Paciugo Gelato & Caffè

First off, this place is now Street Corner Café. They don’t serve just gelato anymore because it was so cold outside they couldn’t sell much. I wish they had waited until next winter because now it’s warming up and their selection has been trimmed down.
I went the other day with a Scoutmob deal (which they’re going to stop accepting pretty soon since they’re no longer Paciugo) and had the Sea Salt Caramel and Raspberry White Chocolate. It was delicious and I got a lot in the small cup, but some of the flavors (like Cannoli) are WAY too sweet and the sea salt caramel was very close to being too salty. The server was very nice, you can sample whatever, and they now cater lunch. Good place, but they may need to revise their recipes and selection to stay competitive in Clarendon.

Cute decorations and very quiet. Otherwise seems to me like a standard café.

Stopped in for some gelato even though it was all of 30 degrees out, as my friend was visiting from out of town and was craving the sea salt caramel and pistachio from Paciugo. The place was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon, with just two other people in the café.
The medium portion was pretty big for it being a $ 5 cup of gelato. I tried the salted caramel and the birthday cake (you can mix flavors). I had high expectations for the caramel, and it really was amazing. I thought maybe they would just have some caramel and sea salt on the top so you would just get a little, but the salt is actually mixed right in, so each bite contains that salty goodness. The birthday cake was okay — I think it was the sprinkles that drew me in, but in the end I wish I had just gotten all salted caramel.
I would definitely come back… I actually have a craving for it right now.

The gelato is 4 stars. I tried and loved the Canoli and Sea Salt Carmel.
However, the sandwiches were 2 Stars… Too much bread, and not enough thought on the ingredients. Next time, I’ll just get gelato.

We tried to redeem a Groupon here and had the same experience as another reviewer. When we presented the paper Groupon, the girl behind the counter said that they weren’t accepting paper Groupons anymore, because «Groupon will let people print 15 or 20 of them, and they use them over and over.»
She said our only option was to use an iPhone. Really? I felt bad for her (it was obvious that she didn’t come up with this ridiculous policy), but it was hard not to roll my eyes. Attention, potential future customers: Paciugo’s gelato is for iPhone users only!
I’ve used my fair share of Groupons, and no one has ever told me that they don’t accept paper copies. Most merchants I’ve worked with keep track of the bar code number, or scan it themselves right away so Groupon will tell them if it has been used or not. There are 9,000 ways around this. And like the other reviewer said, what’s to stop those bad people who want to reuse their Groupons «15 or 20» times from reusing the electronic PDF?
Faced with the option of paying full price for inferior gelato or walking down the street to Boccato and getting something much better, well, you can guess what we decided to do. Way to lose business, Paciugo.

2.5 stars — while the product isn’t bad (I pretty much agree with all the reviews) — they do give generous portions — and the taste isn’t bad —
I was very disappointed when I went in to use a Groupon — I had three that I hadn’t used (paper copies to show the different numbers) and as I started to hand them to the person I was met with ‘We’re not accepting paper copies any more” — and alluded that it was a Groupon problem — well after a few minutes, I was able to pull it up on my phone — but the funny thing is they said they didn’t accept paper cause they couldn’t track them — they just looked at my phone but did nothing to try and track the one I pulled up (which ironically is one I did use and told them so) — so what’s the big deal about not taking paper if you’re treating both methods the same way?
And the real annoying thing is one guy kept talking like he knew how things worked but when I asked him a question, I’d get ‘Well, I just started here and don’t know how Groupons work” — if he didn’t know why was he talking like he did?
At that point (after spending like 15 minutes there) they asked what I wanted — at that point to never go back and really could care less.
I’m not close to Clarendon so to make the trip there and then have to go through that — there are better places out there — and from what’s in the other reviews, guess I’ll have to try Boccato. the next time I’m in the Clarendon area.

I came here because I had a scoutmob deal, and well I love to save money. Their gelato was OK, but to be honest I’ve had much better. I found it way too sweet, and there weren’t too many options. I heard there are some much better gelato shops in the area, namely Boccato. We’ll be back to this area to try them out, but definitely won’t be back here.

I had my first morning coffee experience at Paciugo today, and the service was just as hospitable as it had been when my fiancé and I were there for gelato. I got a cappuccino, which I don’t usually, but it was really good. The foam on top was so thick you would have thought it was whipped cream (I got it with whole milk, next time I’ll have to try skim). Not being a connoisseur of this particular specialty coffee, I can’t compare Paciugo’s cappuccino against others, but being a frequent patron of cafes and coffee shops, I can definitely judge it on that basis, and honestly it must be one of the best that I’ve ever had. I was there mid-​morning, around 10 or so, around the time when a lot of coffee places (read: Starbucks) are pretty packed, noisy and already getting messy. Paciugo was mostly empty, just 4 or 5 other patrons passed through the entire time I was there, and so it was perfect for getting some work done (I’d brought my phone and laptop with me, their wireless is great too). It was also CLEAN, which doesn’t get noted as a priority nearly as much as it should, and while the radio station that was playing over the loudspeaker was not one that I would have chosen, it was kept at a respectful decibel level that maintained a cheerful atmosphere while still allowing for conversation and concentration on work if desired. The windows surrounding the entire shop really enhanced the ambiance too by letting in a lot of natural light.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Starbucks, I have a gold rewards card and all that. But while I might go to Starbucks sometimes to buy a drink, Paciugo is definitely the place that I’d choose in the morning for when I want a delicious drink and a place that lets me relax and focus on getting my work done.

