Artisanal Gelato Shop Opens in Harvard Square

With slow foot traffic amid a gentle drizzle of rain, Amorino—a “boutique” gelato shop—quietly opened its doors in Harvard Square earlier this week.

The high-end dessert establishment is the second Amorino site in the greater Boston area, joined by a location on Newbury Street that opened in 2015.

Léa Sasportes, the executive developer for Amorino in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, said in an interview in late May she had sought to open a Harvard Square location since before the Newbury location opened, noting the chain’s popularity among students and tourists.

“People love taking pictures and sharing them on social media,” she said.

The store’s popularity derives in part from the flower-shaped designs it shapes its gelato into. Amorino also allows customers to top off desserts with gelato-filled macarons, according to Sasportes.

Hyeon-Jae Seo ’20, who said she had walked by the store’s location many times prior to its opening, visited on the first day, sitting behind the main room in the shop’s seating area.

“I really like the interior here,” Seo said. “It’s a nice place to hang out.”

Amorino is the first gelato shop in the Square, though it joins several popular ice cream locations, including Ben and Jerry’s and J.P. Licks.

Adriano Borsa ’20, who also visited the store on its opening day and ordered the pistachio and hazelnut flavors, said the opening of the shop presented him with more choices for frozen treats.

“I thought the quality of the ice cream was really good,” Borsa said. “It’s basically like, do I go here or or do I go to BerryLine?”

“A new dilemma,” he said.

—Staff writer Caleb D. Schwartz can be reached at [email protected].