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THE TEN BEST ICE CREAM AND FROZEN DESSERT JOINTS IN MELBOURNE
Put the Golden Gaytime down. Here's where to get the best artisan gelato, frozen yogurt and icy treats this summer.
While there will always be a soft spot in our hearts for corner-store Paddle Pops and Golden Gaytimes, the staggering variety of icy cold treats available in Melbourne should not be ignored. To help make the difficult decision as to just what ice cream to eat today, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten ice cream, gelato and frozen yoghurt joints in Melbourne. We encourage the sweet-toothed people of our great city to venture forth on this icy sojourn and work your way through this list.
Gelato Messina
It was with open arms that Melbourne welcomed the much-hyped (and well deserved hype, at that) Sydney gelateria into Smith Street. The wait is notoriously lengthy; even on a cold day as well as during peak times, such as a recent heatwave, lines can extend down the road. It’s a good idea to come here when you are not in a rush, but trust us when we say that Messina is well worth the wait. All ice creams and gelato are made fresh and packed full of flavour. The apple pie ice cream contains real home-baked cinnamon spiced apple pies, the coffee flavour is a must try for any self-respecting coffee addict (read: all of Melbourne), pear and rhubarb is a great way to celebrate summer and the salted caramel and white chocolate is simply unmissable. What are you waiting for? Go grab some Messina!
237 Smith Street, Fitzroy, gelatomessina.com
Pidapipo
All along the Italian side of Lygon Street we’re used to seeing the bright colours of gelato overflowing their containers in glass-covered fridges. At Pidapipo you will not see any gelato until it is sitting in its cone, in your very own hand. Lisa Valmorbida, the owner of the Pidapipo, has brought in a stainless steel Italian-built pozzetti fridge — meaning literally under the lid — where the gelato is kept hidden away at an optimal temperature so you know you’re tasting the gelato at its best.
Twelve rotating flavours are available with classics you would expect from any Italian gelateria and, as the name suggests, a few experimental test combinations. The gianduja (hazelnut), tiramisu and pistachio are some of the best out there, but if you are feeling adventurous, try one of the test lab creations constantly on rotation: coconut rice pudding with rhubarb, peanut butter and jelly, poached pear, virgin mojito or yuzo and Vietnamese mint are a few amongst many others.
After a successful 2013 summer on Faraday Street, the newly-opened Lygon Street store just around the corner has quickly amassed a following amongst Carlton locals and lovers of gelato everywhere.
299 Lygon Street, Carlton, (03) 9347 4596, pidapipo.com
Helados Jauja
In an unusual move amongst the dozens of Italian cafes and restaurants on Lygon Street, Helados Juaja Argentinian ice cream purveyors have quickly become a favourite — they have the lines down the street on warm nights to prove it. Former lawyer Po-Lin Lim learnt her craft for making delicious ice cream while in Patagonia and brought her skills and some unique flavors back to share with Melbourne.
Lots of comforting classics are on offer with a superb attention to detail and locally sourced ingredients, though our favourites are the twists on the classics: dulce de leche with walnuts, salted caramel, strawberries and cream, black forest, peanut butter and even a tasty and unusual Szechuan pepper. You should also never leave without trying the hazelnut affogato, which tastes like a liquid Ferrero Rocher and keeps us coming back for more.
If one scoop is not enough they do offer a master class on Saturdays between 3-5pm, where you are guaranteed to (figuratively) explode with ice cream. This is for the indecisive who want to try a bit of everything on offer. On the day you will try all twenty-four current ice cream flavours while learning how they make each one. One scoop is never enough.
254 Lygon Street, Carlton, (03) 9041 2927, heladosjauja.com.au
N2 Extreme Gelato
Another Sydney immigrant to Melbourne is N2 Extreme Gelato and we are so happy to see them here. Part of the reason for visiting N2 is the experience of watching your ice cream being made right before your eyes; as the name suggests, liquid nitrogen is used to instantly cool down the liquid ice cream into the smooth and delicious cold form that we love to eat. Each cup is made to order by safety goggled staff, and flavours change weekly so you can happily pay them a return visit to see what experiment there is to eat this week.
Expect to find exotic and unusual flavours such as lemon meringue pie garnished with crumbled shortbread, French earl grey dulce de leche, buttered popcorn, strawberry tart (with crumbly pastry hidden inside) or — our favourite — the creme brulee with a magically crispy shell over the soft cold ice cream interior. The interior of N2 fits in perfectly with the neighbourhood with its grungy industrial garage feel, fake grass covered box crates and some great graffiti murals. Who knows what experimental flavour they will come up with next.
329 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, n2extremegelato.com.au
Gelateria Primavera
Sitting quietly on the Parliament side of the city in The Spring Street Grocer, Gelateria Primavera has held down a reputation as one of the best artisan gelaterias in Melbourne for some time now. Similarly to Pidapipo, they have decided to incorporate the beautiful pozzetti storage tubs to house their artisan gelato out of sight and ready to be eaten at the best possible temperature — this eliminates the use of preservatives or additives that are needed for open-air display cased gelato.
