CHICAGO — In Lincoln Square, there’s a place that combines artisan gelato with carnival-style performers, like fire-eaters, sword-swallowers and magicians.
Here’s the scoop: You can find this all under one roof, at Sideshow Gelato, 4819 North Western Avenue.
“Ice cream, amazement, and inclusivity,” owner Jay Bliznick says.
While the star of the show may be its artisan traditional and vegan gelatos, the performances at Sideshow Gelato give it another dimension of flavor.
“We like to surprise,” Bliznick says. “We like to be creative and do a lot of fun things.”
Bliznick, known as “Mr. Jay,” was an executive chef when he traveled to Italy for his 50th birthday. It was there that he found the inspiration to combine his love for culinary arts and entertainment.
“My granddaughter and I basically ate our weight in gelato, and I fell in love with it, decided to bring it back,” Bliznick explains.
He also said everything is made to Italian standards at Sideshow Gelato. The unique flavors and names are a nod to residents and traveling sideshow performers, past and present.
Like Andrea Solimbergo, a magician born and raised in Italy. He came looking for real Italian gelato in Chicago found Sideshow Gelato.
The rest is history.
“My flavor is ‘imagine-misu,'” Solimbergo says. “It’s an alteration of a tiramisu.”
Solimbergo performs magic for family shows and a once-monthly adult show at Sideshow Gelato.
“The best prize that I can have is a good reaction from the audience,” Solimbergo says.
Check out the video below to see some of his magic:
Sideshow Gelato also has a “Museum of the Trans-mundane,” which Bliznick says is a little museum of oddities and curiosities that’s free to the public.
It’s another feature that makes Sideshow Gelato unlike anything else in the city.
“It’s probably some of the best ice cream you’re going to eat in the City of Chicago,” Bliznick declares.
“If it isn’t, I’ll eat fire for you.”
On Sunday, Sideshow Gelato hosted a vegan market with more than a dozen vendors. It hosts different events often, and Bliznick says this was a way to lean into the customers who come for the dairy- and lactose-free options, while supporting other businesses, too.