2000 Ross Ave in Downtown Dallas is the only American location of the 400 Gradi restaurant chain. The brainchild of Australian chef Johnny Di Francesco, 400 Gardi (meaning 400 degrees in Italian), prides themselves on their authentic Neapolitan cuisine from Italy. And now their Downtown Dallas family is growing, with this week’s addition of Zero Gradi Gelateria and Dessert Bar right next door.
“The Amalfi Coast is renowned for its traditional gelato made with Italian expertise,” Chef Francesco said. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring Zero Gradi to the U.S. and give Dallasites a taste of authentic gelato and premium desserts. We chose Dallas because of its multi-cultural food scene and the people. You can’t find the same Southern hospitality that you get in Dallas, anywhere else in the states.”
Zero Gradi will feature an Italian Espresso bar, as well as pastries from decadent brioche to flaky croissants stuffed with filings from Nutella to lemon-meringue made with high-quality ingredients like yogurt from the Maremma region of Italy. All of these options are in addition to their 20 flavors of freshly made gelato. While most of the flavors are simple and rich, like chocolate, hazelnut, and pistachio, keeping with Italian tradition, there are some bright, fruity offerings as well, such as the lemon-rosemary sorbetto.
The Grand Opening celebrations kicked off on Wednesday the 29th at 5 p.m. and will continue through Friday the 1st. Expect Instagram-worthy photo-ops, live music, and samples of the various desserts.