Ge Pa De Caffe

I took my out-​of-​town friends for something filling, but not too heavy and, of course, for gelatos. It was a hot, humid day and this little café was just what we needed. It’s within walking distance of Grant Park and was sufficiently air conditioned.
I think everyone was pleasantly surprised by and raved about both the quality of service and food. I ordered a chicken panini and a scoop of the chocolate gelato. The chicken was not dry and the panini had the right amount of sauce.
The guy behind the counter was very friendly and helped everyone with tasting and gave an extra scoop as well. Later on, the chef came out with a large scoop of gelato he had just made for us to try. Would definitely recommend for the this quality of service.

This place gets fantastic reviews and since it was near our hotel we thought we better check it out. Well I don’t think it is a 5 star place based on our experience. I had the nutella and cream croissant, not really a croissant but a bready pastry with nutella, did not notice any cream in the pastry. It was just ok. The wife had the sesame bagel with cream cheese. She thought that the bagel must have been microwaved to warm it up since it was a bit soggy. The latte was very good as was the cappuccino.

Friendly employees, awesome sandwich and tasty gelato! They also give you free samples of the gelato before you commit. We stopped by after our time at the Art Institute.

Great place to stop and eat outside after hitting up the touristy spots (Art Institute, Millennium Park, Grant Park). They have a wide assortment of gelato in a cool gelato wheel that they let you try until you taste your perfect flavor. Then they scoop large scoops into glass bowls with a smile and are always happy to proudly tell you about the Caffe. My favorite flavors: the stracciatella and the tiramisu! Perfect for a sunny warm Chicago day!

My sister and I went here for breakfast. The workers were extremely sweet. We ordered the small parfait, small oatmeal, an everything bagel, and an iced Americano.
The parfait was by far the best thing we ordered. The yogurt was extremely sweet and served with granola and strawberries and blueberries. The everything bagel was just that an everything bagel. The oatmeal was good, served with strawberries and blueberries also. Sadly the oatmeal was extremely small.
My sister did not like her iced Americano.
The prices were a little high, but if I was looking for a quick bite on my way into the city I would stop here again.

This place is amazing ! Great owner that lets you try the gelato, and really unique flavors. Try the popcorn one because it’s so crazy, my favorite is the almond and coconut

This place is amazing! Best desserts we’ve had yet, especially the Affogato. Owner was there and made the whole experience. Super nice and kind. Explained how the gelato is all made from scratch by hand with traditional ingredients, no substitutes, and it shows. Arguably the best tasting gelato around. We will return for sure, when we come back to Chicago.

Friendly staff and good food, loved it!
Came here for breakfast, forgot to ask them to substitute ham with some veggie. They brought me the sandwich and then realized I made a mistake, asked them to substitute it w mushroom and the waitress openly agreed, and did it with no extra charge. Later on, the chief came and asked if everything was ok and he explained how they cooked the mushroom! Loved how friendly and professional they are

The man working the counter was really nice! Gave me a free scoop even! And let me try all of the gelato, which were all really good.
Its a small place, but its cheap and quick and perfect for a small treat. Try the milk cream, its really good.

We went here for gelato and I guess I expected it to look different — I was a little skeptical when we got to the door. Boy was I wrong!!! The gelato is all house made by a man from Italy and it’s delicious. we sampled all the flavors he had ready and every single one was amazing. I don’t even like coconut stuff but I liked his coconut gelato. Reasonable prices, excellent service, generous samples. Go here for some gelato!!!

2 words: Homemade gelato, and the best in the city it is. So creamy, so delicious, wonderful and intriguing flavors, you can’t go wrong (and you can taste them beforehand to make sure you choose right). They also offer lunch meals, reasonably priced for high quality food. This shop seems right out of Europe, quaint and homey feeling to it, great and helpful staff, amazing owner.

Great place to step in before/​after the art Institute. If it’s cold, get a beautifully poured latte — better than Starbucks across the street. If it’s hot out, grab some Gelato or Sorbet.
I haven’t had their pizza but it always smells delicious.

I have the upmost respect for people who carry themselves with professionalism. Domenico, the owner, is such a person.
After my last visit (see picture), Domenico humbly messaged me, volunteering to refund the money I spent on a sub-​par sandwich. I assured him that I would spend the refund back at Ge Pa De Caffe. To my surprise, in addition to my refund, he enclosed a free pizza/​panini/​salad and beverage voucher and asked I give his restaurant another try.
I did today. I called in for a prosciutto pizza and picked it up exactly 15 minutes after my call. The pizza was well-​baked, the sharp arugula flavorful, and just genuinely a good experience.
Thank you so much Domenico — I will definitely be a repeat customer.

