Ice Cream Hut by Florencia

The gelato counter in Zallaq works around daily in-house batches, with Ice Cream Hut by Florencia making its scoops from scratch without artificial flavours or colouring.

Daily gelato, made in the house style

The programme here is closer to a gelateria than a dessert counter with a freezer. Florencia works with handmade ice cream and gelato, made in the old-fashioned style, with natural ingredients carrying the weight rather than colouring or flavouring doing the talking. That matters in Bahrain, where cold sweets can easily become about novelty first and texture second. The useful detail is the daily batch: the gelato is made from scratch in house, so the counter has the rhythm of production behind it, not just a display of bought-in tubs. The format is broad enough for scoops, waffle cones, take-home containers and frozen pieces, but the centre stays simple. Ask what has been churned for the day, then choose by texture as much as flavour. The house is at its clearest when dairy, nuts, fruit or spice have room to read cleanly.

The case is built for scoops and boxes

The counter gives regulars a few ways to use the place. A single cup or cone works for the walk, while the 500-gram and 1kg containers make more sense when dessert is being taken back to a table elsewhere. The larger boxes are not an afterthought, since they can carry several flavours at once. That is the move when nobody agrees on one scoop. The smaller frozen pieces, especially the Bonballs, sit in a different lane: bite-sized, centred on a creamy middle, and easier to share than a melting cup. Seasonal pieces give the case its turn. Kunafa cannolis with rose and saffron semifreddo fillings bring the Gulf pastry register into frozen form, while a pina colada sorbet served in a coconut shell is the kind of hot-weather order that makes sense near the beach.

Order the Bonballs first, then look seasonal

Start with the Kunafa Pistachio Bonballs if they are in the case. They say the most about the way this kitchen works: cold, creamy, portioned for sharing, and tied to a flavour profile that belongs here rather than to a generic gelato menu. The regular Bonballs are the safer group order, especially when the table wants frozen sweets but not full scoops. For something fruit-led, Floberry puts raspberry under chocolate, a sharper bite beside the dairy-rich pieces. The Sticky Date Cake with Cream Cheese Gelato is the heavier order, better when dessert is the point rather than a pause. Around Ramadan, the larger serving boxes turn the shop into a bring-along stop. If the seasonal cold cannoli are running, take one with rose or saffron semifreddo before adding a cup for the road.