The Going Rate: A Serving Of Gelato Goes For Under $5

Denser and more flavorful than ice cream, gelato is an affordable luxury during recessionary times. Around Piedmont, a serving of high-quality gelato and sorbetto can be found for between $3.50 and $5. A pint goes for about $8 to $9.

Michael Mischer Chocolates at 3352 Grand Ave. is known for fine chocolates, but the shop also carries gelato from the Berkeley-based Naia company, offering flavors such as cookies and cream, salted caramel, peanut butter chip and pineapple sorbetto. The cost for a medium or “medio” gelato is $4.50, served with up to four flavors. A kid-sized or “bambino” gelato with one flavor is $2.50. It costs 50 cents extra for a waffle cone and gelato can be purchased by the pint for $8.50.

At Lush Gelato at 4814 Piedmont Ave., the gelato and sorbetto are made from scratch in small batches and the cones are made fresh daily. What’s more unusual for the shop is some of the flavors, including yogurt cayenne pepper, lemon cilantro, ricotta nutmeg, brown sugar rum, and Yerba Mate, which employee Camila Martinez-Granata explained is ground-up Brazilian tea. Federico Murtagh, the co-owner of Lush, “likes to try new flavors and different things,” Martinez-Granata said. The cost for the gelato at Lush is $3.85 for two scoops, $2.95 for one scoop and $5 for three scoops. A cone adds an additional 75 cents to the cost. Lush Gelato also sells espresso, as well as gelato lattes and gelato cappuccinos.

Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, located at 3206 College Ave. in Berkeley, is a candy shop with more than 6,000 items for sale, said owner Shahrazad Junblat. The shop, which opened in November as part of a West Coast franchise, also serves gelato and sorbetto from the Gelato Classico company. The flavors offered there include cookies and cream, and rocky road; the sorbetto includes blackberry cabernet and lemon. “Every (flavor) is pretty delicious,” said Junblat. “There’s something for everybody.” The cost for a small gelato or sorbetto is $3.95 and comes with one or two flavors, a regular is $4.95 with one to three flavors and a child size with one to two flavors is $2.95.

Down the street at the Rockridge Market Hall at 5655 College Ave. in Oakland is Peaberry’s Coffee and Tea, which serves Fiorello’s Gelato, based out of San Rafael. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are the stalwart flavors though the café tries to mix in more interesting flavors, said an employee named Kyle. The gelato flavors there recently included mint chip and green tea. The cost for a mini cone is $1.50 and it’s $3.95 for a five-ounce scoop. A pint of gelato is $9.50. Le Bonbon, a chocolate and candy shop at 2050 Mountain Blvd. in Montclair Village, also sells Fiorello’s Gelato and offers the same prices offered as Peaberry’s. Le Bonbon also offers a large cup of gelato for $4.95.

Gelato Firenze, located at 478 Lake Park Ave. around the corner from the Grand Lake Theater, offers a large selection of gelato flavors, including cinnamon, pear, raspberry, coconut, merlot and “doubleshot” coffee. The cost for a medium gelato with up to three flavors is $4, while a small with up to two flavors is $3.25 and a large with up to four flavors is $4.75. Waffle cones are $1 extra. In addition to gelato, the shop also sells tea and creamy milk tea, slushies and smoothies.