My wife and I first tried to visit Ge Pa De on Sunday but they were closed. Our second attempt was on a weekday and we stopped in for a snack and ordered the Bella Italia Panini to share which contained salami, parmigiano on a yummy ciabatta roll ($ 8). The panini also came with a small side of chips and pasta. We wanted to try the gelato but on the Monday we visited there wasn’t a lot of flavors available, it looked empty and sad. I felt very sad. hehe. We asked the server and he said the owner usually makes them fresh every other day so we will definitely be back again to try the gelato.

«Ge Pa De Caffe» is one of the places I recommend for coffee, panini, and gelati in The Loop area. It’s located one (1) block west from the Magnificent Mile Michigan Ave. Their main entrance is on Adams.
Baristas and the owner, Domenico are always patient to explain the menu. I realized that «fast» may not be their strength, but their service and food presentations are detail-​oriented.
Whenever I have time I would come on Saturdays with hubby, so there’s no traffic coming from people working in the building where «Ge Pa De Caffe» is attached to. This afternoon I saw Domenico was working on the gelati. They looked amazing! However, my «la piadona» panini and a cup of cappuccino carmel were enough for my appetite.
I first discovered «Ge Pa De» on
back in early 2014, a few months after moving to Chicago. I bought one of the $ 10 certificate to give it a try. I’m personally not that crazy about visiting downtown since this part of city is touristy and constantly crowded with working professionals and visitors. Nevertheless, «Ge Pa De» is great and comparatively quiet.
Hubby likes GPD Caffe as well. Domenico would stop by and have their cool-​sounding Italian conversations. I remembered there was a spontaneous World-​Cup watching party happening at GPD in July 2014 and drew lots of people in. I knew Italians love their soccer, so hubby and I came over for some coffee, food, and stayed for the game.
Not to mention that the CTA Adam/​Wabash stop is literally some feet away… it’s an extremely convenient locations for those who commute by the El.

The cannoli here are awesome— the shell isn’t soggy and the filling isn’t too sweet— perfection as it comes to a cannoli.
I like the paninis here, especially the chicken ones (the turkey show panini is just alright) and the subs aren’t bad either.
I’m going to have to go for the gelato next time!

We came for a quick stop for desert and received a well made bowl perfected with the best flavors ever. Make this your number one desert stop in Chicago!

Nice little café just a few blocks from the river for a quick bite.
Outside looking in, you wouldn’t guess that this place serves up some yummy food. Since the bf and I were just looking for a snack, we ordered the grilled chicken pesto panini and a side of pasta salad (I forget if this came with the panini or if it was a side order) to share. The food was brought to our table on a wooden board — super cute. The panini was perfectly grilled and the chicken wasn’t dry, so we were very happy with our decision to stop by here.
If you’re looking for a place to grab a drink or snack, I would definitely recommend this spot!

Mr. Rogers: «Can you say, Ge Pa De (‘jay-​pah-​day’)? I didn’t think so.»
I would have said «geh… pah… deh!» like a baby, perhaps drooling down my shirt in a fit of method acting madness. But I think that even an exhausted Mr. Rogers would still have patience, even if he did have to pronounce it for everyone the first time. Then, when we «neighborhood» folks found Gelato, Panini, Dessert; we’d have it right. Then again, I might still end up pronouncing it like a drooling baby, but that’s because of how good this place is.
I often come here simply for an espresso and either to get a little work done or a rest bit. The espresso is pure Italiano, and given the proper water back and a little cookie with which to accompany it, all on a little tray. Delightful. Or add an English muffin with butter, like I did once. It came with a little tub of melted butter in which to dip it. «Can you say, ‘Bliss?’ I knew you could.»
If you want true, delightful decadence, to the Wheel of Fortune-​style gelato refrigerator and imagine that whoever is letting you sample the flavors is a very tasteful Vanna White. Wherever the wheel stops, you’ll be a winner.
But if you really want to be humbled, stop by for lunch when eggplant is on special. Not only was the eggplant fantastic, but it came with a salad and a small dish of delicious potato chips.
The space is nice, whether inside, on the sidewalk patio (set back a little from the street, remaining uncrowded) or where the insides spill into the office lobby next door. The owner is usually there, and I even went out of my way one day to effusively give praise where praise was due.
Truly an oasis in the middle of a noisy, busy street.

We stopped here for a quick lunch while passing by Chicago on a road trip. It was fantastic! A nice menu with breakfast and lunch options and lots of good drinks. It’s a cute little café near Millennium Park with indoor and outdoor seating. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you, and they found a good balance between relatively fast service but delicious food. We enjoyed sitting outside and people watching.
I ordered the flat bread pizza from the appetizer menu and it was delicious! It was served on a bed of spinach (which I put on top of the pizza to eat), topped with olives, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and prosciutto. I picked the prosciutto off because I’m vegetarian but it was still delicious.