BELMONT — It tastes like ice cream — and it is. But it looks like spaghetti.
A newly opened shop near Cushing Square makes this unique creation, called spaghettieis, that became popular in Germany during the 1970s. It's vanilla ice cream pushed through what's called a spaetzle press to resemble spaghetti, served over whipped cream and topped with strawberry sauce (to look like marinara sauce) and shaved white chocolate (resembling grated parmesan cheese).
EisHaus Gelateria, at 444 Common St., also offers chocolate truffles and Twix bars that can be added to look like meatballs and sausages. And chocolate ice cream can also be used to resemble wheat pasta.
Proprietor grew up in the town where spaghettieis was invented
Belmont resident Michael Gattis, co-owner of EisHaus, grew up in Mannheim, Germany, a community a little more than 50 miles south of Frankfurt. It's where spaghettieis was invented.
“I definitely had my childhood filled with spaghettieis," he told Wicked Local. "It will be so great to share something so tasty and fun."
Gattis co-owns the shop, which has been in the works for several years, with Arlington resident Brian Lu. The two men have co-owned Bakehaus, a bakery and cafe?, next door at 442 Common St. It opened on March 13, 2020, just before COVID-19 shut things down.
Besides its signature dessert, EisHaus — the term is German for “ice house” — also offers a variety of gelato such as cappuccino chip, Belgian chocolate, salted caramel chunk, cookie dough, pistachio and toffee crunch.
Its store hours noon to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Starting in May, EisHaus will be open daily.
What is the history behind spaghettieis?
According to an August 2023 story in Smithsonian Magazine, Dario Fontnella, who owns Eis Fontanella in Mannheim, Germany, invented spaghettieis as a wacky dessert imposter for his children in the 1960s and introduced it to customers at the ice cream shop in the 1970s, catapulting the business.
About 30 million cups of spaghettieis are sold each year, according to the Smithsonian story.