste, which is a good idea before commiting to a flavour. They have everything from fresh fruity flavours (including watermelon and limoncello...yummy!) To pistachio, zuppa inglese, turrone, and I love them all! Everytime I go I get a large with 3 flavours (which clearly shows that I have no moderation when it comes to gelato) and I make sure I take someone with me just so I can taste some of theirs as well.
All I have left to do is buy one of their lts tubs to take home, which I haven't done yet, only because I am afraid that once I am home I won't be able to stop myself. But I have been working on my self control and plan on doing just that tomorrow, -
Review from Steph L.
5/30/2010
An authentic gelato experience without having to hop on a plane to Italy.
It was scorching hot today and all I could think about was gelato.
The gelato is freaking good here.
Endless list of traditional and fruity flavors.
A medium cup around $6 is perfect for trying three flavors.
They have 4 locations, this location is the original and my favorite.
Probably because there is no parking lot full of rowdy teenagers. -
Review from Jonathan K.
Toronto, ON
6/3/2010
I went to La Paloma for the first time today. It really is excellent - a 4.5 if that rating were available. I would even give it the edge over Dolce (on College), which is another excellent Gelateria.
I tried two flavours: zuppa inglese and chocolate cherry. The chocolate cherry was good, but maybe not spectactular. However, the zuppa inglese was a real treat. I learned that this flavour is based on a type of Italian cake I had never heard of. It made me wonder why it seems that every Italian restaurant has a limited range of desserts. Enough with the tiramisu and tartuffo already!
Anyway, loving my cup of zuppa inglese was vindication for all those times I've been served cake and wished it was ice cream. If, like me, you usually find yourself wishing cake was ice cream, you will probably love La Paloma.
Cool name, too. -
Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
6/3/2010
We were there at 1:30 on a Thursday in early June...no lineup at all. I don't think you can go wrong on your choice of flavour, but if you're worried, ask for a taste.
If this is for dessert after a big meal, a small would be enough. I had a medium (6.50) with two flavours, and I'm still stuffed. -
Review from Rj P.
6/6/2010
Yum, yum, yum! Nothing like a weekend evening with gelato to make summer nice!
Paloma is a small cafe & gelateria on St. Clair West. They have extensive (30+) selection of gelato flavors from traditional to more modern (candy-based) and of the 3 I tried ($7 for 3 x 3 oz [9 oz total]) I was more than impressed.
Highly recommended - I will definitely be returning on the summer's hottest nights. -
Review from Heather B.
Scarborough, ON
8/29/2009
Holy Gelato!
I can't believe I didn't discover this place before.
This place is unreal with their flavors I stood there for a good 20 minutes just deciding. I've heard in the summer this place is packed with a line up out the door. Also in the summer they have all the freezers working with the variety of flavors, the winter though I hear they only have 1-2 freezers available.
So I would recommend the Medium size cup which I think was about $6 and you can get up to 3 flavors to choose.
I went for Wild Rose (which tasted like a rose literally) ...Hazelnut which was really nice and creamy,,,,and Chocolate Mint (which I didnt like)
Im usually a fan of mint but this flavour tasted like a Polar Bear shot (for those drinkers out there you know what Im talking about).
It just tasted like an alcoholic shot. So next time I would pass on that and try maybe the fruit flavours.
I have to say the flavours DO taste like what they say. And they have a lot of choices.
Take note yelpers they only take CASH.
Check it out! -
Review from Jing K.
Toronto, ON
6/3/2010
If you want to be a hero next time you are invited to a party bring a tub of gelato from La Paloma. The prices of the 1L, 1.5L, 2L tubs get progressively more economical, topping out at $25 (considering a single serving is $5+ this makes the most sense!). The servers do a great job at packing in heaping paddle-fulls of gelato into the tub. And you can mix up to four flavours in a tub. Be sure to ask for a few samples before you decide on your mix.
Personal favourite is the Limoncello (lemon liqueur). MMMm!
It's right next to a community pool and soccer field so it can get quite busy on a hot summer evening. I've found that there's usually no line-up when I'm in there on the way to a dinner party (6 p.m. ish - regular dinner time for the locals). The parking situation is terrible so best to have your partner wait in the get-away car around the corner on Landsdowne. -
Review from Leeor J.
6/28/2010
I guess this review isn't really going to add much considering this place consistently gets rated the best in the city.
I went all over Italy last summer. Only one gelato I had in Positano beats what I have had at this place.
Its really a world-class place. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
4/29/2010
I scheduled a shoot here awhile back and I can tell you first hand that the people that run this place and the people that work here are *AMAZING*.
They are genuine, helpful, honest, hard-working, friendly, accommodating and extremely talented in the art of gelato-making.
This place has some of the best gelato that I have ever tried and their variety of flavours is mind-blowing.
Let me break it down for you:
- Mind-blowing variety of flavours
- Exceptional customer service
- Fantastic location
- Honest, hard-working and extremely friendly staff
- Competitive pricing
- THE best gelato in town
You on your way yet? -
Review from MC S.
Toronto, ON
7/5/2009
Love this place!
If you haven't tasted any gelato in your life this is the place to go and try!
There are alot of flavours to choose from, it all depends on what you like. If you are adventurous, try these flavours:
Lychee
Lemon
Cherry chocolate
Orange chocolate
Tiramisu
Zabaglione
Be prepared to wait behind a long line of gelato-hungry customers. It's worth the wait! -
Review from Erin H.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2008
Whenever I think about the possibility of heaven or if we are all blindly walking the trafficked, smog-filled streets without knowing that we are actually in hell, I focus on La Paloma and my cynical mind sprouts flowers, and butterflies happily fly around in my consciousness.
