Giapo Gelato Review

High prices and queues must be right! Yep they are. Making buying an ice cream an experience and a delight

Whoever thought of putting coriander into a sorbet is a genius! Delicious

The service at Giapo is really personalised without any pressure of buying. A really nice experience, different to most ice cream shops - would recommend people go and try the different varieties of ice cream.

The one Con for me was they don't serve ice cream in a cup and so the overall quanitity is almost a meal.

Great Gelato but overcrowded almost EVERY single day. They have very little space to sit OR stand. The waitresses can be condescending at times if you ask them questions. Also quite expensive and be prepared to wait loooong on a busy day. Overall, unique but uncomfortable experience.

First post ever: I will never go here again my wife went in to get a chocolate ice cream, easy enough you would think? staff seemed happy to help her offered a few flavours my wife explained "plain chocolate ice cream and waffle cone" girl behind the counter said "only single flavour? Okay". My wife came outside to me and a short time later went back in to get her ice cream. $15 later 1 Ice cream with a friggin donut on it and covered in caramel sauce. My wife is the shy type and asked me not to confront the shop staff. But $15 for an Ice cream that she didn't order. Why someone would pay $15 for a single serve of Ice cream (that ain't that great) covered in sugar then a donut placed on top is beyond me. Never again and would never recommend. If your ever in Melbourne go to mecena now that's real ice cream. I know it must be a gimmick and fun to go there but save yourself the waste of time and money. Sorry to be so Negative but 3 hours later and I'm still upset.

Great customer service from Maddy she was amazing while my partner and I were here. Offered us water and gave us blankets while we sat oustide

Giapo is an experience, not only an ice cream... Art in a cone really, and a taste to follow the visually impeccable. Definitely worth a sweet and creamy detour!

Great gelato never let u down, but the queue is long as always

I brought my son here for a special birthday treat, after hearing so much about it.
I had briefly mentioned in passing that it was his birthday not thinking much of it. Out comes the most delicious ice cream I've ever tasted but even better, Giapo brought it out decorated beautifully with a birthday candle and a chocolate disc with a birthday message, and everyone in the whole place sung happy birthday to him. His face just lit up! Love

Fresh experience at an ice cream shop
Visually Engaging Cones and Services

But the taste is average price is high
(Donuts are not good and ice cream chocolate is hard to eat)
Good experience just once

Flavours I never had before. Very different make and style of hosting newbies. Must visit !

One of the best ice cream shops in Auckland, with really good flavours and their ever changing menu . And their way tasting the ice cream without seeing them first plays really with ur mind . Must try place.

Really cool experience. I went a couple times during my stay in Auckland just to try a few of the different flavours (with full decoration).

You can taste-test a lot of the flavours. Some are a little strange (one of them tastes like pepper/capsicum) but all were very good! If you do two scoops (two flavours), you can choose which flavour you want to have the decoration for.

A little "expensive" but you need to consider that you're getting great quality ice cream (not just generic store-bought stuff), it's made-to-order, prepared nicely, and well-decorated.

Only downfall is that I think it would be a better restaurant experience (on a plate/larger bowl) than a to-go/take-away experience. Some of the ice cream / decorations overflow the cup / cone a bit, making it a little challenging to enjoy before it melts - particularly when you may explode your chocolate dome a little while trying to break it. Alternatively (if Giapo, you're reading this), have bigger bowls with a little more space?

They're right downtown, a great location.

Very delicious and worth trying! I love hokey pokey, as always.

Unique ice cream experience, custom ordering and excellent ice cream in general. Expensive, but you are getting the best.

Service is really good, and ice cream is awesome.
Will recommend if visit Auckland have to try this amazing ice cream.

Ice cream had different flavors while not bad were not spectacular but generally over sweet. Not worth the hype or price.

