Authentic Italian Gelato and Unforgettable Service
I first discovered DeLuca Gelato nearly twenty years ago, and one taste from their gelato case took me straight back to the authentic gelaterie of Florence my family first visited in the 1980s. Nick & Terrie’s flavors are true to the Old World—no “bubblegum” or “Ukrop's rainbow cookie” gimmicks here—just pure, creamy gelato and bright, fresh sorbetto made the traditional way.
Before my mother passed, she told both me and Nick that she wanted DeLuca Gelato at her Celebration of Life. And so, this past weekend, Nick arrived quietly during the laughter-filled, open-mic portion of the service—dressed professionally and with his usual charm—disturbing no one. His green-and-red cart, complete with built-in refrigeration, looked beautiful lakeside in Brandermill, and each flavor was labeled with charming Italian-English signage. He personally served six of my parents’ favorites: chocolate sorbetto, cream, strawberry sorbetto, mint stracciatella (naturally snow-white, without artificial colors), tiramisu, and salted caramel—explaining each flavor with care and genuine warmth.
Guests of all ages laughed, sampled, compared, and went back for seconds (and thirds!), perfectly echoing my parents’ line: “Could we please start putting the ‘fun’ back in ‘funeral’?!?!!?”
For anyone planning a birthday, Celebration of Life, wedding, or community gathering—or simply looking for a bright, clean, welcoming RVA spot to enjoy real Italian gelato—Nick & Terrie at DeLuca Gelato are unmatched. Their product is extraordinary, their service heartfelt, and their professionalism exceptional.
Aaron Ellentuck
Great flavors! Also you can watch them make fresh Gelato! Very friendly and helpful staff.
Rachel T
I love how delicious the flavors are and the huge variety this place offers. And if you can't choose just 1 flavor, they have a flight option where you get to choose 7 to try!
Farishta H
Dear owner, the middle age woman serving gelato at around 5pm today was one of the worst servers I have ever come across. She has the most disgusted look on her face. No smile. Angry, impatient. Gave the smallest scoops you can imagine. Looks like she is being forced to work here. This woman needs a different job.
Merle Doughten
Stopped in on a whim with granddaughter after her soccer game. They had a great selection to choose from and from what she told me, was the best chocolate chip treat EVER!!!
Christopher Hill
Great family gelato place. Highly recommended.
ARELI FARFAN
I’m had friends visiting from New York, so we stopped by this gelato shop. The gelato itself was excellent smooth, creamy, and full of flavor. After trying a couple of samples, my friends actually bought even more gelato because they enjoyed it so much.
What took away from the experience was the lack of hospitality. When we asked for samples, the owner gave us nasty looks, and the server laughed and said, “no more,” which felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. We weren’t just there to sample and leave we were genuine paying customers who supported the business after tasting. I fully understand the challenges of running a small business and that samples can’t be unlimited. A clear policy, like “3 samples per person,” would be completely reasonable. What isn’t reasonable is making customers feel uncomfortable for asking. Hospitality is just as important as the product, and a simple smile or friendly tone would have made all the difference. The gelato itself deserves 5 stars, but the attitude and lack of hospitality brought the experience down. With better customer service, this place could truly shine and continue to build loyal customers, both local and visiting.
Rozmin Surani
Nutella is the best flavor
Tyler Grambow
We stopped by after dinner and both had the pistachio gelato; it was absolutely delicious!
Skyler Hinton
Owners are always friendly and helpful! Lots of flavors to pick from. I go atleast once a week! Best gelato in the state!
Always our favorite go-to for gelato. Fresh and FABULOUS!
Kiarnan Boyd
Great dairy free options and love the rainbow cookies
Hossein Sohrabi
Awesome ice cream 👌🏼
Kiera Hardy
The gelato was good I will give them that, but the customer service was awful. It was almost as if the guy just was miserably annoyed. You have over 30 flavor choice and this was our first time coming in here of course automatically we did not know which flavor we wanted. Feeling the pressure I just decided to stick with a basic flavor. I almost walked out without even giving them my business which now I wish I did just leave. This was my first and last time coming here. Richmond has plenty of other spots with way better customer service. You can’t own an ice cream shop and look like you hate your life while working there.
