Vivoli Il Gelato just opened its fifth Orlando location, and it is not on Disney property.
Flamingo Crossings Town Center, Winter Garden. Five minutes from Walt Disney World. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
It has flavors that the Disney shops do not.
Some context.
Vivoli started in Florence in 1930. Nearly a hundred years of doing this. The Orlando locations at Disney Springs and Disney's Riviera Resort have been quietly one of the better dessert options anywhere near the parks.
This new one is bigger. Reportedly about 90 percent of the decor and build came straight from Italy, which in Orlando actually means something, since Italian theming around here usually tops out at a framed photo of the Amalfi Coast.
Here Is the Part That Flips Everything
Vivoli is running Flamingo Crossings as a test kitchen.
New flavors, new creations, they may show up here before anywhere else.
Stop and think about how backwards that is. The Disney location is supposed to get the exclusive. The off-property shop gets whatever is left over.
Not here. The off-property store is where things launch now.
What Only This Shop Has
Tiramisu gelato. Exclusive to Flamingo Crossings. It was at Disney Springs years back and it is finally back.
Tiramisu Affogato. Limited time. Tiramisu gelato, espresso, ladyfingers.
Crème de Café. Frozen cappuccino-style drink. No other Orlando Vivoli has it.
Holiday flavors and seasonal drinks are already planned.
You Can Take Pints Home Now
First time Vivoli has done this in Orlando.
Grab-and-go pints in the shop freezer, including flavors from Disney Springs like coconut and peanut butter. Stock varies.
This is the one that actually changes things for locals. Gelato at a shop is a whole outing. Gelato in your freezer at 11 p.m. is a lifestyle.
And It Is Completely Peanut-Free
Worth flagging loudly because nobody else is.
The Flamingo Crossings shop is fully peanut-free. Peanut gelato is not produced there and not scooped there, period. The peanut butter pints in the freezer get made at Disney Springs and arrive sealed.
In a dessert shop, a dedicated peanut-free production space is rare. Families dealing with a peanut allergy know exactly how rare.
That said, be smart. Peanut-free is not allergen-free. It is a gelato shop, so dairy is in everything, and tree nuts and gluten are around. Talk to the staff, do not take an article's word for it. Including this one.
The Rest of the Menu
Sundaes, shakes, floats, affogatos, Italian pastries.
Plus an edible waffle cone coffee cup, because why wash a cup when you can eat it.
Smart Place to Put It
Flamingo Crossings Town Center sits directly across from Disney College Program housing.
So: thousands of young Disney employees, walking distance, brutal hours, a lot of them without cars, and a gelato shop open until 10 p.m. right there.
That is a customer base that has nothing to do with tourists and does not disappear in September.
Why Locals Win Here
Real talk about Disney Springs. It never required a park ticket. What it required was the parking garage, the walk, and a shopping district built specifically to slow you down before you reach dessert.
This place you park in front of.
In, gelato, out. Possibly with a pint.
And if you are staying off property on the west side, Flamingo Crossings is closer and easier than driving to Disney Springs anyway. Plus it is the only spot with the tiramisu.
Both Disney locations are still open. They are just not the main one anymore.
Source: Reporting on the Vivoli Il Gelato opening at Flamingo Crossings Town Center.