Delicious ice cream, beautiful, with many choices, very large, the staff provide excellent service. Fast service If you like photography Can come here

Interesting experience. I enjoyed trying their different combinations of flavours. The cones are fun to look at but we opted for the more traditional cone for the convenience of eating. The ice cream flavours and cones definitely push the boundaries of your ordinary ice cream. They let us sample all their flavours and explained their cone options which was great. They are a bit on the higher price point but a lot of that comes from getting their more elaborate cones so if you are looking for good ice cream and are more on a budget get their classic style cone. The people watching is good here. When we went we avoided a big line as we went during what would be dinner time but I suspect in the summer months it can be pretty busy regardless of time or day. In regards to taste I enjoyed the ice cream more than the cone because they use a different style to maintain the structure. Giapo is just as much about the experience as it is about the ice cream. They want to make ice cream art. I can see this being appealing to some and others not so much. This isn't your traditional ice cream parlour, might not be an all the time kind of place either but worth going to atleast once in a while.

Wanna go broke eating ice cream? This place is pricey but so damn yummy. A birthday or special occasion place to be sure.

Not so sure if this is the best ice cream store in the world as they claim, but still is awesome :)

Excellent service, magnificent icecream and curious surprises. A friend of mine had recommended Giapo as THE place to go while staying in Auckland and I can now agree with her.

Wouldn't want to have to often for health reasons but great treat

Very luxurious ice cream shop, a bit too crowded and expensive though. Wish the colossal squid was milk chocolate.

Update: Since my previous review they have brought back in trying and tasting different flavours. They are also continually experimenting with new ideas and concepts whilst keeping the classics. Best icecream in the world :)

Old: The old store was amazing but i feel that they stepped in wrong direction with the new store. I miss the personal approach they used to have and the chance to try the different flavors.

For the lovers of indulgence, be sure you can handle decadence before venturing here. This is a boutique style experience, a tad extravagant for a child where flavours in the many will certainly not be appreciated. A warning here, the stomach must be big and the weather best be cool. Between my family of four on a scorching day, the kids wasted their standard helpings. Ice cream had dribbled or melted everywhere. Even the littlen proclaimed his flavour was disgusting by the end of it. My handsome half had gobbled his cone plus the hand me down seconds, whilst the handheld Yorkshire left me sick to my stomach. Not the best of words to reflect how good this was except the feeling afterward. This is certainly a one time only experience.

Gelato created with love and passion, a creamy delight to my daily routine.

Delicious massive desserts/treats. Amazing vegan options. Great for sharing on a date, or for taking visitors from out of town

Ok, the place is very busy and ice creams are unique, but a bit too expensive. For people like me who prefer traditional flavours, I would think it's best to skip this place because they don't have that. You end up paying a lot for something trendy, but not necessarily great.
Staff are friendly.
I wish they had more or better seating, especially in cold winter days.

Pretentious and overpriced. Ice cream is OK but definitely not worth $10.50 for a single scoop in a paper cup. More a fashion statement than a food vendor.

Fantastic service and the most delicious ice creams!

The staffs are very friendly and explain the icecream very well. If you wait a line for waiting, the staff let you try chocolate or water. even after getting ice cream, they take care of customers like giving them wipes and water. Ice cream was good and alittle bit too sweet some point.
the staffs smiled and made customers feel good:)

We went for the first time today , we were really confused when checking it out online ahead of time , we thought wow these people take ice cream way too seriously - turns out we weren't taking ice cream as serious as we should have been. We were greeted and offered complimentary chocolate while we waited , then we were treated to the most awesome customer service we have ever experienced and invited to sample all flavors before placing our order. Ice cream was mind blowing and customer service was even better. There was 1 staff member who really stood out to us and enhanced the overall experience we didn't catch her name she was either M ori or Pacific Island.

Delicious ice cream shop, a different and very entertaining concept

a little bit too sweet for me. But still amazing ice cream.

Very creamy ice cream. Sharing is encouraged. The deluxe cone is nice, but not worth the price AT ALL.

No words to describe this place ! Best of the best ice cream !

