On a hot summer Sunday Gluten Lips and I decided to go for a walk on the seawall. I had received an email on Friday that Mobi Bikes was celebrating their 4th birthday and was celebrating with three gelato stores that would be offering BOGO gelato all weekend for Mobi members. I checked out the three places and saw one was close to our seawall route that I had walked past before but had never tried. As I often do, I also checked their menu online to ensure they would have dairy free options as not all ice cream and gelato places offer dairy free options. Luckily they did, so we filled up a bottle of water, applied sunscreen, and headed out on our walk.

Passione Gelato Is located at the new Parc hotel and casino near the stadiums. I’ve been to their restaurant once, and had walked past the gelato place once. The gelato place is located to the left of the main entrance but I don’t think most people would walk past it unless you were cutting through or staying at the hotel. As such, I imagine they don’t get a lot of foot traffic and are likely especially struggling right now due to Covid and fewer guests at the Parc.

When I entered the gelato shop the first thing I looked for was the menu which I could not see. There were two people behind the counter and all the gelato containers in front but no labeling or menu. I asked one of the staff if they had a menu and she pointed me to the upper right wall. I think they could benefit from a sign on the counter when you enter to direct you to the flavour menu.

They had about 5 dairy free options marked by a V (I also had to ask to clarify which were vegan as it wasn’t obvious at first glance). They also offered sugar free gelato (with or without dairy) although I find that fake sugar gives me a headache so I didn’t consider these options.

I was debating between a couple options and asked for a sample but they do not offer samples. I’m not sure if this is due to covid or if this is a regular practice. I decided to go with 1 scoop of coconut and 1 scoop of dark chocolate, in separate bowls. I asked if they had gluten free cones but unfortunately they did not. Most places don’t, so I wasn’t surprised by this.

The staff weren’t very friendly. They answered my questions briskly but didn’t greet me or smile. I suspect the gentleman that was there was the owner and the younger woman who served me was one of his staff.

I showed my Mobi pass and received both for $6 plus tax. Gluten Lips and I headed outside to a sunny bench in front to enjoy

I will say I didn’t find their flavours particularly exciting. The coconut tasted like coconut and nothing else. I’ve made my own ice cream from coconut cream before and it basically tasted like that.

The chocolate was very chocolatey and rich and again didn’t have any other flavours or additions. We switched back and forth and the coconut helped to balance out the chocolate. They were both also a bit too sweet for me. Gluten Lips agreed on all points.

I would rate the gelato 5/10, the service 6/10, and the ambience 5/10.

Overall it was okay but I would not pay full price and I don’t think I would return. There are so many other great gelato and ice cream shops in Vancouver with more interesting dairy free flavours – and gluten free cones to boot.

Did You Enjoy This Article?

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read about our other culinary adventures sharing our gluten-free and dairy-free experiences such as Chambar, Gluten Free Pizza and Games at Pizzeria Ludica, and Las Margaritas Mexican Restuarant in Kitsilano, Vancouver.

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