Australian Gelateria Zero Gradi’s Chilly, Creamy Scoops Debut in Dallas

An exciting new gelateria has arrived in Dallas’s City Center District, serving up the creamy, frozen treat in flavors like passionfruit, banana-coconut, affogato, and more.

Zero Gradi, at 2000 Ross Avenue, is next to sibling restaurant 400 Gradi, the Neopolitan-style pizza restaurant that opened in 2019. The Dallas location of Zero Gradi will be the very first in the United States.

Both restaurants were founded in Australia by celebrity chef Johnny Di Francesco. (The Dallas location of 400 Gradi was also the first in the U.S. “Gradi’ in Italian means degrees, as in the Celcius temperature at which water freezes, or, say, the inside of a pizza oven.)

Zero Gradi’s menu includes scratch-made Italian pastries, more than 20 flavors of handmade gelato, sobettos, semifreddo ice cream cakes, plus a full espresso bar. Diners can expect the same attention to detail that 400 Gradi is known for, including ingredients like fresh egg yolks, yogurt from the Maremma region of Italy, and flavors made with fresh fruit and nuts. The cafe uses Italian-made Carpigiani machines to create their gelato at each location, and pays special attention to customers’ dietary restrictions, including a menu of vegan and celiac-friendly options.

Francesco said in a press release that the company picked Dallas for its first American outpost due to the city’s culinary diversity and hospitable reputation.

“We chose Dallas because of its multi-cultural food scene and the people. You can’t find the same Southern hospitality that you get in Dallas, anywhere else in the States.”

• An Aussie-Born Italian Eatery Makes Its Stateside Debut in Dallas Next Week [EDFW]