Bottega Italiana

San Diego, United States

4.3

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 858-404-0799
Website:
www.bottegaitaliana.com
Address:
4445 La Jolla Village Dr Ste H-17, San Diego, CA, 92122
b/t Executive Way & Bus Access Rd
University City
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
250 ftUTC Transit Center
670 ftWestfield UTC
860 ftLa Jolla Village and Genesee, San Diego
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Today

Today –
Local time (San Diego) 10:32 AM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Specializes in Authentic Italian Gelato and Italian Coffee (Illy). We also serve businesses with Gelato wholesale distribution in the San Diego area.

We have over 24 flavor options everyday for you to choose from, and we always come up with new flavor profiles to keep things exciting for our costumers.

Come by our shop today and satisfy your sweet cravings!

History

Established in 2003.

Quality takes precedence here, so it is no coincidence that our creation has been voted «best dessert in town» and «best gelato» by locals in numerous publications. This is authentic artisan gelato at its best! Each flavor has its’ own unique recipe and is made in small quantities to ensure freshness. Our pistachios and hazelnuts come from Italy, and our produce is fresh and local.

We do not cut corners, or simplify recipes: dozens of kiwis are peeled for a batch of kiwi gelato, and hundreds of lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits are juiced by hand in our kitchen. All of this to achieve a gratifyingly superior product. Our gelato is definitely a labor of love.

Meet the Business Owner

David A.

Business Owner

Bottega Italiana’s earliest shop is located in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Native Italians Luca Guerrieri, Antonella Ragazzi and David Arato opened the doors on the first day of summer of 2003 in an effort to bring a sumptuous reminder of their homeland. With techniques learned from critically acclaimed gelato makers in Italy it is obvious from the first bite that gelato is taken very seriously here. This is a business built on an obsession for quality, and it remains its main focus as it grows.

Vicinity

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20 reviews of Bottega Italiana

