Massimo Gelato

The first of Massimo Bertonasco's five gelaterias, open since 2017, where guests call the pistachio the standout.

Massimo Bertonasco was born in Rome in 1965, grew up in Liguria and spent twelve years at ING before he started making gelato at 51. In spring 2017 he opened the first Massimo Gelato here, on the corner of Van Ostadestraat and Tweede Van der Helststraat. Shops in West and Oost followed in 2020 because people complained about the queues in De Pijp; there are now five. The gelato sits in closed, chilled steel tubs called pozzetti instead of a glass display case. The list runs to fourteen gelato flavours, from fior di latte to ricotta and figs, plus nine sorbetti and pastries made with ricotta, hazelnut or pistachio. Eveline Kuyten of Het Parool writes that the ice cream bursts with flavour and never gets boring, partly because new flavours keep appearing. Mokum Magazine tested the West branch in 2024, paid €6 for a large tub, gave it an 8 minus and found the lemon a touch too sour. Besides pistachio, guests often name hazelnut, dark chocolate and chocolate-caramel-salt.

In good weather the queue reaches out the door; guests say it moves quickly, and you can taste a flavour before you choose.

Photo: Alex Cheuk via I amsterdam