Two Tokyo Gelaterie: ¥600 a Double at an Asagaya Hyakumeiten, ¥500 in Hachioji
- Gelateria Sincerità in Asagaya is listed among Tabelog's Hyakumeiten for ice cream and gelato, rated 3.78 from 1,762 reviews; Da Luciano in Hachioji is rated 3.63 from 450 reviews.
- A double scoop costs ¥500 at Da Luciano and ¥600 at Sincerità. Add pistachio and the two become ¥600 and ¥800, widening the gap from ¥100 to ¥200.
- Both keep about 18 flavours on the counter at any time and work through roughly 200 across a year, and both name Bronte, Sicily as the source of their pistachio.
- Access differs sharply: Sincerità is about 503m from Asagaya station on foot, while Da Luciano is a 10-minute walk from Keio Horinouchi and keeps about 30 parking spaces.
- Figures come from two Tabelog Magazine reports dated 22 August 2023 and 27 October 2024; prices are as published, tax included, and worth reconfirming before a visit.
Gelato in Tokyo is not a dessert afterthought; it is a category worth planning a trip around. Tabelog Magazine's dessert column covered two Tokyo shops in turn — Gelateria Sincerità in Asagaya on 22 August 2023, and Da Luciano in Hachioji on 27 October 2024 — and read together they form a useful pair.
Start with position. Sincerità is listed among Tabelog's Hyakumeiten for ice cream and gelato, rated 3.78 from 1,762 reviews; Da Luciano is rated 3.63 from 450. The first sits about 503m from Asagaya station and drops neatly into a half day on the Chuo line; the second is a ten-minute walk from Keio Horinouchi, keeps roughly 30 parking spaces and a dog-friendly corner, and serves customers arriving by car.
Prices sit close together but the surcharges differ. A double is ¥500 at Da Luciano and ¥600 at Sincerità; add pistachio and they become ¥600 and ¥800. Sincerità also offers a ¥300 small cup for children under ten and a ¥80 cone upgrade.
The shops share more than expected: both keep about 18 flavours on the counter, both run through roughly 200 a year, and both source pistachio from Bronte in Sicily. Where they part is direction — Sincerità ripens contracted farmers' fruit in-house and manages fat, protein, sugar and firmness by numbers, while Da Luciano builds flavours around Hachioji ginger, sake and whisky.
A double scoop lands between ¥500 and ¥600 at both shops, the usual band for a Tokyo specialist. The surcharge is where they part: pistachio adds ¥100 at Da Luciano and ¥200 at Sincerità. Bronte pistachio is expensive to buy, so the gap reflects how each shop absorbs its cost rather than any difference in quality. For two people ordering a double each, the whole difference is ¥200 to ¥400 — small enough that access, not price, should decide which one you visit.
The review counts (1,762 against 450) say more about conditions on the ground than the ratings do (3.78 against 3.63). Sincerità sits within walking distance of Asagaya station and carries the Hyakumeiten listing, so it draws a different order of foot traffic; expect a queue on a hot summer weekend. Da Luciano's smaller review base does not mean it is overlooked — it serves a local clientele arriving by car. Travellers with a car who want to avoid crowds may find Hachioji the more comfortable stop.
Original reports: Tabelog Magazine, 22 August 2023 (Sincerità) and 27 October 2024 (Da Luciano, https://magazine.tabelog.com/articles/415450). Prices and ratings are as published, tax included.