The Penguin

Yup, they closed… But: Five stars, even though ALL I ever ate there was the gelato, which was life-​changing all by itself. Which is enough to warrant the stars.
I wish the family who ran it would let us know where they went. They are missed. In fact, that was one of the first places I went upon returning to Chicago after living out of state for three years. It was earth-​shattering to find they were closed.

Sorry, Penguin Pals. The Penguin is no more. They’ve been closed several months now, and there doesn’t seem to be any forwarding information. Let’s all join hands and shed icy tears.
Only 3 stars ‘cos they’re not with us no more.

World’s grossest gelato served up by the world’s surliest teenager.

OK, I just can’t bring myself to give this place 4 or 5 stars, despite how good the gelato can be. I must admit, I’ve only come here for gelato and never tried the food.
My experience at this place has been hit or miss. On nights where it’s a hit– 5 stars for the gelato alone. Very tasty, and flavors you won’t find elsewhere else. We live in such a gelato starved city, I could see myself giving ‘em 5 stars just for having good, unique, stuff.
But somethings don’t quite cut it for me. First– this place is not super popular and doesn’t seem to have a lot of product turn-​over. You need to sample the flavors to be sure your gelato is as fresh as it should be. So if you go out of your way to try this place as a destination, be warned.
Second– this place is pretty much a run-​down pizza parlor in a divey strip mall with a beat up parking lot. Do not come here expecting fancy atmosphere. That’s totally worth dealing with for awesome gelato, but if you pick the wrong one… Then the atmosphere makes the whole thing worse.
So as a gelato lover who’s willing to drive a ways to find a fix, this isn’t my first choice. In a city with a short list of options, I recommend everybody find this place and give it a try for themselves. But since I don’t live any closer to this place than others, this isn’t the first spot that comes to mind when I’m planning a gelato run.

Great empanadas. I like how they are baked instead of deep-​fried. The dulce de leche gelato is superb like everyone says, but some of their other flavors could use some fine tuning. I had a strawberry cream gelato and it wasn’t very flavorful. Even if you order a small cup, they really pack the gelato in and above the cup and give you a lot for your money.

Keep your eyes peeled or you may just miss this tiny little gelato shop.. .. and what a shame that would be! This is by no means a fancy pants sort of spot but the gelato is by far some of the best I’ve had on this side of the pond. Servings are hefty — Neither I nor my husband could finish the so called small cup of gelato. We tried the chocolate and coffee but I will definitely try the dulce de leche next time.

This place was fantastic and I went there on a whim while walking back from an eatery to my friend’s place. It truly is tucked into a corner. I had a white chocolate cherry gelato on a mild day and it made my weekend that much better. As said before, the prices are a bit more than you’d pay for buying factory manufactured ice cream or gelato, but supporting an independent business that provides a superior product is worth the extra spare change.

This gem of an ice cream parlor is tucked within an obscure strip mall on Lawrence, and it is easy to miss. Be sure not miss the unbelievable dulce de leche gelato, rich and smooth stuff that has a shared Italian and Argentine heritage. The fruity sorbet flavors are good, and wine lovers may enjoy the sambayon. They also serve pizza and empanadas, but the dulce de leche is the star of the show.

This little hole in the wall joint right outside of Korea Town is has Argentine empanadas and the most delicious gelato I’ve ever had. The empanadas are made fresh. The gelato is a little pricey, but definately worth it! My favorite gelato flavor is dulce de leche. Highly recommended!