Pacittos: I went to the home of the lemon top ice cream - and was shocked at the price

Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan took a trip to the coastal town in search of the secret behind this thriving ice cream parlour.

In the 1920s, the Pacitto family, who first moved from Italy to the UK in the 1890s, set up Pacittos in Redcar, selling their ice cream using a ‘secret recipe.’ Their famous dessert was a lemon top ice cream.

Elise Garbutt, who works at Pacittos, said: “It's more of a sorbet than an ice cream, it's really refreshing, it's got that tangy taste as well.

“People will tell you from all over the country that it's the best. I love it, it's refreshing, there's no comparison to the original.”

It was my first time in Redcar, and driving along the coast on my left, I was impressed by the new crazy golf, leisure centre, play area and the golden sandy beaches which looked empty.

I couldn’t believe it that on a sunny day, the beaches had very few people on them. I noticed an industrial-looking helter skelter building, which I later discovered was The Beacon, Redcar’s replacement of the Horizontal pier was to build a £1.6 million vertical pier.’

Sadly, all I could see to my right was the odd cafe, an arcade, and an array of boarded-up businesses and building work taking place.

In the shadow of the building site, however, I spotted an old salmon pink looking ice cream parlour - it was Pacittos.

Pacittos is cushioned between a building site and a traditional-looking fish and chips shop.

People were sitting in the courtyard, as well as people queuing at the front for an ice cream to take away.

Pacittos is a destination in its own right despite the closure of other nearby businesses.

We wanted the full experience, so we decided to dine inside the retro cafe. It was clean and airy, with the menu also looking like it had frozen in time.

The interior felt like an airy Italian gelateria I remember from my time living in Naples, whereas the menu is quintessentially British.

You could order plain vanilla ice cream or lemon tops. They also serve a range of traditional sundaes such as Tutti Frutti, Knickerbocker Glory, and Banana Splits.

The Pacittos’ family recipe has stood the test of time, with their famous lemon tops synonymous with the Yorkshire coast.

Elise, one of the servers, said the staff behind the counter doesn't have anything to do with the handmade production of the ice cream or the “secret recipe.”

The staff were all young and friendly, whereas one of the owners was busy running between the shop and their ice cream factory opposite.

The Menu

Elise said: “70 percent of orders are lemon tops. You get people from all over travelling to try them.

“It’s a combination of vanilla ice cream with a lemon sorbet on top.”

While they've since launched strawberry top ice cream, the lemon tops still reign, as do their traditional desserts.

Elise said: “Our other sundaes are all popular as we still make them traditionally, which is different from the other businesses around here who are more modern.”

Other nearby parlours sell everything from Oreo cheesecake to viral Dubai Chocolate Waffles.

We ordered a lemon top in a dish and a cone, a plain ice cream sundae, and a coffee with an ice cream float (a café affogato).

The ice creams range from £3 for a small to £4.50 for a large. The sundaes come in glasses, whereas you can get ice cream in small metal dishes or cones. I was shocked at the price, as well as, the simplicity of the menu.

We could choose from plain ice cream, lemon or strawberry tops or traditional sundaes and desserts.

The sundaes were a reasonable price of £6.50, which was spot on considering what I had seen other customers being served.

Being served

We were served quickly with sizable portions. I'm not normally into plain vanilla ice cream, but this was more of a creamy gelato.

My filter coffee with ice cream tasted amazing; I was chuffed they didn't serve me instant coffee. As for the lemon tops - wow. It was a hot day, and these were super refreshing with a really lemon kick to them. I normally think sorbets taste like frozen fruit water, but this was packed with flavour.

The ice creams here are decadent and filling. The simple setting, crockery, and menu help to showcase the star dish, which is the lemon top. While it took a little to get the kids enthused about this simple place, without the colourful toppings they’re used to, the bold flavours spoke for themselves.

I would rather pay a little extra for an ice cream here to taste these incredible flavours. We couldn’t fit in a strawberry top, but I am sure we will next time.

I’d much rather a traditional tutti frutti sundae made up of quality ingredients for £6.50 instead of some Instagrammable ice cream made of air and sugar, which would probably cost a lot more. We also paid extra to eat in which for me was part of the experience, although they didn’t have toilets.

The Pacitto family

Redcar is renowned for Pacittos lemon top ice cream, and the business remains in the family.

Elise said: “Michael is the oldest, and there's Nicholas and Marcus.”

Marcus’ father, George, died a few years ago

She added: “It was hard for the family, but they kept it going, and I think it will be going for many years to come.”