Lake Oswego is about to get a serious sugar boost. Three veterans of Portland’s Italian food scene are bringing small-batch gelato and espresso to Mercato Grove this weekend as Otto Gelato & Espresso opens its doors. The new spot, a collaboration between Clark Hale of Pizzeria Otto and Andrea Spella and George Kaden of Pronto Gelato, will debut at noon on Saturday in Lake Oswego. The tiny storefront, tucked right next to Hale’s Pizzeria Otto, will scoop classic gelato flavors alongside rotating seasonal sorbets. Early highlights include a Hugo Spritz sorbetto, a bright, boozy citrus number finished with a touch of mint.
Pizza Meets Gelato
Hale teamed up with the Pronto Gelato crew to turn a long-vacant retail space into a neighborhood gelato counter that feels like a natural extension of his pizzeria. "Lake Oswego has welcomed us with open arms, and we wanted to give something back that's just as exciting as our pizza," Hale told The Oregonian/OregonLive. He added that "partnering with Andrea and George from Pronto was an easy decision" as the trio plans to run the compact counter together, side by side with the ovens next door.
What They Will Scoop
Otto Gelato & Espresso will pull traditional Italian-style espressos and keep a rotating case filled with gelato and sorbetto. Expect standbys like stracciatella and roasted pistachio sharing space with fruit-forward sorbets. Pizzeria Otto chef Risa Lichtman will steer the rotating flavors, and the first seasonal special is set to be the "Hugo Spritz" sorbetto made with St. Germain and a touch of mint, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Customers will be able to dig in on-site or grab pints to stash in the freezer at home.
Where It Fits in Mercato Grove
The gelato counter is opening inside Mercato Grove, the mixed-use development on Mercantile Drive, which lists its address as 4055 Mercantile Drive. According to Mercato Grove, the complex gathers fitness, food and lifestyle tenants designed to complement the surrounding neighborhoods. Pizzeria Otto recently joined that lineup during its expansion into Lake Oswego, bringing Neapolitan-style pies to the development, per the Portland Business Journal. Now, gelato is sliding in as the next-door neighbor.
Pronto Gelato's Portland Roots
Pronto Gelato is a small-batch gelato maker founded by Andrea Spella and George Kaden, who launched a production shop and scoop window in Portland in 2024 and have been supplying local restaurants ever since. The company’s website highlights a focus on ingredient-driven flavors and rotating sorbettos that play nicely with coffee and Italian pastries. Pronto Gelato will provide the gelato base and recipes for Otto’s case, giving the Lake Oswego counter a direct line to their Portland operation.
Opening Day
Otto Gelato & Espresso opens at 12 p.m. on Saturday and will start with scoops, espresso and pints to go. Local listings have flagged the grand-opening time and suggest the compact walk-up counter could see its heaviest crowds early in the day. Fans eager to be among the first to try the Hugo Spritz sorbetto should be ready to queue up. Daily Lake Oswego confirmed the noon opening.
