On South Street, one family has been making gelato for more than a century. What began with Italian immigrants in 1908 has become one of St Andrews' most loved institutions — still family-run, still made on site, and now offering more than 50 flavours.
On a warm afternoon in St Andrews, you'll often see the queue before you see the shop.
It forms along South Street: golfers, students, families, day-trippers and locals waiting for their turn in front of a counter filled with an almost unreasonable number of flavours.
Pistachio. Scottish tablet. Stracciatella. Fife strawberry. Tiramisu. Dark sea salt chocolate. Raspberry. Cannoli.
Choosing one is the difficult part.
But the best thing about Jannettas isn't really the number of flavours.
It's that the family behind the counter has been doing this here for 118 years.
From Italy to St Andrews
The story begins far from Scotland.
In the 1890s, the Jannetta family left Atina, a small village in the hills of Lazio, Italy, and travelled to Scotland.
They brought with them the knowledge and traditions of Italian gelato and sorbet making.
By 1908, Bennett Jannetta and Antonia Rosa had established the family business at 31 South Street in St Andrews, making gelato with Italian techniques but increasingly drawing upon Scottish produce from local dairy farmers and berry growers. (Jannettas Gelateria)
It was the beginning of a relationship between Italy and Scotland that still defines Jannettas today.
And perhaps most remarkably, the story hasn't moved very far geographically.
More than a century later, the gelato is still made at 31–33 South Street.
Five Generations Later
Businesses like this are becoming increasingly rare.
Jannettas has now passed through five generations of the same family.
There were Bennett and Antonia Rosa.
Then Charlie and Bennett Jnr.
Fiona Jannetta became the third generation before her daughter Nicola and husband Owen took the business forward again.
Today, brothers Lewis and Ross represent the fifth generation. (Jannettas Gelateria)
There are wonderful chapters along the way.
During the Second World War, Charlie and Bennett Jnr were interned on the Isle of Man because of their Italian heritage. Back in St Andrews, Charlie's wife Mary and their daughters kept the gelateria running.
After the war, the family expanded into number 33 South Street and Café Jannetta was born.
There was a Jannettas gelato bicycle travelling around town. A kiosk served ice cream at West Sands.
And slowly, the flavours multiplied.
Six became 12.
Twelve became 24.
Today, Jannettas is known for a selection that can reach 54 flavours. (Jannettas Gelateria)
What to Order
This is where sensible decision-making becomes difficult.
The counter changes because the gelato and sorbets are made fresh, with flavours sometimes selling out and a changing Flavour of the Day responding to seasonal ingredients — or simply whatever has caught the team's imagination. (Jannettas Gelateria)
There are classics that connect Jannettas firmly to its Italian roots: pistachio, stracciatella, tiramisu, hazelnut and crema di limone.
Then Scotland begins creeping in.
Fife strawberry. Scottish tablet. Tayberry.
And then things become more adventurous: salted white chocolate and cardamom, mascarpone with cherry and almond, Aperol sorbet, cannoli and dark sea salt chocolate.
That combination of tradition and experimentation is really what makes the counter interesting.
Our advice: don't automatically order the flavour you always have. Ask what's particularly good that day.
Italian Tradition, Scottish Ingredients
The most interesting thing about Jannettas isn't that an Italian family came to Scotland and continued making Italian gelato.
It's what happened next.
Over generations, Italian techniques became intertwined with Scottish ingredients and the place around them.
Jannettas still makes its gelato fresh using traditional family methods passed down over 118 years. But the business also works with producers around Scotland and continues experimenting with ingredients and collaborations. (Jannettas Gelateria)
Recent flavour projects have included locally inspired ingredients such as gorse and Scots pine, created in collaboration with Highland Boundary, as well as work with Dundee-based Ocelot Chocolate. (Jannettas Gelateria)
It feels appropriate for a business whose identity has always sat somewhere between Italy and Fife.
Don't Just Come for Gelato
Calling Jannettas an ice-cream shop doesn't quite describe the place anymore.
There is coffee made with beans roasted across the Tay in Dundee, Italian-style hot chocolate, baked goods, breakfast pots and filled ciabatta made with ingredients such as mozzarella, Italian meats, homemade pesto and tomato sugo. (Jannettas Gelateria)
There are also gelato and semifreddo cakes, tubs to take home and an expanding collection of Jannettas merchandise.
But we'd still start with the obvious.
Get a gelato.
Make It Part of a St Andrews Walk
Jannettas' location on South Street makes it an easy addition to almost any day in town.
And we'd make a little more of it than simply eating your gelato outside the door.
Take it with you.
Walk west along South Street towards the West Port, or head east through the historic centre towards the cathedral.
Better still on a sunny day, continue towards the Scores and eventually the sea.
There's something rather satisfying about eating gelato made by a family that's been part of St Andrews since 1908 while walking through the town they've called home for five generations.
Who Is Jannettas For?
Almost everyone.
That's part of its appeal.
Golfers still dressed from the course stand alongside university students. Children deliberate over flavours while their parents change their minds for the third time. Locals pop in beside visitors who read about Jannettas before they ever arrived in Scotland.
It doesn't require an occasion, a reservation or much planning.
And unlike some of the grand experiences associated with St Andrews, it's something virtually every visitor can share.
Know Before You Go
You'll find Jannettas at 31–33 South Street, right in the centre of St Andrews.
At the time of writing, it's open Monday to Sunday, 9am–10.30pm, which makes it as viable for morning coffee as an after-dinner gelato. Flavours change regularly and freshly made favourites can sell out.
And yes, there can be a queue.
We wouldn't let that put you off.
The Visit St Andrews View
There are places you visit in St Andrews because they're famous. Jannettas is one of those places you visit because it feels part of St Andrews itself.
Five generations. The same South Street address. Italian techniques carried to Scotland more than a century ago and passed from one generation to the next.
The flavours have multiplied and the gelateria has evolved considerably since 1908.
But the fundamental idea hasn't changed very much.
A family making gelato and sharing it with the town around them.
Order a scoop, take it outside and go for a walk. It's one of the simplest — and best — St Andrews traditions.
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