uGOgelato Cincinnati — Artisan Gelato at Findlay Market Worth Every Trip

Most Cincinnatians have a Graeter's order they could recite in their sleep. Fair enough — Graeter's is an institution. But if you haven't made the trip to Findlay Market and stopped into uGOgelato on Elm Street, you're missing the best gelato Cincinnati has to offer. And I mean that in a global sense.

From Sicily to Cincinnati's Findlay Market

Maria Liliana Biondo grew up in Venezuela to a Portuguese mother and an Italian father who owned their own gelato shop. She studied psychology, earned her master's degree, and built a career in the field. But she kept coming back to the gelato counter, experimenting with flavors and connecting with customers. Eventually gelato won.

The first time Maria and her husband visited Cincinnati, she knew exactly where she wanted to open. "If we open a gelato shop, it has to be near Findlay Market," she said. "Findlay Market is the most European-style market we have in the city." So they moved here and made it happen. uGOgelato opened at 1733 Elm St in Over-the-Rhine in June 2022, and Cincinnati's gelato scene hasn't been the same since.

Cincinnati's Gelato Shop Competing on the World Stage

Here's the part that should make every Cincinnatian sit up straight. Maria isn't just making great artisan gelato at a local market. She's competing at the highest levels of her craft. And winning.

Over Labor Day weekend 2025, she placed in the top three at the Gelato Festival World Masters North American Finals in Los Angeles, punching her ticket to represent North America at the 2026 World Finals in Italy.

The flavor that got her there was Mandorland — a fully vegan gelato built on three types of Sicilian almonds blended into an almond milk rich enough to stand up against classic dairy gelato. Raw, roasted, and bitter almonds form the base, then it's swirled with blood orange glaze, flecked with dark chocolate, and finished with a spritz of orange oil right before serving.

A Cincinnati gelato shop. World Finals in Italy. And you can try the winning flavor right now on Elm Street at Findlay Market.

Artisan Gelato Cincinnati Vegans Will Love Too

About half the menu is entirely vegan at any given time — not just fruit flavors that happen to skip the dairy, but full-on nut and soy milk versions of pistachio, hazelnut, and tiramisu. Maria imports lemons, almonds, and pistachios directly from Sicily but also works with Ohio farms for seasonal ingredients, including pawpaws. That's the kind of detail that separates a serious artisan gelato maker from everyone else.

Hours and How to Visit uGOgelato at Findlay Market

Saturday at Findlay Market is the move — grab your gelato and walk the market. That's exactly how Maria intended it.

Address: 1733 Elm St, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH 45202

You'll find uGOgelato in the Cincinnati Ice Cream Directory, alongside dozens of other local spots worth your time. But this one's worth bragging about to anyone who'll listen.