GelaTeo Cafe is an Italian-influenced coffee shop and ice cream parlour, just east of Broadview Station.

Created with the intention of bringing European-style desserts to Toronto, GelaTeo serves more than a dozen types of frozen delights, not to mention sandwiches, smoothies and pastries.

The cafe is sleek and classy on the outside, with its understated signage and dark wooden facade, and warm and welcoming on the inside, thanks to its blue and white booths and comfortable bar stools.

Across from the main counter, where cakes and cookies are displayed in glass cases, you'll find a shelf of dried and canned goods imported directly from Italy. 

A small patio wraps around the front of the shop, with colourful umbrellas strewn across the sidewalk and wooden benches backing onto Danforth Avenue. Owner Youssef Iraqi has been in the gelato business for more than a decade. Having learned how to make it while studying in Italy, Youssef brought his knowledge with him when he came to Canada.Though the cafe has been open less than a year, it has already made quite an impression on the neighbourhood.

During our visit, Youssef introduced us to several regular customers, many of whom have been coming since the grand opening in November 2023.

As the cafe's name suggests, gelato is the main attraction. It, like most of the cafe’s offerings, is made in-house from authentic ingredients. Gelato is priced by size and by container. For instance, two scoops of gelato in a waffle cone come to $8.

We went with lemon and strawberry, a light and fruity combination that helps to stave off the summer heat.A bowl with two scoops of gelato is $7.50 and comes with a heaping helping of whipped cream and a sugar cone.

These sweet flavours pair well with the chocolate and Oreo gelato, as well as the Oreo cookies served on the side. Gelato macarons ($6.90) are similar to ice cream sandwiches, inasmuch as they consist of a frozen dessert between two wafers.

In this case, the dessert is a scoop of gelato and the wafers are thin, crunchy meringues.

This one is stuffed with black sesame-flavoured gelato and topped with whipped cream, sesame seeds and golden sugar pearls.

The Biscoff cheesecake ($6.90) is rich and creamy. Cookie crumbs and graham cracker crust give the cake a bit of a crunchy texture, while caramel drizzle emphasizes the cookie's sweet, buttery flavour. Tiramisu ($6.90) is made using traditional methods. The result is a soft, coffee-flavoured cake embellished with layers of mascarpone and cocoa powder. The deli sandwich ($10.90) acts as a savoury counterpoint to all of the sweets on offer.

This hearty dish consists of pesto, capocollo, Swiss cheese and fresh greens layered between two slices of rustic Italian bread.Milkshakes ($6.90/medium, $9.90/large) are thick, hand-spun creations made with milk and a gelato flavour of your choice.

Though we opted for a chocolate shake, you can make a delicious drink with almost any type of gelato.Of course, if you're looking to avoid a sugar overload, consider trying a cappuccino ($4.90).

Though this creamy drink is very much in line with the cafe's overall style, its bitter finish will help offset anything too sweet.

GelaTeo Cafe is located at 189 Danforth Ave.