Perfect place for an evening treat! Loved the ricotta and gianduia flavors
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato
Maike Filter
Best gelato I’ve ever had! Saffron and blaze flavours were incredible!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato, Blaze
Abhishek Pathak
One of the best double macchiatoPlus the rum baba is worth paying for
Food: 5
Service: 5
Crystal Song
Hila is my favorite gelato place in town! It’s so authentic and everything from gelato to coffee to cheesecake are to die for!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meghana Kumar
The best dessert/ice cream in San Francisco and an absolute gem in sf. Hilas caffe is your one stop for Italian desserts- gelato, cakes, pastries- and Italian coffee.Hila’s gelato is absolutely amazing- perfect texture, light, not too sweet. The pistachio and saffron flavors are perfect. Her espresso is also great!There’s also all kinds of Italian pastries and desserts… including a pistachio cornetto, my favorite pastry in the world! Cornettos are similar to croissants (but imo, lighter, less sweet and just better). For 9 months, I’ve been trying to find a pistachio cornetto in San Francisco like the one I had while visiting Italy without success. I finally found it at Hila’s and it was perfect, filled with pistachio cream. I wish I took a picture.Hila herself is so funny and kind- and patiently practiced speaking Italian with me.Her space is in a lovely part of mission near Dolores park and has a few seats inside.If I lived closer, I’d probably come every day ;)Grazie Mille Hila :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato, Brioche and Ice Cream, Saffron Pistachio Gelato
John Rios
The best gelato.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laurie Galazzo
Best gelato ever!! And the friendliest staff of the city genuine gelatos made by real Sicilians ?? thank you so much! 100% recommend the dark chocolate and stracciatella!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mandy Chen
I’m sad that it is temporarily closed. I had absolutely amazing pumpkin and pistachio gelato here. The pumpkin is an especially unique flavor to find and very refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diana Wynne
Newly reopened with cool gelato machines stirring each flavor. Every bit as good as reported. I tried marionberry and ricotta. Not cheap ($8 for a double; $9.50 for a waffle cone with two flavors) and no tasting, but high quality. Looking forward to trying lemon ice, dark chocolate, and pistachio.Kid-friendliness: Small bench for small people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Carroll
Best gelato ever! The cutest shop and the friendliest owners (who are Sicilian-born), you have to stop by and see for yourself! My favorite was the pistachio and it was so good I went back for a 2nd dessert, my favorite: the affogato.100% highly recommend!
Very close to Dolores Park in the centrally located Mission District, Hila Gelato is the real Sicilian gelato experience, with classic flavors like pistachio, nocciola (hazelnut) and gelsi (mulberries) as well as American classics like peanut butter. It is so smooth and creamy.They also offer ice cream cakes to order, cups of mini cheese cakes, and classic Italian pastries in the fridge.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dawn B.
This gelato is amazing, maybe too good because for the first time I ate almost two scoops (medium size) by myself. I love how fresh each flavor tastes and how the consistency of the gelato is spot on. While I haven't been to Sicily yet, it's on my bucket list, I have visited Italy quite a few times. This gelato matches or honestly out performs some of the shops there and definitely makes you feel like your on holiday in Europe. I had two flavors, hazelnut and chocolate. You could tell that both were made from the raw products and that there wasn't just a flavoring used. I loved that about this shop as it really tasted like the true ingredient and not the additives. The shop owners were super nice and were willing to scope in more than a set number of flavors, mentioning that it was common in Sicily. It was such a welcoming environment there. They just reopened, so I think we lucked out that the wait was short (the rain probably helped too). I definitely look forward to returning for more of their flavors in the future.
Ed U.
OK, I know I'm kinda late on this one. I have to admit I had never become a fan of Xanath, the previous longtime occupant of this space, because the consistency and flavors never matched their organic good intentions. I was surprised another organic ice cream shop moved in last year. However, this one is quite unique, a one-woman business specializing in two dozen flavors of Sicilian gelato. Her name is Ilary Biondo, and her nickname is Hila (thus the name). She makes her gelato with just milk, whatever natural ingredient is highlighted, and sugar, no more than 10%. I spent precious little time perusing the flavors, but I think I picked two good ones - Almond (Mandorla) and Saffron (Zafferano). That translated to an $8 medium cup (photo: It worked. Very fresh and not overly rich or oversweetened. Hila definitely got me more hyped about her gelato than Xanath did with their ice cream. GELATO - 4 stars...natural tasting and certainly flavorful enough AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...still looks like Xanath SERVICE - 4.5 stars...Hila spoons it herself TOTAL - 4 stars...Sicilian gelato is worth seeking out RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed:
Nico Italia
Literally prolly the best pistachio ice cream
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marc D.
