Israeli Gelato Company To Open UES Store

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A gelato and frozen yogurt store based out of Israel will open its first U.S. location soon on the Upper East Side, according to new signage at a long-vacant retail spot on Second Avenue.

Anita Gelato will open soon at the corner space on Second Avenue and East 81st Street, according to the signage. A message left with the business asking about the exact opening date was not immediately answered.

Anita's website advertises dozens of flavors in cream, vegan, sugar-free and yogurt varieties. The business brands itself as a "boutique" company that offers "100% hand-made" ice cream with natural ingredients and flavors. The business was founded by a man named Nir, who made ice cream with his mother Anita and sold it at a local market.

"Soon word spread, older brother Adi came aboard, and, since then, the little ice cream parlor that could has become a successful international chain with branches from Australia to New York," the website reads.

Anita has six current locations, two in Sydney, Australia and four in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to the company's website.

Following the arrival of Anita, branded as "La Mamma del Gelato," the stretch of Second Avenue between East 81st and 82nd streets will be a paradise for dessert-lovers. Frozen yogurt stores 16 Handles and Pinkberry currently have spots on the block. For baked goods, the block has Insomnia Cookies and Ateaz Coffee.