Terrible experience at this establishment, you cannot see flavours due to counter design, so have to test taste, while staff try and hurry you along with your purchase very crowded! Won't be back

Best ice cream I've ever had. Sometimes with chocolate or caramel etc it can end up being too rich and sickening, but I've never had that problem here. It's just at the perfect level of richness without becoming too much. Also very friendly staff.

A popular ice cream parlor. A bit over rated, although nice ice creams and gelato. Sorbets are good as well. Pricier as compared to others.

The ice cream is great for photos to instagram but you pay 17$ for it, looks great but doesn t taste that great, it s kind of a tourist trap.

I like ice-cream, but I would usually buy 2 litres for $5 or something of that nature. After seeing so many good reviews on TripAdvisor I decided I would treat myself. I got myself a tub of Pavlova which costs $7. Service was quick and I really liked the presentation of the ice cream. Taste wise it delivered. Sugary, creamy and fruity on top of that. Now I find myself wanting to go back and try all the other flavours!

We had the apple pie cone - just like eating nana's homemade apple pie with icecream. Such a treat!

Those who say Giapo is not worth it dont understand. Its worth every penny, the experience you get at the store is amazing. It is worth lining up and getting explanations about each flavor and tasting small amounts of each to make the final decision, I highly commend the person who gave us the course, he was funny and very passionate about Giapo and the experience that they want to provide. The afgan is divine, The cornflakes coated with sweet syrup and a whole afgan cookie is the best topping. I recommend trying the afgan atleast once if you are in Auckland, yes it is a calorie bomb but its worth every caloire.

Read a lot about in on the web. Quite crowded too. But was not impressed with the stuff there. May be it's not for a Baby boomer like me.

Let me try all kinds.
The homemade corn was delicious.
Eat only with corn.
There was chocolate in the waffle cone.
Really delicious ice cream.
It is recommended.

I really rate Giapo as an after dinner dessert option in the city. The ice cream is good and they turn it into an experience... however this was better executed at the previous location. The new one just feels too crammed and awkward (which is weird considering how small the old queen st location was)

Was really good. Just a bit of a pain with the new style when all you want is a simple delicious chocolate ice cream

Very expensive just the cones were $17 each. It was really hard to bite and chew and not thst tasty. The ice cream itself was good but won't buy this again even though its huge it's a one time experience which cost as much as an entire dinner with starter and main.

This place was magical! There s a reason some of the ice cream cost as much is $45. Go for the selfie cone. It s a winner!

A thick, fairly sweet and expensive ice cream. The shop is fashionable and the customer service of the staff is wonderful. It was busy at 16:00 on weekdays, but there was an eat-in space and I ate in the store. Although delicious, New Zealand has many cheaper and sweeter ice creams. I think once I go Hard chocolate cup and oily bread dough? I do not personally recommend pie dough.

I enjoy most things about this place(but from reading the other reviews, maybe cause I m not as picky as most ), I go there for the ice cream & I guess that s all that matters in my eyes. So if the ice cream is good, then it s worth being a repeat customer. I like the new location(obviously in an ideal world, this place wouldn t be well known & we could have all the space to ourselves), but that s not the case, soooo if you want to eat here; remember it s a popular place. Soooo don t complain about space tbh . Parking for myself was good, got one right outside the store. I also went during a not so busy time and day(Sunday afternoon I think), so my waiting time from order placed to receiving order in my hand, was no more than 10-15mins (which I expect is standard when there are 10+ people there ).
I had my toddler in her pram which fitted in ok, I just squashed her in abit, but it worked out fine so that we weren t in the way of people wanting to walk from the entrance point out through the exit point to eat outside.
It is expensive, but if I am enjoying the IC I m served I m ok with that From the new location I have had the Afghan one and the Giapo one. Both yum & consumed completely. I like they serve wet wipes and chocolate - that s cute . Keep up the nice work team.

I read about this place and decided to stop by. When I came in I was asked if this was my first time and if I wanted to join an ice cream tasting. It didn't take a lot to convince me and together with a group, I got to taste the various flavors that they have on the menu and the "guide" did a great job walking us through the various options. My favorite was the Giapo Buono and I got this afterwards in a cone. It was a big ice cream but it was a delicious work of art. At Giapo they have turned the ice cream into an experience and that was a new thing for me!

