The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

While everyone is busy with the ice cream rolls trend, freak milkshakes, donut ice cream cones and just generally trying to put any kind of spin on frozen treats, Gelati Azza is one of the few places in Cairo still keeping things on a classic keel.

As a venue, Gelati Azza on Mohandiseen’s Lebanon Square is on the plain side and has no seating, so you’re going to have to take your gelato to-go. The funny part is that there’s no actual ice cream freezer to display the flavours as is the case with modern ice cream aprlours; but there is a Photoshopped poster on the wall showing the five available flavours. Another thing that will make you giggle a little is that the ice cream literally swimming in the deep freezer with no separators or containers – as all the flavours are just kind of melding into each other.

Nevertheless, we opted for a cup of lemon gelato and mango gelato (8LE).Starting with the lemon, it had a perfect dense, soft and elastic texture with intense citrusy flavours. As for the mango gelato, it had a spot-on sweetness and bold mango flavour that made us feel like we’re eating an actual mango. This was definitely the best and most refreshing mango ice cream we’ve had in some time.

We also tried a cup of crema gelato (8LE). We honestly expected that it will taste like your everyday vanilla ice cream, but it was much, much better than that. The crema gelato tasted exactly like a rich and creamy oven baked Mehalabeya – a rich Egyptian custard – and had a softer and less elastic texture than the fruit flavoured ice creams we tried.

Though it’s a little rough around the edges, Gelati Azza reminded us that we have amazing, yet underrated, local brands and shops. The quality of the ice cream is as good as you’ll find in Cairo and the portions are huge compared to its low prices. The selection of flavours might be small, but they’re also classics – so, always remember not to judge gelato by its freezer.