Have You Tried Flower-Shaped Gelato?

Gelato is one of summer’s best treats. A cold and creamy indulgence, the Italian dessert makes plain ol’ ice cream look lowly in comparison, even in its plainest form. The trend that’s taken social media by storm is to enjoy it shaped into flower-like designs that are almost to pretty to eat. Here’s the good news: The trend is spreading, so it’s becoming easier than ever to get your hands on a flower cone of your own.

To make the flowers, small slabs of gelato, or “petals”—generally about 20 per cone—are scooped with a spatula and pressed on in concentric circles, forming a rose shape. Often, multiple flavors of gelato are used, creating a multicolored flower effect.
The instigator of the Instagram phenomenon is a chain called Amorino, which was established in Paris in 2002. It has spread across Europe in the meantime, with more than 100 locations there, and came to the U.S. in 2011 to continue its spread Stateside.
Plenty of imitators have cropped up in recent years. In Europe, despite Amorino’s prominence, the main stage still belongs to Gelarto Rosa, a single shop in Budapest. Southern California has Eiswelt Gelato, which also shapes adorable animals out of gelato. In Sydney, i-Creamy’s cones took over the internet earlier this year, and at the moment, it remains the only place offering the flowers in Australia.
Many of the prettiest flowers we’ve been seeing are from the year-old Givrés, in Hong Kong. And the trend seems to be spreading throughout Asia. Roseice, in Ho Chi Minh City, is putting out some stunning creations. And somewhere in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Korea, is shaping up some lovely treats, too.
Which would you travel to try?
🌹 #roseicecream 😍 #budapest#hungary#dnesjem#czechgirl#august2017#summer2017#leto2017#icecream#rose#instafood#summer#saltycaramel#levander#pistacchio#yummy#dnescestujem#instadaily#instagood#instagram#picoftheday#igerscz#igers#gelartorosa
A post shared by reischig (@reischig) on Aug 29, 2017 at 2:37am PDT
Rose ice cream 🌹🍦 #gelartorosa #budapest #eurotrip2k17
A post shared by Andrea McDonald (@ginnygryffin) on Aug 18, 2017 at 7:27am PDT
Flower Power!!! You can choose your own shades~!!! 😊😊😊 #icreamygelato #gelatosydney #gelato#rose #sydney #sydneyeats#sydneydesserts #food #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn#nomnom #noms #sharefood #sydneyfood#sydneyeats #sydneyfoodie#sydneyfoodies #yummy #cafe#dessert #dessertlover #dessertporn#dessertinsydney #sydneydessert#sydneyfood #goodfoodau #zomatoaus #artfood #beautifulfood #cutegelato
A post shared by i-creamy Artisan Gelato (@icreamygelato) on Jan 24, 2017 at 8:05pm PST
Rose too pretty to eat 🌸🍦xoM Sydney’s Top 5 instagrammable ice cream up on the blog . . @icreamygelato #sweettoothforever
A post shared by May Leong-Korobacz (@hellomissmay) on Mar 7, 2017 at 3:23am PST
A Floral Beauty. Made with Edible Flowers. 📸: @victoriacheng #floral #beauty #gelatorose #gelato #icecream #sorbet #allnatural #dessert #vegan #foodart #foodie #hkfoodie #hkeats #hk #pretty #yummy #delicious #rosepetals #lavender #peach #flower #rose
A post shared by Givrés (@givreshk) on Aug 24, 2017 at 8:48pm PDT
Gelato Flower Made From Actual Flowers. #allnatural #lavender #rose #petals #hibiscus #flowers #givrés #givreshk #leetungavenue #gelato #gelatorose #icecream #sorbet #dessert #treat #floral #flower #art #foodart #foodie #hkfoodie #hkfood #hkeats #hk #purple #pink #red #pretty #beautiful
A post shared by Givrés (@givreshk) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:22pm PDT
@roseicesaigon makes these beautiful rainbow gelato roses! Like this post? Follow @dessertbeast for more posts like this! #roseicesaigon #gelato #gelatorose #rainbow #repost
A post shared by dessertbeast (@dessertbeast) on Jul 21, 2017 at 10:55am PDT
#milkybee
A post shared by @priqueen12 on Aug 29, 2017 at 10:24am PDT
🌹+ 🍦 = ❤️ . #foodandfeastkorea #gelarosa #gelatorose #cute #lovely #koreatrip #KoreawithLing #icecream #gelato #rosegelato #yummy #dessert #famous #myeongdong #koreafood #foodiekorea #springinkorea #handsinframe
A post shared by Herlin/Xiao Ling (@xiaolingchan) on May 12, 2017 at 10:32pm PDT
So, where do I learn to do this?
A post shared by c i n d y • san diego, ca (@cindyluu_co) on May 15, 2017 at 9:25am PDT
Celebrate the end of a long week with friends and gelato roses! #TasteAmorino (Photo: @_geni)
A post shared by Amorino USA Official Page (@amorinousa) on May 26, 2017 at 1:00pm PDT
It’s #NationalRedRoseDay and the only way we could think of celebrating it is with a tangy strawberry gelato rose! We take the greatest care selecting strawberries to guarantee a true authentic flavor. #TasteAmorino
A post shared by Amorino USA Official Page (@amorinousa) on Jun 12, 2017 at 9:00am PDT