Capogiro to Close Its University City Gelato Shop

Sorry, Penn students, Capogiro is closing its University City location after eight years. The last day for the 3925 Walnut Street gelato shop will be Saturday, September 30.

Capogiro cites high rents as the deciding factor in the closure, saying it signed the lease at a time when the University of Pennsylvania didn’t allow retail businesses on campus and the market was at its highest. Penn now allows retail on campus but Capogiro hasn’t been able to renegotiate the rent, the company says.

Kristy Jo Gilboy of Capogiro adds that as Capogiro’s 15th anniversary in December approaches, they’re refocusing the brand.

“The space is too large for what we would like to do,” she says of the Penn gelateria. “We are becoming leaner and meaner. All future Capogiros will have the footprint of [the locations at] 13th and 20th [streets].”

Capogiro’s other locations, including the original at 13th and Sansom and the Rittenhouse and East Passyunk shops, are not affected. So Philadelphians still have plenty of options for the crowd-favorite gelato and sorbetto in classic flavors like bacio (chocolate and hazelnut) and stracciatella (milk gelato with dark chocolate slivers) and more unusual varieties like bananas foster and lychee. There’s also the company’s Capofitto in Old City, which serves pizza alongside the gelato, as well as a small selection of grocery shops and cafes that carry Capogiro’s gelato.