The small Italian restaurant that officially serves the best desserts in Wales

A restaurant offering a taste of Italy in the heart of Cardiff has claimed the title of best dessert shop in Wales and the south of England. Calabrisella Gelateria, located on the high street in Canton, claimed the top spot at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards 2024, which celebrates the best and most loved independent restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

The Italian gelato and dessert spot opened back in 2021 and is a passion project for founders Salvatore Vara, Angelo De Meo and Domenico Ventura, who wanted to expand their Calabrian offering to include fresh, homemade gelato as well as the authentic, homemade pizzas, pasta dishes and more they serve at their first two locations in Cathays and just up the road from the ice cream shop, on Cowbridge Road East. Read their story, here.

They beat dessert spots Scoops in Portsmouth and Sprinkles in Southampton at the delivery company’s annual awards. When visiting the restaurant, you can see the Calabrisella team making their gelato, with the on-site ‘lab’ and freezer display cabinet packed out with classics like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla and new favourites like Kinder Bueno and Oreo.

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Vegans won’t miss out either as their sorbets and dairy-free chocolate ensures you can get a gelato hit when you fancy it. Speaking to WalesOnline when the gelateria opened up, Salvatore shared how connected they feel to their Welsh home of almost 20 years.

He said: “We are part of the community now, I feel part of the Canton community now, sometimes I walk in Canton and it’s like walking in Reggio, saying hello and it’s fantastic. I was at the airport, I think with my dad and I say hello to about 30 people he said: ‘Are we in Italy?’

“It’s a really good thing. In my experience Wales is fantastic, Welsh people are really friendly and I think they are really proud.”

First launched in 2018, Deliveroo’s Restaurant Awards celebrate and recognise the very best and most-loved restaurants across the country – from local independent burger joints to neighbourhood sushi restaurants and all the dishes, cuisines, and flavours in between. This year saw a total of 60 awards up for grabs, with more than 66,000 votes cast by hungry fans keen to show support for their favourite local restaurants.

One of the most coveted awards – Independent Restaurant of the Year 2024 – has been won by Yeeros in Dublin after battling it out against Regional Independent Restaurant of the Year Award winners White Men Can’t Jerk in Peckham, London, Luxford Burgers in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dhamaka in Bristol and Slap & Pickle in Sheffield.

Calabrisella Gelateria also serve cakes, desserts and coffees

The awards were judged by renowned food critic and writer Jimi Famurewa, in collaboration with Deliveroo’s CEO and founder, Will Shu. Jimi toured the width and breadth of the UK and Ireland to meet with each shortlisted regional restaurant, scoring them against criteria that included brand personality, food quality, packaging and presentation, customer reviews, and environmental consciousness.

Full list of winners of the 2024 Deliveroo Restaurant Awards national categories:

Yeeros (Dublin, Ireland) – Independent Restaurant of the Year 2024 winner – A family-run restaurant which quickly gained a cult following for its tasty modern take on Greek street food

Happy Mondays (Rushden, Northampton) – Beating Heart of the Community Award 2024 winner – An independent and community-focused coffee shop in the heart of Rushden, run by couple Luke and Daniella

Shake Shack ( London, Oxford & Cardiff) – Most Sustainable Restaurant Award 2024 winner – High-street burger restaurant with a focus on fresh, simple, high-quality food at a great value

Pizza Pilgrims (London, Brighton, Nottingham, Cambridge & Leeds) – Best Customer Innovator Award 2024 winner – Originally serving from the back of a Piaggio Ape in London and now growing to multiple locations around the UK, they serve traditional Neapolitan sourdough pizzas

Quaggy’s Kitchen (London) – Rider Love Award 2024- Local Indian takeaway restaurant based out of Lewisham, serving a diverse menu of mouthwatering curries and tandoori delights to satisfy any craving.

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