food & drink

Venezuelan Carlos Itriago and his wife learned to make gelato in Italy before opening Mannà Gelats in the Gòtic. Their small shop specializes in tropical fruit, including guava, cherimoya and soursop. Carlos explains the flavors himself, and fans of the shop often single out the tamarind and passion fruit.

The couple source fresh seasonal fruit from La Boqueria and hazelnuts and pistachios from Piedmont. For chocolate they turn to Valrhona and Chocolates del Rey, with a whole menu section devoted to it under the name XOCO. Cream-based gelatos include dulce de leche and crema catalana, as well as After Eight. They make the ice cream without artificial colorings.

Dairy-free ice cream gets more than a token showing here. The vegan menu includes mango, mojito and lemon-basil, and customers praise the horchata and dark chocolate.

Mannà also supplies restaurants and delivers. For those who’d like to make their own, the shop runs gelato-making workshops.