Adored Gelato Shop Finally Opening Next Week in West Loop

Popular gourmet sweet spot Black Dog Gelato will open its anticipated West Loop location next week. The new shop, 1012 W. Lake Street, a location that formerly housed Harvest Juicery, will debut on Friday, July 5 with an opening celebration through the weekend, according to a news release.

The West Loop location will feature the same gelato flavors as its existing shop in Ukrainian Village, including goat cheese cashew caramel, strawberry balsamic, and vanilla sea salt caramel. Black Dog also offers catering services, as well as a rotating monthly menu developed in collaboration with a local purveyor. June, for example, features “Birthday Cake” and earl grey Fruit Loop. The company is also known for playful pop-culture references, like a Game of Thrones menu in April with flavors like “The City of Brotherly Sisterly Love” (Philly-style cheesecake, wine-soaked berries).

There’s no word yet on the size of the space or seating options, but a photo (seen below) indicates the space will feature white tile walls with a pop of hot pink paint near the top. The shop’s family-friendly grand opening weekend will include a free pint and branded cooler bag for the first 50 attendees, a raffle, and contest to inspire a new Black Dog flavor, and an Instagram photo printer.

Black Dog Gelato [Official Photo]

Owner Jessica Oloroso previously described the West Loop opening as a new beginning for the “authentic, not traditional” gelato brand, which first opened in West Town in 2009. A former pastry chef at Scylla, Oloroso took to the streets in a bright pink food truck to offer her wares at farmer’s markets across the city more than a decade ago. In the years since, locations in Roscoe Village and at Revival Food Hall in the Loop have shuttered.

West Loopers can also enjoy Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, which opened a long-awaited West Loop “scoop shop” in April.