The menu changes daily, though you can be sure to always find something to suit your tastes. Past delicious favourites include the salted caramel and chilli, watermelon and fresh mint, goats curd with walnut and honey and young coconut and ginger. Offering only a small but selective collection of flavours, you can be sure that this will be one memorable dessert.
157 Spring Street, Melbourne, (03) 9639 0335, springstreetgrocer.com.au
Fritz Gelato
Opening at the South Melbourne Market way back in 2002, Fritz has since sprung up all over the city, including an extremely busy outpost in St Kilda. Though it has become somewhat of a chain, the quality and consistency has remained the same with plenty of traditional and more experimental flavours on offer. Using organic ingredients wherever possible, each store rotates their offerings weekly, with some of the more popular favourites lingering a little longer. Nectarine, Sicilian mandarin, peach and blood orange are all great sorbets for summer and we would never say no to the macadamia and white chocolate or Toblerone ice cream. Also, where else can you get great ice cream at 7:30am on a Wednesday?
South Melbourne Market, Coventry Street, South Melbourne, (03) 9681 3109; 89 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, (03) 8598 9090; 334 Bridge Road, Richmond, (03) 9427 9898; Prahran Market, Elizabeth Street, South Yarra, fritzgelato.com
Il Dolce Freddo
On the busy Italian cafe strip of Lygon Street it takes a lot to keep up with the top dogs. Known locally as simply Freddos, this small gelateria has a prime position close to the Argyle Square Park, making it a great place to grab a cone and relax on the lawn. There are all the traditional flavors you would expect to find on Italian Lygon Street, as well as a few Asian-inspired additions such as the Green tea, pandan and coconut and lychee. The Durian flavour is a popular one, though, a word of warning: if you are unfamiliar with durians make sure you try it before getting a big scoop, as it is an acquired taste. You can never go wrong with pistachio and the salted caramel is delicious to eat while lounging around under some trees.
116 Lygon street, Carlton, facebook.com/Il-Dolce-Freddo
Yo-Chi
The much-hyped southside frozen yoghurt masterminds have spread their wings and moved into the former Brunetti building on Faraday Street in Carlton. Entering the cavernous hall, it quickly becomes clear this is a shrine to frozen yoghurt; many loyal worshippers to Yo-Chi no longer have to make the trek into Balaclava to eat at their altar. There are 12 yoghurt flavours available and you are welcome to mix and match as many as you like (or try some samples for free).
Operating as a self-serve by-the-weight establishment, those with self-control issues can easily get into dangerously large servings territory — especially when every delicious topping under the sun is on offer. Classic flavours like coffee, vanilla, chocolate and a plain Greek yoghurt-style are available. For vegans there are a few interesting choices including Coconut (made with real coconut milk) and agave nectar sweetened banana soybean. The long-awaited smoothie bar is coming soon to the Carlton store and we are happy for a more health conscious alternative to the many gelaterias of the area.
194 Faraday Street, Carlton, (03) 9347 7130; 292 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, (03) 9527 7001, yochi.com.au
Frozen by A Thousand Blessings
It’s not just Yo-Chi that has divulged into multiple store territory, another frozen yoghurt joint has been opening all over Melbourne lately. Frozen by a Thousand Blessings originated in Richmond and has quickly sprung up all around town with a loyal fan base closely following their moves. Similarly to Yo-Chi, Frozen is a pay-by-weight service with a good range of frozen yoghurt flavours to choose from. Mix and match the pomegranate, passionfruit, blood orange, mango and soy, chocolate or coconut yoghurts. Most flavours, including the green tea, are sweetened naturally with stevia and are made with full fat biodynamic milk and yoghurt.
Frozen has a huge range of toppings to add, with some popular choices of raspberries with white chocolate ganache, almond flakes, chia seeds, caramel popcorn, organic apricots and chocolate truffles. For the ultra health conscious, you can request cards from the friendly staff listing every ingredient used and their associated calories. For the rest of us, just know that this stuff is delicious and addictive.
Level 2, Melbourne Central, Melbourne; 390 Bridge Road, Richmond; Doncaster Westfield, Doncaster, (03) 9421 0880, facebook.com/FrozenByAThousandBlessings
Passionflower
Known for their unusual and visually over the top desserts, Asian-meets-Italian ice cream purveyors Passionflower know how to impress. With a definite lean towards Asian flavours expect to find Green tea, sticky rice, black sesame, jackfruit and taro or lychee and rose ice cream on offer amongst the usual chocolate or vanilla.
The Final Fantasy has a few generous scoops of black sesame ice cream layered with coconut ice cream, black jelly and evaporated milk. Other fun names for frozen desserts are the aptly named Awesome, Playmate and Pandora’s Box. Don’t be ashamed to take some Instagram photos of these monster desserts. Their Bourke Street store is closed right now, but they’re promising big things in the near future.
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