Bocchato up the street is better. Ths is not gelato, it’s flavorless ice cream.

3.5 stars. Hey, if a four-​square-​block area can support three frozen yogurt shops, two gelato shops, and one «traditional» ice cream shop, who are we to complain. However… in this neighborhood, if you open one block from the long-​established and well-​loved Boccato Gelato, you have to meet a high bar.
Paciugo sort of does. It’s not really gelato, but the portion sizes are very generous, and the service is friendly. There’s not much space to sit down, and the flavors aren’t particularly original, but they do have dairy-​less «gelato,» which can be nice on a hot night. I’m still working my way through the LivingSocial deal coupon-​pack, but once it’s gone, I’m not sure whether I’ll just walk one block further to Boccato instead. Probably.

Came in for coffee and breakfast on a saturday morning, and had a wonderful experience at Paciugo! The two people working the counter introduced themselves as the owner and his wife, and they were so pleasant and so hospitable, that I’d go back just to see them again. Besides gelato, they have wonderful breakfast options with really good breakfast sandwiches made to order. I highly recommend stopping by for some awesome coffee and breakfast. I did not try the gelato, but the owner said he makes it fresh every morning, and it looked delicious. I saw that they have great lunch specials as well, and if I worked in the area, I’d probably stop by for lunch. Will definitely be back!

Went there to try some gelato the other night. When we went in, no one greeted us and the people working there could care less and went on about their conversation. So we ordered our gelato and when I went to pay the guy just glanced at me, then looked away. So I said hi and he asks if we were together so I said yes. I paid, not a smile, not a thanks for coming, nothing.
I would give the gelato a very high rating, but the staff was rude and just not welcoming.

I was in the mood for a late night snack and decided to check this place out. I had bought a groupon for 5 gelatos for $ 10 — all to be used individually. (Great deal!).
I had a hard time deciding between the Biscotti, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Chip. So, the woman I could try all 3! They had a huge portion, probably double the size of the cup. I loved the chocolate chip. it was delicious. In addition, the huge cookie pieces in the biscotti were so good! Very crunchy and sweet. The tiramisu was good too but I don’t think I liked it as much as the other two.
I’ll definitely be back!

This gelateria is alright. They don’t have as many great or unique flavor options like Boccato or Pitango. While I was there last, they had given someone a sample and they started having an allergic reaction because apparently all of their gelatos have «trace amounts of nut» products in them since they use the same equipment.
I’ve had the gelato and the espresso shake. The gelato is too soft, so the shake was a good alternative. It is clean and nice inside, though they hit you over the head with «gelato is healthier than ice cream!» by putting this fact on every single gelato flavor label and multiple times on the menu.
If I’m ever in the mood for gelato in Clarendon, I’ll go to Boccato. If I don’t go to Boccato, I’ll go to Pinkberry. I won’t go here again. I only went twice because they had a Scoutmob deal to make it 50% off.

Seems like there are a lot of ice cream/​gelato/​yogurt places in Clarendon now! I’m happy to review that this place has really good gelato! My favorite so far is the pistacho.
I prefer this place over boccatos down the road.

Cute gelato place in a semi tucked away corner of Clarendon. It’s a definite walk through place designed for quickly getting creamy gelato and getting out. There are a few tables inside and out (handy if you’ve got your pup with you).
I opted for their tiniest cup of sea salt caramel gelato. It was a tad on the true salty side (like they sprinkled it on top at the end of preparation), but I really liked it. The downside? The tiniest cup gives you the option of three flavors! Not just one. Did anyone tell me? No. Was it posted? Yes, but from a customer service standpoint, I should have been told. My friend received this service. She got pistachio, tiramisu, and violet. I sampled hers with my little plastic spoon and I loved violet. Very flowery but I couldn’t eat a lot of it. The third portion would’ve been perfect.
If its warm and you want creamy goodness, come here. Also, I received 20% off with my Unilocal check in. So look out for that!

decent gelato i guess if it wasnt so close to boccato. we used the scoutmob deal and got half off, but i still dont think it was worth it. the flavors all started to taste the same after awhile. but they do have flavors that are dairy free so if you have allergies, this is probably a better place to go then boccato.

Amazing variety of freshly made gelato combined with a patient and helpful staff makes this a great and delicious addition to the neighborhood. We were recommended the pepper/​olive oil-​cherry-​salted caramel combo. It was stellar. I also tried the lavender strawberry which was fresh and delicious. I will definitely be back.

Paciugo… oh Paciugo!
It is such a blessing that this place has opened in our neighborhood! It is SO SO good. And the staff is SO SO friendly! They let you sample as many flavors as you want and actually encourage mixing and sampling and all sorts of concoctions.
Traditionally I haven’t been much of a gelato fan (I jumped on the yogurt train for a long time), but this place has me in LOVE. The pistachio, lemon custard, mediterranean sea salt caramel, pannacotta and s’mores are my favorite flavors but this places makes over THREE HUNDRED in their rotation. Have a feeling that Paciugo will be our summer evening hotspot this year.

I was so excited for some new Gelato?
I visited the first week they opened.
Great build out very snazzy.
Coffee program is push button automatic like Dunkin Donuts ehh?
Gelato was an maple serving.
No great deal.
Not very original.
Just another chain.
All the best!
I’m sure Boccatos will now flourish in comparison.
Foodie w/​experience dating back to 1985!