Jessica RitzWhen aiming to open their new Los Feliz location of Gelato Bar in late spring/early summer, owners Gail Silverton and Joel Gutman have achieved the near impossible for food business proprietors — they will soft open around their target window date, namely today.
While some finishing touches remain to be done, the case will be stocked with Alessandro Fontana's handcrafted gelati this morning, and the former Hollywood Gelato Company (and well before that incarnation, Italian deli and flower shop) will open its doors as Gelato Bar. The interior's bright stripes and cheerful Tuscany-meets-California-confections-shop color scheme establish consistency with its sibling gelateria on Tujunga in Studio City.
Gail Silverton overseeing new Gelato Bar location.; Credit: J. Ritz
Because the address is 1936 N. Hillhurst Avenue, Silverton says she'll price everything based on 1936 economics until the official grand opening, which is TBA. Exact prices are yet to be set while Silverton conducts some research, but imagine gelato and coffee at Depression Era prices, which will be less than what it costs to feed the meters on Hillhurst for 15 minutes. And this treat comes without the guilt trip from your Depression Era grandparents about what they had to do to get some lousy ice cream back then.
Gutman will work the coffee station with a four cup pour over set-up, “using four or five different varieties of Ecco Caffe beans daily,” Silverton explains. The Mahlkönig grinder gives them the flexibility to grind for many different coffee prep methods, too, should they decide to add a Synesso Cyncra to the joint.
Gelato Bar: 1936 N. Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 668-0606.
Correction: Gelato Bar is currently only serving free mini-cone samples, and coffee samples begin next week. Sandwich and pastry items will be added soon, too. Temporary hours are approximately 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and are subject to change, so it never hurts to check ahead of time.
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