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Place rating: 5
San Marcos, CA
Hahahaha so… this place is conveniently located by the gym. And after much eyeballing and coming here me and my girlfriend finally stopped by, which reinforced my hesitation to stop by in the first place… because, well, it’s really friggin good, and now every time I’m here I’ll have to come and most importantly which is also kind of sad, the fact that I’m coming here to work out I’ll have to eat some gelato and then hit the cardio LOL.
The guy behind the counter was super helpful! and seriously let us try every single flavor before I decided on the chocolate (to die for) and the strawberry basil! Omg!
You have to stop by. Their gelato is good. And definitely the strawberry basil– it’s super amazingly good.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Found this little gem while walking through the mall. The display and flavors of gelato oh my! I could have sampled all of them but decided on the «speciale» and was certainly not disappointed!
The gelato was creamy and sweet and light and silky and just delicious! Though I didn’t have any, the coffee also smelled incredible!
They have a great selection of tables inside and outside.
I’m pretty certain you’ll satisfy your sweet tooth here, check them out!
#sandiegofoodgirls
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
The gelato is absolutely delicious and the flavors are robust and fresh. The mojito is really out of this world and the chocolate is rich. Unfortunately, the service is not the greatest and the only downside to the experience here. I always get a sense of attitude when asking for a sample, and the lady who served us the two times we went in was less than pleasant.
Place rating: 4
San Antonio, TX
A convenient and solid choice for gelato in the UCSD area. None of the flavors have ever disappointed. They have a variety savory and fruity flavors here, which is great. I’ve tried the nocciola, pistachio, watermelon, lemon, lemon marscapone, peach flavored, nutella, coffee flavor and they are all great. It just depends on what you are looking for– fruity/​chocolate-​ish etc., but you really can’t go wrong here. They let you sample the flavors, so definitely see what you like. The texture of the gelato here is pretty good and is also tastes lighter than your standard ice cream. The only con is the serving sizes are a bit on the smaller side compared to some other ice cream and gelato places I’ve been to for the price. Flavors also rotate, and the selection of flavors is more limited than other places I’ve been to. Sometimes they offer discounts on Unilocal if you check in, so try to take advantage of that if you can. Overall, Bottega Italiana is a great choice for a sweet treat if you are shopping at UTC or in the area.
Place rating: 4
Cupertino, CA
Really good! Try this at UTc. Slightly pricey but fanciest ice cream I’ve eaten. Really close to ucsd so I really liked it!
Place rating: 5
El Cajon, CA
This place has the best coffee! I love a good mocha and they make a great one. Also, the staff are the best!
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
The gelato was very good here, just not a huge fan of the service.
I asked for a sample first and was ignored and they went on to the next person right after giving me one, I did want a scoop…
So I went to browse their chocolate selection which was grossly overpriced and came back for the gelato later.
Not a fan of the other person working either, he was not a bit more friendly than the girl working earlier.
Very brisk, no smile, no care of their product, it’s dessert, be happy!
I went with the hazelnut and it was amazing, perfectly creamy, the flavors on point, I loved everything about it.
Prices are high, portions small, but I can’t help but love the product.
Service is super important to me though, so only 3 stars for now and honestly I would probably not bother to come back just because I don’t appreciate how they acted.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Gelato here is delicious! It’s inside the UTC mall, right next to Arclight theaters. The staff there is always so nice and they allow you to sample the flavors before you pick your flavor. There hasn’t been one flavor that I don’t like there but I especially like their Speciale, fruity, and sea salt caramel flavor. You can even take a pint to go if you want to enjoy the gelato another time!
Don’t forgot to check in on their iPad next to the register! After several check ins, you can redeem various things.
Place rating: 4
Irvine, CA
I am always on the hunt for new gelato places I haven’t tried, so I was pretty stoked to try this place out after eating a rather disappointing burger at Eureka! right around the corner. I got a double scoop of Speciale (?) and Amaretto in a waffle cone. I don’t remember 100% what the Speciale was but it had ribbons of caramel and chocolate swirled throughout, which I loved. I’m taking one star off because some of their other flavors I sampled seemed to lack potency — I love pistachio gelato but their pistachio tasted a little bland. Prices were reasonable and the cashier accidentally undercharged me (oops).
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’ve been here a few times now and I always enjoy all the gelato flavors I get to sample. All of the heavier chocolate based flavors are rich and creamy and the fruity flavors are light and fresh. I had my first affrogato (gelato + shot of espresso pour over the top) here and it was amazing. I would definitely recommend picking a rich chocolate, caramel, nutty, or creamy gelato to pair with the espresso and it gives it a nice punch of coffee flavor. The gelato actually stays pretty solid even with the hot liquid poured on top and almost gives it a milkshake-​like quality. I believe you can also get gelato milkshakes here as well sans coffee. It’s a small place located next to the 24 hour fitness and forever 21 but I would definitely recommend it as a dessert stop if you’re shopping at UTC.
Place rating: 5
Chula Vista, CA
Tonight was our first visit here and it didn’t disappoint.
Wonderful selection of delicious Gelato! So hard to choose from, that a 2nd visit is in our near future :)
Tucked away near Forever 21 at UTC Mall, go find this hidden gem.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Yum! I’m happy to have found a gelato place super close to where I live — or maybe I’m not, because this could be dangerous… Anyway, I came here on a Friday afternoon and it wasn’t too crowded. After sampling some of their flavors, I decided on a small cup of pistachio and hazelnut gelato. I really enjoyed it! The texture was pretty good — although it could’ve been a little creamier or served at a slightly higher temperature — and so was the flavor. Pistachio was definitely my favorite between the two, since the hazelnut didn’t taste quite as natural as I would’ve liked — but it was still decent.
Overall, I’d say this is a solid place to get your gelato fix. The staff is awesome, the selection of gelato is plentiful, and the prices are great too — especially with the 20% coupon for checking in on Unilocal!The only small complaint I have — which isn’t even really about this place specifically — is the parking situation since this place does reside in a mall. This issue is pretty minimal, though, and definitely not something that would prevent me from coming back.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Flavors, flavors, and more flavors
If you are an ice cream junkie like I am, you’d enjoy this place. They’ve got many flavors to choose from and the staff is very friendly and helpful. The ice cream is not overloaded with sugar! OK, there is plenty of sugar in there I am sure, but it is not super duper sugar loaded to cover the lack of a proper flavor! It is just right. I tried the coffee, hazelnut, raspberry, and cinnamon; all good!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
So many different flavors, and they’re all fantastic! The flavors are always changing, save for a few standards, so you’ll never get bored. I love that you can get two flavors in one cup for no additional charge; combining them is half the fun! The homemade waffle cones are to die for, especially with the lemon gelato. And it’s not only gelato here.
There are few things better than an illy espresso drink prepared by well-​trained hands, and that’s just what you’ll get at Bottega. If that’s not enough, there’s a great selection of Chuao chocolates (my favorite is the rosemary salt caramel bon-​bon).
The prices are fantastic for the quality level, the baristi are hilarious and knowledgeable… hands down the best of the best. I never go anywhere else when in the UTC area.
Place rating: 4
Portland, ME
MY ORDER: Small order of 2 flavors (special + coconut)
— Taste test as much as you want! No limit.
— They don’t charge you extra for having a waffle bowl! It’s the same price as a waffle cone.
— Service was fast and friendly! He made suggestions and encouraged testing out the flavors. Not stingy at all.
— No extra charge for using credit card and no limits either. You can email the receipt to your e-​mail/​phone via text.
— Portion size is bigger than I thought I was paying for. A small to me appeared to be a medium. Small is 2 scoops!
— Flavors were great. The sorbets are a bit more tangy and refreshing while the creamier flavors were either overpoweringly sweet or just-​right.
My next visit is to try their affogato!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Although they do serve a variety of coffee drinks, chocolates from Chuao Chocolates, and frozen yogurts, it’s all about the gelato here in my opinion. I order the two scoops in a container, a scoop of stracciatella or chocolate chip and pistachio.
The stracciatella was terrific. The flavor of the gelato was on point with its mellow hint of vanilla and semi ice consistency yet providing a smooth texture. The stracciatella came with an abundant amount of semi sweet chocolate chips. The pistachio was good, but not as flavorful as the stracciatella, and it was missing the pieces pistachio nuts in the gelato. The pistachio gelato flavor was tasty and definitely derived from pistachios, but the texture of the gelato was not as smooth as the latter.
This place is located inside of the UTC Shopping Mall. They offer seating inside and a nice partial shady patio out front. The service was very good up to the point I ordered the gelato, but afterwards it became a little indifferent. In the end, the gelato was a treat to eat.
Place rating: 3
Escondido, CA
Megan B said it best, «Are these other reviews fake??»
If only that were true Megan. Alas, apparently tossing a few coppers to Unilocalers ( Unilocal discount) seems to get you a five star review here. Pardon the cynicism, but this is a marginal gelatería at best. The product was ho-​hum, the presentation was lazy to non existent. Not a lot of product available, service was meh. Tossing a cantaloupe rind or a few lemon wedges on top of the Gelato tray is pretty gross actually. Gelato presentation should be fun, making it part of the whole experience. Precise ribbon layering? No, straight from the machine to the pan looking like dog poop. I looked at other Unilocal pics and what I saw looked nothing like what the owner posted on Unilocal back in 2013.
HOWEVER!!!
I came back a second time before giving Bottega 2 stars. Note that this is highly irregular of me. When I pull out my sword for a 2 star review, I usually don’t sheath it unless it’s stained with blood. In any case, I came I back a second time. This time, it was quite a different experience. All flavors were available. All pans looked picture worthy. The fruit on top looked fresh, and enticing. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the owner/​manager? was there. Service was great too, the women with the lip ring was funny.
So, what am I to make of this place? One time, terrible. Another time good?

