Our Story
From Nonna’s Kitchen to the Heart of London
It all started with a memory of Italy. Christian Oddono grew up on the unforgettable taste of his grandmother’s homemade gelato—creamy, natural, and made with love. When he moved to London, he realised the city was missing that same authentic, high-quality Italian soul. In July 2004, Christian teamed up with Marco Petracchini to change that. They opened the very first Oddono’s Gelati Italiani on Bute Street in South Kensington, turning a family tradition into a mission: to offer London the freshest, most natural Italian gelato possible.
100% Made On-Site: Every Store, Every Day
Unlike many others, we don’t believe in central factories, industrial warehouses, or frozen shipments. To stay true to our artisan roots, every single Oddono’s store features its own fully-equipped, dedicated kitchen. In our on-site laboratories, our gelato is produced from scratch every single morning. We use our own secret in-house recipes and add every fresh ingredient individually—no shortcuts and absolutely no “ready-to-use” mixes. From the finest pistachios to the freshest milk, we craft our gelato ingredient by ingredient to ensure every scoop is a masterpiece of Italian tradition, made right here in the store where you buy it.
A Growing London Legacy
What began as a single neighbourhood gem has now blossomed into seven iconic boutiques across London. As we continue to grow and open more locations in the future, our promise remains the same: no matter which Oddono’s you visit, your gelato has been handcrafted on the premises. The authentic taste of Italy, handmade right in your neighbourhood.
We are very passionate about the quality of the ingredients we use. We select the finest natural ingredients from around the world: Vanilla pods from Madagascar, Natural Pistachios from Sicily, Hazelnut from Piedmont, etc. We do not use any colourings, preservatives or GM products.
To date we have made over 130 flavours, including cinnamon, basil, chocolate and cognac, vodka lemon, honey, chocolate ginger and chili ice cream, etc. The best sellers include Chocolate, Nocciola (Hazelnut), Bacio (milky chocolate and hazelnut), Pistachio ice cream. Mango, Strawberry and Coconut are among the best seller sorbets.
Our sorbets are made with fruit, sugar, water and some stabilizers. The milk-based gelato contains on average 8% fat, while the sorbets contain 0% fat.
We also offer Illy Coffee, a delicious hot chocolate (made with a special in-house recipe), affogato (ice cream and coffee together), and Coppe Gelato (Sundays). We also offer Soya based gelato (dairy free) and low carb-no added sugar sorbets.