Paris was amazing, and gelato was just the thing on a hot day of touring. My husband and I discovered the most refreshing gelato shop near the St. Michel’s Metro stop. Located in the Latin Quarter, steps from the fountain of St. Michel, Amorino at 16 Rue de la Huchette serves the most amazing gelato. Not only does it taste delicious, it is also beautifully served in the form of a flower with multiple-flavored gelato “petals”.
The young ladies, who served us the three times (in our 7 day visit to Paris) we visited Amorino, were delightful as well as helpful. Customers choose at least 2 flavors, one scoop for the center and one or more flavors for the “petals”. Our servers encouraged us to try multiple flavors to surround our primary scoop. All the flavors we tasted were wonderful.
Amorino began in 2002 and quickly grew in popularity. Two friends created the cherub-adorned shops. Paris has 22 shops alone. France has 22 other shops, 7 in Germany, 4 in Spain, 2 in England, and 1 in Italy, Belgium, and Austria. As of summer 2011, the latest shop is located in Greenwich, NY, the first in the United States.
The atmosphere in “our” Amorino was especially relaxing: real air-conditioning, cool water fountain with cups provided, rustic brickwork, and an old world ice cream shop feel. After walking the streets of Paris and riding the Metro to city neighborhoods, Amorino was the perfect place to land in the afternoon. The Metro is so efficient, in fact, that one afternoon, we took the Metro just to get Amorino gelato before we left the next day!