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Trays of gelato in the counter at Basement Gelato, each flavour labelled on a small blackboard.
Edinburgh

Basement Gelato

A small gelato shop on Queensferry Street in the West End, making its own gelato from scratch with local milk, from Belgian chocolate to brown butter and vegan flavours.

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Welcome

There's nothing quite like a scoop of proper gelato on a warm afternoon, and Basement Gelato, on Queensferry Street in the West End, makes some of the best in the city.

Its founder, Austin, learned to make gelato from scratch in Bologna before coming home to Edinburgh to start his own. Everything is made in the shop's own kitchen, with milk from a dairy just four miles away, and the flavours follow the seasons. More than two hundred have come out of that kitchen so far, from rich Belgian chocolate to the best-selling brown butter, and there are always dairy-free and vegan ones too. You can have your gelato in a milkshake as well. It's open every afternoon and evening except Tuesday, until 10pm, so it's an easy stop after dinner in the West End.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
Close byLucky Liquor CoA cocktail bar on Queen Street from the team behind Bramble, opened in 2013, named for the number thirteen and played entirely on vinyl.3 min by roadSee itLucky Liquor Co
Before you go

Open every afternoon and evening except Tuesday, until 10pm.

Where
31 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4QS.
Open
Monday, and Wednesday to Friday, 2pm to 10pm; Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 10pm. Closed on Tuesday.
Vegan
Dairy-free and vegan gelato as well.
Email
hello@basementgelato.co.uk

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
2pm–10pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
2pm–10pm
Thursday
2pm–10pm
Friday
2pm–10pm
Saturday
1pm–10pm
Sunday
1pm–10pm

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Where it is

On Queensferry Street in the West End, EH2 4QS.

Close bythe West End.
  1. A long red leather banquette and dark tables in the dining room at Lennox, below lit shelves of books, vases and ornaments in dark wood panelling.LennoxA restaurant and bar from Nico Simeone on Queensferry Street in the West End, cooking beef dry-aged in house over fire, with small plates, handmade pasta and cocktails.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Cairngorm CoffeeCairngorm CoffeeThe West End cafe of Cairngorm Coffee, an Edinburgh speciality roaster, on the corner of Melville Place, open from seven.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Georgian HouseThe Georgian HouseA Robert Adam townhouse at 7 Charlotte Square, restored by the National Trust for Scotland; closed for conservation work and planned to reopen in 2027.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Library of MistakesLibrary of MistakesA free library of financial history in the New Town, with balconies of books round a reading room, where readers study the market's mistakes.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Two walkers pass a turreted stone building beneath a tall arched viaductDean GardensA residents' garden of 1867 on the banks of the Water of Leith below the Dean Bridge, open to the public on occasional open days.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Johnnie Walker Princes StreetJohnnie Walker Princes StreetJohnnie Walker's eight-floor whisky house on Princes Street, in the old House of Fraser building, with the Journey of Flavour tour and a rooftop bar.Under a mile 2 min by road
  7. BABABABAMezze, a charcoal grill and cocktails from the eastern Mediterranean, at 130 George Street, with Scottish lamb, beef and seafood on the coals.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
A wooden table at Dulse seen from above, laid with oysters on the half shell, grilled lobster, scallops in their shells and a pan of langoustines, with glasses of white wine.RestaurantsDulseA step away
A large chalk drawing of a long dinner table across the wall of Le Di-Vin, the bar's name above it.BarsLe Di-VinA step away
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The Pompadour dining room in the Caledonian hotel, with white-clothed tables and turquoise chairs under an ornate plaster ceiling, painted wall panels and a gold-framed mirror.Restaurants1925 at The Pompadour0.3 miles
Kay's Bar on Jamaica Street West, a small stone building with red windows, white doors and John Kay lettered above them, on a cobbled lane.BarsKay's Bar0.4 miles
Water of Leith winding through Dean Village, historic tenements lining both banksAttractionsDean Village0.4 miles
Wine glasses hang beneath a table caddy at The Huxley, Edinburgh Castle beyondRestaurantsThe Huxley0.5 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near Basement Gelato, and when each is next free.

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  • To stay
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Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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