Incredibly legit, all the staff I've come in contact with is from Italy! The Cannoli are spot on!
Perfect place for an evening treat! Loved the ricotta and gianduia flavors
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato
Best gelato I’ve ever had! Saffron and blaze flavours were incredible!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato, Blaze
One of the best double macchiatoPlus the rum baba is worth paying for
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hila is my favorite gelato place in town! It’s so authentic and everything from gelato to coffee to cheesecake are to die for!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best dessert/ice cream in San Francisco and an absolute gem in sf. Hilas caffe is your one stop for Italian desserts- gelato, cakes, pastries- and Italian coffee.Hila’s gelato is absolutely amazing- perfect texture, light, not too sweet. The pistachio and saffron flavors are perfect. Her espresso is also great!There’s also all kinds of Italian pastries and desserts… including a pistachio cornetto, my favorite pastry in the world! Cornettos are similar to croissants (but imo, lighter, less sweet and just better). For 9 months, I’ve been trying to find a pistachio cornetto in San Francisco like the one I had while visiting Italy without success. I finally found it at Hila’s and it was perfect, filled with pistachio cream. I wish I took a picture.Hila herself is so funny and kind- and patiently practiced speaking Italian with me.Her space is in a lovely part of mission near Dolores park and has a few seats inside.If I lived closer, I’d probably come every day ;)Grazie Mille Hila :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gelato, Brioche and Ice Cream, Saffron Pistachio Gelato
The best gelato.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best gelato ever!! And the friendliest staff of the city genuine gelatos made by real Sicilians ?? thank you so much! 100% recommend the dark chocolate and stracciatella!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’m sad that it is temporarily closed. I had absolutely amazing pumpkin and pistachio gelato here. The pumpkin is an especially unique flavor to find and very refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Newly reopened with cool gelato machines stirring each flavor. Every bit as good as reported. I tried marionberry and ricotta. Not cheap ($8 for a double; $9.50 for a waffle cone with two flavors) and no tasting, but high quality. Looking forward to trying lemon ice, dark chocolate, and pistachio.Kid-friendliness: Small bench for small people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best gelato ever! The cutest shop and the friendliest owners (who are Sicilian-born), you have to stop by and see for yourself! My favorite was the pistachio and it was so good I went back for a 2nd dessert, my favorite: the affogato.100% highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Very close to Dolores Park in the centrally located Mission District, Hila Gelato is the real Sicilian gelato experience, with classic flavors like pistachio, nocciola (hazelnut) and gelsi (mulberries) as well as American classics like peanut butter. It is so smooth and creamy.They also offer ice cream cakes to order, cups of mini cheese cakes, and classic Italian pastries in the fridge.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This gelato is amazing, maybe too good because for the first time I ate almost two scoops (medium size) by myself. I love how fresh each flavor tastes and how the consistency of the gelato is spot on. While I haven't been to Sicily yet, it's on my bucket list, I have visited Italy quite a few times. This gelato matches or honestly out performs some of the shops there and definitely makes you feel like your on holiday in Europe. I had two flavors, hazelnut and chocolate. You could tell that both were made from the raw products and that there wasn't just a flavoring used. I loved that about this shop as it really tasted like the true ingredient and not the additives. The shop owners were super nice and were willing to scope in more than a set number of flavors, mentioning that it was common in Sicily. It was such a welcoming environment there. They just reopened, so I think we lucked out that the wait was short (the rain probably helped too). I definitely look forward to returning for more of their flavors in the future.
OK, I know I'm kinda late on this one. I have to admit I had never become a fan of Xanath, the previous longtime occupant of this space, because the consistency and flavors never matched their organic good intentions. I was surprised another organic ice cream shop moved in last year. However, this one is quite unique, a one-woman business specializing in two dozen flavors of Sicilian gelato. Her name is Ilary Biondo, and her nickname is Hila (thus the name). She makes her gelato with just milk, whatever natural ingredient is highlighted, and sugar, no more than 10%. I spent precious little time perusing the flavors, but I think I picked two good ones - Almond (Mandorla) and Saffron (Zafferano). That translated to an $8 medium cup (photo: It worked. Very fresh and not overly rich or oversweetened. Hila definitely got me more hyped about her gelato than Xanath did with their ice cream. GELATO - 4 stars...natural tasting and certainly flavorful enough AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...still looks like Xanath SERVICE - 4.5 stars...Hila spoons it herself TOTAL - 4 stars...Sicilian gelato is worth seeking out RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed:
Literally prolly the best pistachio ice cream
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredibly legit, all the staff I've come in contact with is from Italy! The Cannoli are spot on!