Crazy ice cream flavors that somehow work out wonderfully. Got the avocado ice cream rolled in sesame seeds, drizzle of soy sauce, and whole walnuts. Super friendly staff that let you try whatever you want

Crazy lines that get too chaotic at night. The icecream used to be better with a large range of different flavours but now it is very much an experimental kitchen. I don't like how the icecream is hidden now, also the prices are incredibly high.

Long queues, looking too high does not meet my taste.

Arrived after 13 hours on a plane, two more from the airport, shuttle then car rental...we were exhausted and found this lovely oasis of yum!

Ordered The Colossal Squid filled with Hokey Pokey ice cream and Paraoa Pari filled with Hokey Pokey ice cream, caramel, hazelnut and pralines!!!

I love this place!!!! Love!!!

The ice cream is good, but the store is overpriced and the lines get very very long.

Biiiiiiig fan is this place. Ice cream is perfectly creamy and tasty, and the toppings add just enough extra flavor/crunch to enhance the ice cream without masking its deliciousness. Very unique ice cream experience , as the staff walk you through the flavors and options and explain things to you. Be prepared to spend $10 on an ice cream cone, but it is certainly worth the cost (at least one time). Staff seemed very friendly as well. Initially they brought me the wrong flavor, but quickly replaced it with the correct one. We did have to wait in line for 10-15 minutes, so maybe try to go during off hours to avoid ques.

You have to come here! Some of the best gelato and creatively served. Yes, it's expensive but you get what you pay for. Simply yum!

Why dont u try once?! Yes! Once is enough! And expensive :( but there was nice thing which is staff ask to everyone can try icecream before they order.

Great quality ice cream "dressed up" they have different flavours all the time so I recommend trying some before you choose. Pricey but well worth it

Ice cream is delicious, but the shop was absolutely overcrowded. We had to wait about 30 minutes

Crazy good ice cream. One of those "you have to try it once" places. High chance you'll want to go back! Think ice cream is a couple of scoops in a cone? Come here and be amazed at the creativity. Warning: not cheap but highly worth it

Good ice cream shop, friendly staff, but the sweetest ice cream I have ever tried! My friend and I ordered different flavor, but we both cannot stop drinking water. Probably suitable for those who have a sweet mouth.

Very nice staff and they explained everything well. Ice cream tasted very good and looked awesome. I d definitely go back.

We had 3 different icecream cones - coffee/ hazelnut n guacomole....all the 3 were super tasty...the ice cream texture smooth...chewy n super yummy #giapo

Staff are always welcoming and friendly. Not just any other ice cream parlour. They will introduce some popular flavours and you get to try it. Always bring my friends from overseas to try Giapo!

Okay we tried the kumara ice cream today, not my favourite but I commend them on their creativity! Don't worry they do have some other flavours that are really beautiful Something to suit most people's preferences, fruity, chocolate, caramel, etc. They come in either a cone or a cup, with a delicious topping suited to whatever ice cream type you choose. Ice cream really well done.

Amazing ice creams, amazing experience, but not cheap!

Ice cream is always amazing and staff is lovely, but the deluxe cup I ordered was an utter disappointment. Ridiculously expensive and completely overrated, it was tasteless and felt like there was a lot of hydrogenated fat in the chocolate.

This place is a high end ice cream place. You are treated like a VIP Before you select your ice cream, you will get to test little portions from all of their flavors (approx 12) One of the ladies will explain on each and every flavor. You can select the cone you prefer , add toppings etc. Everything is well organized here. And the most important part is 'You get tasty ice cream for what you spend'. The prices are fine. 25NZ$ minimum for 2. But you get a good quantity. Worth!!! Recommend.

The best gelato in Auckland, an amazing creative assortment of flavours.

Great ice cream shop offering new experience of how to pleasantly eat with style.

Simply amazing ice cream, a must try for anyone with a sweet tooth!