Gypsea Gelato

So yummy. They are very patient with kiddos deciding and tasting the combinations they wanted. And the owner is so friendly.

I decided to come here after having burgers for dinner next door. This place was packed even around the time it was suppose to close. I ended up getting the small with kona coffee and the dark chocolate caramel macadamia nut. Their small was a huge portion so totally worth it for the price. The girl who took my order was nice and the ice cream itself tasted good. The only downside is that the dark chocolate was so strong that I couldn’t taste the caramel or macadamia nut. I tried the salted caramel gelato which was my absolute flavor and the cookies and cream was good too. Overall, very reasonable priced gelato with a great flavor selection. I would come back here for gelato in a heart beat.

Awesome gelato! I had coconut-​purple sweet potato, which was amazing, and my wife had Kona Coffee gelato (what else on Kona?).
Only gripe is that it’s closed in Tuesdays, the one day we went, necessitating another trip down that way, which wasn’t such a sacrifice, since we then ate at Annie’s Burgers.

I had the Coconut Haystack… and it was amazing. My favorite. The staff is always nice and willing to offer you samples. This is a place I go at least once a week.

This was one of the best gelato experiences I’ve ever had.
(I travel extensively and I’m including the whole of Italy in the previous statement)
The gelato is made onsite, with local organic ingredients. Their flavor offerings are creative and sometimes genius. The store is super clean and the service was great. The owner took time to talk to us and seems to really live Aloha.
Whether coming back from swimming at Refugee City or just finishing a burger at Annie’s… this is a must do experience on The Big Island.
Mahalo!

To Die For Gelato… off the tourist path but a must visit! All the flavors have unique locally sourced ingredients… white pineapple, lemongrass, lilkoi, coffee, macadamia nuts. But the flavor combinations are amazing. Try Pele’s Kiss, chocolate with a hint of ghost pepper or lemongrass, ginger and turmeric. Enjoyed hearing the owner’s story, a husband and wife team with creativity and a true passion for gelato. Go visit, your only regret will be why didn’t we come sooner!

Outstanding gelato! Wide selection of locally inspired flavors. Very creamy and smooth, would put them up against any gelateria in Italy!

Our «Gold Standard» for Gelato has always been Frost Gelato (Tucson, AZ). But Gypsea comes very close!
After visiting Kona Joe’s Coffee, we noticed a small row of shops, which included a Gelato shop. Acting on impulse (and the munchies), we pulled in and gave it a try. I had a two-​scooper cup, with the Macadamia Nut dark chocolate and Vanilla. We were delighted with the smooth creamy texture, as well as the rich «in your face» flavor! Very very yummy!

This place should not promote itself as selling «Gelato.» This is more like hard ice cream. I’ve had gelato in Italy and it is extremely smooth, light and creamy. I absolutely would not recommend this place.

The gelato was amazing. Great choice of creative flavors. The lady working was nice and helpful. I’m both happy and sad I found this place the day before we are leaving. Sad because I won’t be able to have more before we leave, but happy because my waistline doesn’t need to have more.
My husband and I highly recommend this place.

The most amazing gelato I have ever tasted. This will be our new family tradition when visiting the big island. The owners are so friendly. We came back 2 days in a row and would have made it 3! but they were closed the day we were leaving.

This place is a hidden gem for sure!
Like other Unilocal reviewers, we stumbled upon this magical place after lunch next door at Annie’s
The owner is delightful and he and his wife come up with the gelato flavors –there were some very unique combinations and all looked mouthwatering
The prices are a steal (compared to prices for most food items on the Big Island) and the servings plentiful
Highly recommend a visit

Superb unique flavored gelatos served up in a quaint little eatery. The folks that own & operate this place are very friendly and helpful if you can’t decide what flavors suit your fancy at the moment. There’s a small coffee & bakery area in back as well. What’s not to like.

This gem is a must do. Persons behind the counter was suuuuper friendly. There are also a few baked treats in a glass case. I had the haupia sweet potato pie and it was delicious. Kiddos had gelato and it was also very good. We will definitely be returning.

This place ROCKS! Amazing family owned business. I loved every flavor I got there and they are more than happy to let you sample as many as you’d like before you commit. The owner is very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to. Our girls love the gelato as well!

