LAKEVIEW — Free sweet treat alert: Lakeview's new Dolce Gelato Cafe is offering free gelato at its grand opening Saturday.
Dolce Gelato Cafe, 2904 N. Broadway, offers 24 flavors of Ciao Bella gelato and is owned by Italian immigrant Nino Isaac, who said Lakeview's similarities to Rome inspired him to open the cafe in the neighborhood.
The shop opens at noon on Saturday and the first 50 customers can eat gelato free of charge, Isaac said.
The businessman, who also owns a 7-Eleven in Uptown, will be running the cafe with his 19-year-old son Emmanuel. Isaac hopes that the cafe's atmosphere will be just as Italian as the ice cream, with a family-feel like shops in Rome, he has said.
"Rome has the Mediterranean Sea, and here we have Lake Michigan," Isaac said. "It's beautiful. I'm trying to bring the similar atmospheres of Lakeview and Rome together."