Scoop
Price guide: Budget
40 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9AB
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#51 of 115
expert-rated restaurants in London- Recommended for:
- Families with teenagers, Relaxation
Best for Families - Expert review of Scoop
My favourite ice-cream parlour in London.
Among the boutiques to the north of Covent Garden, Scoop is a friendly place for homemade Italian ice-cream, serving big scoops of excellently fruity and flavourful naughtiness.
Food and drink:
The ice-cream here never fails to bring a smile to my face. There’s usually a dozen different flavours, from strawberry and pistacchio to cioccolato bianco (white chocolate) and amarena (slightly bitter cherry), but I rarely see the need to venture beyond a scoop each of frutti di bosco and limone - the almost fizzily sharp lemon a perfect contrast to the richly sweet, darkly coloured fruits of the forest. Hot and cold drinks and sweet snacks are also served.
Ambience:
Scoop is barely even a café. There are a few tables and chairs in the back, beyond the serving counters, and a kind of perch along the front of the bright orange shop, but that and the counter of ice-cream is all you need. Is anyone ever glum in an ice-cream shop?
Service:
It can get hectic - especially at lunch on hot days when local workers queue up for their scoop of cold paradise - but the staff manage to keep cheerful and enthusiastic. Come at quieter times of day if you can.
Location:
Handy for the covered market in Covent Garden - and perfect for the much better array of boutiques to the north of the tourist-focused market - but, because it’s off the main Neal Street drag at the quieter Endell Street end of a pretty anonymous back alley, it doesn’t get unbearably crowded.
Price advice:
Two generous scoops and a cone cost £2.80.
Other useful branches:
A second branch of Scoop opened in Soho (53 Brewer Street, W1F 9UJ, 020 7494 3082) in May 2010 - the same excellent ice-cream, but no sitting space at all. Simon Coppock covered this opening in his blog post London's best new ice-cream shop opens in Soho, if you’re interested.
More information on Scoop:
- Price guide:
- Type:
- Ice-cream parlour
- Food:
- Ice cream
- Address:
- 40 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9AB
- Telephone:
- 020 7240 7086
- Website:
- http://www.scoopgelato.com
- Opening times:
- Sun-Thu noon-9pm; Fri-Sat noon-10pm. From the beginning of April to the end of October it opens until 10:30pm (11pm Fri and Sat).
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Reservations:
- Not possible
- Free tags / Keywords:
- Quick bites, Takeaway
