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Moon Rocks Gelato signature item is the gelato panini.
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Moon Rocks Gelato owner, Ali Alasker.
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Guests can order gelato to-go at the counter.
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Moon Rocks Gelato is located at 2400 W. Main St. in the former Uptown Deli space.
“We are not your average gelato shop,” says 31-year-old Ali Alasker, owner of Moon Rocks Gelato, which quietly opened at the end of November in the former Uptown Deli space at 2400 W. Main St.
The former VCU student with a sweet spot for gelato says he always wanted to open a restaurant, but was seeking a smaller, dessert-based operation. After five years of planning, Alasker, who formerly worked in sales, opened his first business.
“There [are] a lot of ice cream stores in Richmond and also local gelato, but not as many and we just kind of went for it,” Alasker says as we stand inside his space-themed grab-and-go shop complete with a selfie station and pictures of the galaxy.
Currently, Alasker, a 14-year Richmond resident, is not making the gelato in-house, but says he hopes to do so within the next year.
The freezer case at Moon Rocks presents a cornucopia of 16 gelato flavors that on a recent visit ranged from pistachio to Kinder to blueberry passionfruit to lemon ginger, to name a few. The flavors typically rotate every other week and will also include seasonally in-tune offerings. Alasker says to expect eggnog, apple pie and tiramisu to roll out soon.
Another focus at Moon Rocks Gelato: waffles. Guests can order bubble waffles, an egg-based waffle treat with spherical pockets that are popular in Hong Kong and that can be infused with toppings or gelato, as well as waffle sliders and popsicles.
With more than 50 toppings including cereal, fresh fruit, granola, hot Cheeto dust and rainbow sprinkles, guests at Moon Rocks Gelato can keep things as simple or elevated as they’d like.
“We cater to everybody,” Alasker says.
The Moon Rock panini, scoops of gelato sandwiched between a sliced brioche bun that is pressed like a panini and results in a warm outer layer while keeping the gelato untouched, is a signature item. Other creations include gelato swirls — gelato blended with various toppings similar to a Dairy Queen Blizzard — fruit bowls, and floats served with Jones Cream soda.
So why the name Moon Rocks?
“We were trying to scoop gelato and it wasn’t perfect and looked more like a moon rather than a circle,” Alasker says, laughing. “My brother said it looked like a rock, hence moon rock.”
During the winter Moon Rocks hours are: 4-10 p.m. Monday; closed on Tuesday; 4-10 p.m Wednesday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 2-10 p.m. on Sundays. Stay tuned for extended hours in the future.