We visited Gypsea four times during our eight-​day vacation. There’s your endorsement, right there. We sniffed at flourless chocolate cake; we waved off malasada and liqueur bread pudding; we ditched the macadamia toffee brittle pie of the elite, oceanside chefs to the golf cart set, always making sure to settle our check in time to haul ass to Gypsea before their 8:30 closing. All to come to a dated strip mall in hippie Kealakekua and suck down the finest handcrafted gelato west of Italy, while listening to the deafening chorus of frogs and crickets in the surrounding rainforest night.
My companion developed an instant addiction to Pele’s Kiss, a blend of deep chocolate, cinnamon, and three varieties of hot peppers that offers its worshippers a fierce afterburn. When he wasn’t eating it, he was talking about eating it. The lilikoi is also unbeatable; it’s a ballerina among gelati, always graceful and feminine, but powerful with all-​natural, local fruit flavor. Mauka is for when you can’t decide whether you want macadamia nut, chocolate, or coffee, so you get them all mixed together in a sublime, dark cup. The Fresh Mint uses spearmint, not peppermint, with dark chocolate shards. Pink-​pastel Apple Banana Strawberry Cake has strong, natural banana flavor that you can smell before the server even hands you the cup. The Kona Coffee and Vanilla Bean are richly speckled with their title ingredients. The bright magenta Dragonfruit with Lime is a stunner. Unique experiments such as lemongrass-​ginger-​coconut-​turmeric, and goat cheese with strawberry, maple pecans, and balsamic glaze, drift in and out of the gelato case, too.
The gelato here is made by someone who cares, that’s the bottom line. The flavors are natural, local whenever possible, and concentrated. The quality is unmatched. Your service is friendly, knowledgeable, patient and generous with your tastings and decisions, and swift.
Portions are insane. A medium, two flavors, $ 4.50 with tax, is a Matterhorn made of ice cream. You’ll be conquering that mountain in silence for the next 20 minutes.

Go let go on this great Gelato! This owner has been to school and has wired his product so well. ONE taste and I went ballistic moon shot and such. I just found out they had their One Year Anniversary. The trip I made with a mainland amigo to try it got him hooked too. He has not found better over on the insaneland so he says. Every nibble and spoonful was darn fantastic I was surprised to find such a great selection and awesome flavors in this quiet part of Big Island. I’d make a stop if you are heading south from Kona just about anytime of the day. The separate bakery in the back is unbee too. Try that as well.

Great gelato, decent espresso. Visited with my wife and sister on our stay in Hawaii. Get the salted caramel!

Phenomenal Gelato awaits! We are gelato addicts and this place put us on the floor. Home made custom gelato you will not find elsewhere and quality you can taste. Bonus! Tim and his wife are great and really stand behind their product. Get some!

Absolutely love gypsea gelato!
The owners work everyday serving their customers, they are some of the sweetest business owners I’ve met. They are always open to hearing your suggestions, and always making new flavors. Btw, they make everything themselves, and As honest ingredients as they get!

Extra testy flavors. We enjoyed the refreshing sorbets dragonfruit lime and raspberry lilikoi guava. Just sweet enough.
A waffle cone would had been a must.

Gelato-​gasm! Wobbly knees, heavy breathing, can this be real? Oh yes, drive, walk, swim, zip-​line your way to Gypsea Gelato at least once during your visit here. Lucky you if you live Hawaii cuz then you get to come here anytime.
Our faves are lilikoi for me and Pele’s kiss for hubby.
These folks are doing a great job and we love giving them our business.

A must in Kona!!! Really no reason to go any elevate else. My husband and I agree best gelato we’ve had other than Venchi in Florence, Italy. Stand out flavored like mint chip using spearmint & the lemon, coconut, ginger sorbet that mimics tom yum soup flavors. Delicious!!! My hubs loved the Mac nut, Carmel, dark chocolate and Cannoli flavor. All good, can’t go wrong here.

Crazy good– the best gelato I ever had! Ingredients so fresh and you could really taste the flavors. My fav is Lilikoi and ginger lemongrass.

We got some gelato after eating burgers next door. The service was excellent and I tried some samples before deciding on the macadamia nut flavor. Soo good! Not too sweet or heavy with little traces of blended nuts not huge pieces. Perfect ending to lunch!

Oh. My. God! We stumbled here after finishing some killer burgers at Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers and I’m glad I spotted this place. I’ve had gelato all over the world, and their gelato is some of the best I’ve ever haf. We had the Dark Chocolate Carmel Macadamia Nut and the Lilikoi… soooo good! Fresh local ingredients making flavors to die for! If you drive passed this place, shame on you.

The owner was super nice in explaining the different gelato selections and giving us recommendations. I believe their flavors change depending on what ingredients are available at the time. I love their macadamia nut gelato. My husband had a milkshake made from their gelato with Kona coffee and chocolate and nuts in it but I can’t remember the name of it. Some other customers absolutely love their cannoli gelato but they were all out at the time.
A little bit on the pricier side but that’s what you get for high quality taste and local ingredients! I try to visit here at least once every time I vacation on the island. Support local!!!

OMG SO GOOD! Seriously some of the BEST Gelato EVER! I’m part Itailian & been to Italy and this gelato is RIGHT UP there! LOCAL FLAVORS are a super bonus, not to mention the atmosphere!
The owners are super nice & passionate about the fresh flavors they create. Try the ginger lemongrass or cannoli (some of my faves) but they are ALL GOOD! A WEEKLY MUST for locals and stop AT LEAST once if you’re visiting. Oh did I mention the baked goods?!? YUM!

I was a big fan of Gio’s Gelato and then it was sold and another name was given, Gypsea Gelato.
There are fewer traditional Italian gelato flavors and more American flavors, but all I tasted were very good.
I still love this place and hope the quality continues with the new owners.