Italian Gelato Cerchio: Gelato from Noto Milk and Local Produce

Italian Gelato Cerchio (イタリアンジェラート　チェルキオ) has made gelato in Nanao since 2001. It uses milk supplied only by dairy farmers on the Noto Peninsula, and its flavours are built around local, seasonal produce. The display case is dressed with the actual fruit behind each flavour. There are two signatures:

• Tennen-shio: made with salt from Oku-Noto's traditional seawater salt fields.
• Ichigo mascarpone: strawberry and mascarpone with pieces of sponge cake folded through.

Tabelog selected it for its gelato Tabelog 100 list in 2023 and again in 2026, which is unusual for a shop in a small station town.

Reviewers come back again and again to the pairing of price and quality. Pistachio, salt and ichigo mascarpone are the flavours named most often. Other standouts are kabokkuri (pumpkin with marron glacé), Kaga bocha (roasted green tea) and, in summer, Noto watermelon. Many call it the best gelato in Ishikawa, and several say it beats better-known gelato shops in the region. English- and Korean-speaking visitors describe it as smooth and well worth the stop.

The main complaint is the service. Many reviewers describe curt, cold or openly irritable staff and a wall of stern notices, though some locals say this has softened over the years. A minority, mostly in 2026, found fruit flavours such as melon, fig and grape thin or watery, or found some flavours too sweet.

Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid around ¥290 for a single and ¥390 for a double in a cup or cone; a double of pistachio and salt cost ¥390. A triple cost ¥580 and comes in a cup only. Typical spend is under ¥1,000 at both lunch and dinner. Value is exceptional: scoops are generous, and reviewers call the triple the best deal because the cup is much bigger.

• Getting there: 3 minutes' walk (about 250 m) from Nanao Station on the JR Nanao Line.
• Payment: cash only. Credit cards and electronic payments are not accepted.
• Booking: reservations are not accepted, so just walk in. On holidays there are short queues that move quickly.
• Seating: 13 seats inside (5 at the counter, 2 tables), plus benches outside. There are no private rooms and no private hire. The shop is non-smoking.
• Parking: no dedicated parking. The free city hall car park is nearby, and a multi-storey car park about a minute's walk away is free for 30 minutes.
• House rules: no tasting samples, and outside food and drink are strictly prohibited. Gelato from the case is sold to take away only if it will be eaten within 15 minutes. Hard ice cream can be taken away for up to 1 hour; for longer journeys the shop offers cool shipping.
• Ordering: choose cup or cone before naming your flavours. Flavours change with the seasons, and some sell out.