Richard Wicker
Incredible flavors - kids just love it. Reasonable prices and decent serving sizes.
Authentic Italian Gelato and Unforgettable Service
I first discovered DeLuca Gelato nearly twenty years ago, and one taste from their gelato case took me straight back to the authentic gelaterie of Florence my family first visited in the 1980s. Nick & Terrie’s flavors are true to the Old World—no “bubblegum” or “Ukrop's rainbow cookie” gimmicks here—just pure, creamy gelato and bright, fresh sorbetto made the traditional way.
Before my mother passed, she told both me and Nick that she wanted DeLuca Gelato at her Celebration of Life. And so, this past weekend, Nick arrived quietly during the laughter-filled, open-mic portion of the service—dressed professionally and with his usual charm—disturbing no one. His green-and-red cart, complete with built-in refrigeration, looked beautiful lakeside in Brandermill, and each flavor was labeled with charming Italian-English signage. He personally served six of my parents’ favorites: chocolate sorbetto, cream, strawberry sorbetto, mint stracciatella (naturally snow-white, without artificial colors), tiramisu, and salted caramel—explaining each flavor with care and genuine warmth.
Guests of all ages laughed, sampled, compared, and went back for seconds (and thirds!), perfectly echoing my parents’ line: “Could we please start putting the ‘fun’ back in ‘funeral’?!?!!?”
For anyone planning a birthday, Celebration of Life, wedding, or community gathering—or simply looking for a bright, clean, welcoming RVA spot to enjoy real Italian gelato—Nick & Terrie at DeLuca Gelato are unmatched. Their product is extraordinary, their service heartfelt, and their professionalism exceptional.
Great flavors! Also you can watch them make fresh Gelato!
Very friendly and helpful staff.
I love how delicious the flavors are and the huge variety this place offers. And if you can't choose just 1 flavor, they have a flight option where you get to choose 7 to try!
Dear owner, the middle age woman serving gelato at around 5pm today was one of the worst servers I have ever come across. She has the most disgusted look on her face. No smile. Angry, impatient. Gave the smallest scoops you can imagine. Looks like she is being forced to work here. This woman needs a different job.
Stopped in on a whim with granddaughter after her soccer game. They had a great selection to choose from and from what she told me, was the best chocolate chip treat EVER!!!
Great family gelato place. Highly recommended.
I’m had friends visiting from New York, so we stopped by this gelato shop. The gelato itself was excellent smooth, creamy, and full of flavor. After trying a couple of samples, my friends actually bought even more gelato because they enjoyed it so much.
What took away from the experience was the lack of hospitality. When we asked for samples, the owner gave us nasty looks, and the server laughed and said, “no more,” which felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. We weren’t just there to sample and leave we were genuine paying customers who supported the business after tasting. I fully understand the challenges of running a small business and that samples can’t be unlimited. A clear policy, like “3 samples per person,” would be completely reasonable. What isn’t reasonable is making customers feel uncomfortable for asking. Hospitality is just as important as the product, and a simple smile or friendly tone would have made all the difference. The gelato itself deserves 5 stars, but the attitude and lack of hospitality brought the experience down. With better customer service, this place could truly shine and continue to build loyal customers, both local and visiting.
Nutella is the best flavor
We stopped by after dinner and both had the pistachio gelato; it was absolutely delicious!
Owners are always friendly and helpful! Lots of flavors to pick from. I go atleast once a week! Best gelato in the state!
Restaurantji Recommends
Always our favorite go-to for gelato. Fresh and FABULOUS!
Great dairy free options and love the rainbow cookies
Awesome ice cream 👌🏼
The gelato was good I will give them that, but the customer service was awful. It was almost as if the guy just was miserably annoyed. You have over 30 flavor choice and this was our first time coming in here of course automatically we did not know which flavor we wanted. Feeling the pressure I just decided to stick with a basic flavor. I almost walked out without even giving them my business which now I wish I did just leave. This was my first and last time coming here. Richmond has plenty of other spots with way better customer service. You can’t own an ice cream shop and look like you hate your life while working there.
Incredible flavors - kids just love it. Reasonable prices and decent serving sizes.
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