Gelato Joe’s Italian Restaurant & Bar

Gelato Joe’s Italian Restaurant and Bar has operated on East Michigan Avenue in Foley, Alabama since 2007, combining a full Italian dinner menu with the restaurant’s namesake homemade gelato and a bar program that keeps the space busy well past the dinner hour. The restaurant sits just off downtown Foley’s historic core, giving it easy access to both longtime residents and visitors exploring the walkable streets near N McKenzie Street.

Handcrafted pasta anchors the food menu, prepared in house rather than sourced from a pre made supplier, a distinction that matters to diners comparing Gelato Joe’s against the Italian chain restaurants found near the Foley outlet mall. Fresh salads and a rotating list of homemade soups round out the lighter side of the menu, while wraps, sandwiches, and a grilled Reuben give the restaurant a casual lunch option beyond its dinner focused Italian dishes.

Dinner entrees lean into classic Italian pasta dishes and stuffed ravioli platters, the kind of comfort focused Italian cooking that has kept the restaurant a regular stop for both special occasions and simple weeknight dinners. The bar serves craft beer alongside a list of cocktails and martinis, and the restaurant runs daily drink specials that change depending on the night of the week.

The gelato itself is the restaurant’s signature offering and the source of its name, served as a dessert on its own or alongside other menu items like a chocolate chip cannoli. That combination of scratch made Italian cooking and house made gelato gives Gelato Joe’s a dual identity as both a dinner restaurant and a dessert stop, something few other restaurants in Foley attempt to combine under one roof.

Beyond the food and drink menu, Gelato Joe’s has built a reputation as a live entertainment venue, with karaoke nights on Monday and Wednesday and live music performances on the restaurant’s outdoor deck throughout the rest of the week. That entertainment schedule turns the restaurant into a regular evening destination rather than strictly a dinner stop, particularly on nights with live music.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 in the morning to 10 at night, and Sunday from 11 in the morning to 8 at night, giving it one of the longer weekly schedules among Foley’s independent Italian restaurants. That extended schedule, combined with the deck seating and regular entertainment lineup, has helped the restaurant build a loyal following since it first opened its doors nearly two decades ago.

For visitors looking for Italian food in downtown Foley, Gelato Joe’s offers handcrafted pasta, a full bar, house made gelato, and a live music schedule that few other restaurants in the city can match, all inside a space that has been part of the East Michigan Avenue dining scene for close to twenty years.

The restaurant’s location near downtown Foley makes it a convenient stop for visitors who have spent an afternoon exploring the shops along N McKenzie Street or the nearby Foley Railroad Museum, offering a place to sit down for dinner without needing to drive out toward the highway corridor. Regulars often plan their visits around the live music schedule, treating a weekday dinner as an evening out rather than a quick meal.

Sampler plates and Italian appetizers give newcomers a way to try several dishes at once before committing to a full pasta entree, a useful option for anyone visiting for the first time and unsure which of the restaurant’s stuffed ravioli or dinner platters to order. That flexibility, paired with the restaurant’s long track record in Foley, has helped it remain a steady fixture even as newer restaurants have opened nearby.