Dolcezza Gelato To Remain Open At Mosaic District Amid Closures

MERRIFIELD, VA — Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will prompt Dolcezza Gelato to close five locations, but its Mosaic District location is not among them. The owners of Dolcezza, a locally-based gelato and coffee shop, made the announcement on Tuesday.

The locations that will close during October are DC's Logan Circle, City Center, Wharf and Dupont Circle as well as Bethesda, Maryland. In a statement on the Dolcezza website, the owners mentioned "the sobering effect that COVID-19 has had on our industry."

There are no plans to close the Mosaic District location, the Mom & Pop shop at the Mosaic District, and the Dolcezza coffee bar in the lobby of the Hirshhorn Museum. Although Dolcezza's storefront presence will be smaller, gelato pints will continue to be sold at Whole Foods Market locations in the U.S. and other select grocery stores.

Dolcezza dates back to 2004, as the owners sought to bring the kind of gelato you'd find in Buenos Aires to a small kitchen in Georgetown. Today, Dolcezza's various shops offer hand-made gelato made in Dolcezza's Gelato Factory & Coffee Lab in DC's Union Market area as well as crafted coffee drinks. During 16 years of business, the owners recall having three daughters, hosting dinners with chefs, officiating weddings, holding concerts, and seeing one daughter get her first job selling pints at the Dupont Circle farmers market.

"We are all crafting indelible stories in the many ways we interact with each other every day. But that takes nothing away from the overwhelming honor and appreciation we have for everyone who has been a part of our simple Dolcezza dream: our amazing employees, customers, farmers, chefs, makers, neighbors and city," reads the owners' statement. "You have made this an unforgettable ride and we only hope we have affected you in the same incredible way you have affected us."