Closed for now :(

Birdhouse Gelato

We closed on August 3, 2025.There's a possibility we may reopen at some point — follow us on Instagram at @birdhousegelato for updates.We may also offer in-home gelato-making classes for individuals, families, or parties. Please use the contact link at the bottom of the page to get in touch about this if you're interested.Birdhouse Gelato was a South Philly gelateria serving gelato made fresh, in-house, from scratch with local ingredients. We were listed among The Philadelphia Inquirer's top 15 ice cream spots in 2025.We focused on being a responsible member of our local community and ecosystem, sourcing local organic family-run dairy and other local ingredients from Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-Op.Meanwhile, Aspen has started Philly Pigeon Tours, a pigeon-focused urban birdwatching tour company that debunks pigeon misinformation and helps us understand these misunderstood bird neighbors better.

What we offered

We made all our gelato fresh, in-house, from scratch, using local and organic ingredients. (We wanted you to be able to eat here "without the aftertaste of harm", as Robin Wall Kimmerer puts it.)We offered classic Italian flavors and unique creative flavors (like pasticceria siciliana, which is reminiscent of stepping into a Sicilian bakery in a dream).We made creamy alt-milk flavors and sorbettos. We tried to make it easy for everyone to enjoy gelato, no matter your dietary needs and preferences.Some past flavors:Italian sweet cream / Fior di latte
Lemon ricotta / Ricotta di limone
Espresso / Caffè
Breakfast / Colazione (Coffee with cinnamon bun pieces swirled in)
Sage and raspberry / Salvia e lampone
Rosemary and honey / Rosmario e miele
Blackberry swirl / Mora vortice
Roasted peach and blackberry swirl / Pesca arrostite e mora vortice
Taboo chocolate / Cioccolato tabù
Sicilian bakery / Pasticceria siciliana
Strawberry sorbetto / Fragola
Lemon sorbetto / Limone

Our values

We're not content with the state of the world, and we're trying to do things the way we wish everyone did them. This gelato shop is an attempt to embody the idea that it should be easy to eat in line with your values.Here are some of our core values.

  • We value ethical, equitable treatment of all beings, and we're always working to remove suffering from our supply chain.

  • Our employees will always make a living wage. We plan to publish our finances publicly after we start up, to be transparent and stay accountable.

  • We believe that being ecologically conscious doesn't demand austerity — it can be delightful, like the delight you feel when you eat gelato!

  • All our ingredients are as local and organic as possible.

  • We don't charge extra for non-dairy.

We don't expect to complete the work, but we also don't plan to abandon it.

Our story

Birdhouse Gelato was started by Aspen Simone, who was among Morano Gelato's earliest customers, and through them, developed an appreciation for gelato.In 2022, Aspen was encouraged to take a gelato-making class while visiting family in Italy. A class with Carlos at Gelateria del Teatro in Rome inspired a new hobby, which developed into much more than a hobby.

Want to get in touch?

We'd love to hear from you.We're considering offering in-home gelato classes, classes with custom flavor creation, and more. Please get in touch if you're interested in working together somehow.