— CHUAO rents out some space here which is cool.
Place rating: 4
Escondido, CA
Bottega Italiana is a little gelato shop in UTC that also has gelato, coffee, and carries chocolate from CHUAO CHOCOLATIER. I was in the mood for some caffeine so stopped by here. The lady that helped me today was sweet and helpful. I ordered a Salt Butter Caramel Latte over ice. The espresso tasted rich with the sweetness from the salt butter caramel and milk I definitely would recommend it as a pick me up drink!
While I was there I debated ordering the gelato and sampled the pistachio which has a good taste! I ended up not ordering gelato, but will definitely order that next time. I also bought the mini chocolate bars and had the «maple bacon» and «potato chip» which had a sweet and savory mix sooo good! I definitely will return to try the other flavors of the fun size chocolate treats. :)
–gelato variety
–coffee and tea options
–cremito: blended gelato latte
–chocolate to satisfy sweet tooth with CHUAO CHOCOLATIER brand
–nice service
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Holy cow. Or in this case maybe a little less cow since gelato doesn’t really have milk and for the ones that does .here they make it with 2 percent milk.
I really never dug into how gelato was different than ice cream until I was in the area looking for an ice cream shop. This sweet joint came into my Unilocal results in the area and I began researching. In short, gelato is is Italian made ice cream and it has less air and less fat (no cream and little milk) than ice cream. It packs a mighty punch of flavor due to less whipped air vs. ice cream.
Anyway if you are going here just for this place. I recommend parking by the movie theatre Arclight parking light and taking the flight of stairs up and you’ll be greeted almost immediately by the aromas of gelatos, ice cream and waffle cones.
They have a nice assortment of flavors ranging from hazelnut, Nutella, wild berry, chocolate, banana, cream, mojito, vanilla, pistachio, chocolate chip & amaretto. They make their ice cream fresh daily in small batches on site. Yup… sold me there.
1 – 2 flavors for every size. Waffle cone was delicious… prices are decent. They also have tea and coffee here. Yummy yummy… will have to indulge my senses again.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
What a great place to have dessert post movie! We went to a special screening next door at the ArcLight. When I saw the gelato sign, I knew I had to have some even though it was cold outside. It was passed 9p and typically all the stores in the mall close at that time. Luckily, the sign still read OPEN and there were customers inside.
There was only 1 chick behind the counter with about 6 people in line. Props to the girl who was working it! We gave a well deserved tip.
I ordered the small with 2 flavors — chocolate and Nutella ($ 4). The flavors fused together were delicious and we were given just enough to tickle my tastebuds.
Check in offer Unilocalers!!! 20% off your order!!!