La Paloma is a 'you have to know about it' kind of place and once you know about it, believe me, it will never leave your mind (or your waist line for that matter). La Paloma is a Gelateria from the Gods or at least, from the Italians, that is as pure and rich as eating Europe on a teaspoon. The flavors vary from honey dew to Ferrero Rocher and each is as dense in taste and creamy in texture as the next. If you are a nut fan, try the pistachio, it is the best I've ever had. La Paloma is a bit west of center, but it is worth every second of the slow street car ride down St. Clair. -
Review from Belly M.
4/9/2010
La Paloma Gelateria & Café - multiple locations in Toronto, St. Clair Avenue West specifically - 3/15/10
Little Belly's favorite answer of late when we ask her what she wants to "eata eata" is "ah creen!" (she'll be two in May). So, after a fun day looking at the animals in the zoo and playing in the adventureland playground at High Park (you have got to love the parks in Toronto!), Belly Parents agreed that "ah creen" sounded like a GREAT idea!
A quick search turned up...oooo, gelato! La Paloma came up as being so close we could almost see it, and the fact that it got amazing reviews didn't hurt any, either. BTW, Bellyman has seen reviews that suggest the gelato in Toronto ranges from good to very good, so Belly Family couldn't really go wrong.
On arrival, Belly Parents got Little Belly situated and took a look at their choices. Being a little off season, La Paloma had about half the choices they normally do. But, the choices they did have were ample enough to make a decision tough on Bellyman. After tasting a sample of the Amaretto, Bellyman was sold. Mrs. Bellyman got coffee flavored, and Little Belly got a small banana one.
Bellyman's Amaretto was fantastic with little pieces of Amaretto cookies nestled within. Mrs. Bellyman's coffee was good, but Little Belly's banana stole the show! It was like eating a very creamy frozen banana. No artificial flavors here, there was real banana in there! When Belly Parents tried to take a third scoop of off hers, Little Belly pulled it away! It was the first time Little Belly finished a full cup of "ah creen", too.
When Belly Family had arrived, the owner was the only one there and apologized profusely as he was on hold with a vendor. Belly Family told him they were in no rush, and let him do what he needed to do. He didn't need to, but he felt bad for keeping us "waiting", so he offered Belly Parents each an item from his coffee station. Bellyman didn't really feel like anything, but Mrs. Bellyman opted for a cappuccino, and she begrudgingly let Bellyman take a sip after she'd given it a try. It was fantastic! Perfectly balanced and flavorful. Not too sweet, not too bitter. Bellyman regrets not taking the owner up on his offer!
As stated, the choices in Toronto for gelato are numerous and you apparently can't go wrong with any of them. That being said, Belly Family was impressed with the friendliness and dedication of the owner who truly appeared to love what he does. That goes a long way, and when in Toronto, this will be our spot for gelato.
Verdict: Bellyman approves! -
Review from Sharon S.
Toronto, ON
7/6/2010
La Paloma is so yummy....so many different flavours to choose from like 30 or more. My first experience was mouth watering...I had the Lemon flavour mixed with Raspberries...so good. By far the best gelato place in the city.
They only take cash....no debit....as an FYI.... -
Review from Ramanan S.
Toronto, ON
The gelato here tastes like magic and awesome. Oh hells yes. A small cup of gelato is a little under $5 and it will make you happy. If the interior wasn't so sad looking, this place would be perfect. If you like gelato you need to go here already. Go! Life is too short not to eat crazy delicious gelato.
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Review from Elizabeth L.
Toronto, ON
5/29/2009
I can't even begin to describe to you the deliciousness that is La Paloma ice cream. I first went to the Woodbridge location when I still ate dairy and happily tasted any and all of flavours I could.
Now that I am vegan I still go out of my way to hit the St. Clair location for their soy ice cream. It is so creamy you'll think that you are being fooled. It tastes unlike any soy ice cream I have ever tasted - and they make it themselves.
I promise you that if you try this ice cream, soy or dairy-based, you will not be disappointed. It might be the best ice cream you've ever had. -
Review from Michael S.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2009
Every time I visit this place i feel like being in Italy ... very authentic and let's not forget: They have the BEST GELATO in town !!! Lemon & Chocolate is my favorite.
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Review from Your F.
Etobicoke, ON
9/17/2011
its taste not all that bad BUT its wayyyy too over priced... OMG better not walk in with a 10 dollar bill... or ull be asked to come back for your Gelato
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Review from Tina H.
7/7/2010
La Paloma has a lot of gelato flavours to choose from, some with cute names. Yet, even with all the options, nothing jumped out at me. And maybe because I'm used to more natural ice cream, my experience wasn't as positive as other reviewers. I found the consistency a bit artificial, like a thickener was used. I guess I'm more into pure ice cream made with all milk and no thickeners. The Argentinian dulce de leche and lemon were both quite good. Don't get me wrong, the stuff tastes good, it's just not as natural as I'd like it to be. A tad on the expensive side. Cash only.
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Review from Ed S.
7/9/2009
It's gelato, they've got the usual flavors you find in Italy and some flavors you wouldn't find there. It's creamy, yummy and good so stop by and treat yourself to a scoop or two. By "treat", I mean dig deep because it's also expensive so one star off for that.
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Review from Greg P.
Toronto, ON
9/7/2009
A wonderful taste experience. Don't miss this gem as you'll not taste ice cream like this, unless you go to Italy.
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Review from Lan T.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2009
This place is really good. The line ups are mad but that's because the secret is out. The only time I've had better gelato was when I was in Rome.
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Review from joe b.
Brampton, ON
3/28/2009
this gelato is the closest you will get to Italy, awsome and have been enjoying it for over 30 years as I am only 34 years old... still the best love, the lemon and bannana mix.....btw this is the original location...
