You really want some ice cream because it's so hot outside. You're in Melbourne, and you want to know were you will find the best ice cream. There's a wide variety to pick from, but who has the time?
A list of the best restaurants recommended by people like you would be ideal. So, here is a list of the five best ice cream parlours in the country, which we have assembled especially for you shops in Melbourne based on feedback from existing customers. It is our sincere desire that this list serves as a helpful resource as you search for a delicious dessert. Since many Italians settled in Melbourne during WWII, gelato has become the prefered frozen treat. Gelato has become increasingly common in the past decade, but it was surprisingly difficult to find authentic gelato as recently as the turn of the millennium. Even if they could make their own gelato from scratch, most stores still used factory-made, low-quality pastes.
All of the establishments listed here are devoted to doing things properly. For delicate gelato, it's best kept in pozzetti, which are covered, chilled pots that prevent the oxidation process. Stores that display attractive mounds of gelato in display cases have likely undergone what amounts to a breast job.
Last but not least, while deciding between two ice cream parlours, pistachio is the perfect flavour to order so you can evaluate their respective abilities. It is used as a standard throughout the entire business world.
Piccolina Gelateria Collingwood
This dazzling Piccolina Gelateria. There are four cooks under Sandra Foti's direction at the flagship store (the first location was a modest one in Hawthorn). You can watch as they prepare your gelato at the long bar that stretches alongside the kitchen. There are twenty standard flavours of gelato and four varieties of granita, plus four weekly specialities. The gelato can be topped with viscous liquid chocolates churned in a fountain right there.
The flagship store is also home to Piccolina's commercial kitchen, where the gelato for both stores is made. In just one week, Piccolina can fill a 20-liter nut grinder with 600 to 800 per kg nut butter. Nuts are the basis for several gelato tastes, including pistachio and hazelnut. The building's restoration revealed a number of architectural jewels, which served as inspiration for the sleek, minimalist interior. Terrazzo floors, emerald, cream, and brown painted bricks, and the original pushed roof have all been meticulously restored.
Pidapipo
Pidapipo, the gelataria of Lisa Valmorbida, is a reference to a game she used to perform with her nonno, an Italian variation of Simon Says. She makes gelati fresh on the spot, and the flavours range from pistachio and rose to coconut and ricotta and fig.
Affogato made the Italian manner, with melted chocolate, sabayon, amarena, and traditional espresso; and a chocolate tap that fills your cup with dark, light, or white chocolate. Store designer Rabindra Naidoo of Melbourne drew inspiration from Italian architecture of the 1950s and 1960s for the store's use of steel, copper, marble, stone, concrete, tiles, and leatherette.
Features include the pozzeti presentation, which keeps gelato in airtight tins. Daily batches of Pidapipo are handcrafted using only the finest ingredients, such as pistachios from Sicilian, hazelnuts form Piedmont, milk from R(t, cheese from St. Kilda specialty cheeses La Formaggeria, and nectar from a bees nest upon that roof, installed by Honey Fingers.
Miinot Gelato
Emma Nicholas-Jennings' primary occupation throughout her entire life has been that of a gelato scooper. She first worked at Brunetti, a Carlton store, to sell the frozen treat before joining the family business. After that, she moved to London and lived there for 15 years, during which time she met and married Gary and managed a Spanish gelato shop. Both of them have purchased the Pascoe Vale South gelateria Miinot Gelato.
Their selection is limited, but delectable nonetheless. Thanks to the 100% fruit juice, even the most fundamental fruits, like lemon or burnt fig, taste authentic. Even the occasional seed can be found crunching in a raspberry. Except for the bubblegum flavour, which is "for the kids," there is no pre-mixed paste available here. Nonno, which blends marscapone and raisins soaked in Antonio Ximenez sherry, is one of the more refined flavours that will appeal to adults.
Kenny Lover
Ice-creamery Kenny Lover sells the standard varieties you'd expect (pistachio, chocolate, etc.), but it makes its name by offering the out-of-the-ordinary. Take sauce ice cream as an example. Instead, you might go with yuzu and sake. Or kalamata olives and white chocolate. Kenny Crunch or Ken Sprinkles (sprinkles) can indeed be added to every order for a fun twist.
One of the four owners, Michael Baker, got his start as a director at Alkimia, a one-star restaurant in Catalonia, and then went on to learn his craft at El Celler de Can Roca, a three-star restaurant located 90 minutes west of the city. The Patron Saint David His ice creams are made with whole milk, cream, three different types of sugar, and a two main stabiliser.
Hot chips, perfect for dunking in your ice cream, and spiders produced with narrow sodas from Henry Sugar, another of Baker's businesses, are two more Kenny Lover favourites.
Gelato Papa
Gelato Papa is run by Violet Stuckings, who owns it. She named her company Gelato Papa as a tribute to her Sicilian ancestors on the Papa side of the family, who have been in the gelato business for over 40 years.
Because many of her flavours are unconventional, Stuckings uses a conventional approach to make gelato. You can get your hands on a few staples from the Italian canon all year round, but the real draw is the ever-rotating selection of specialities. Past desserts have included apple pie without caramel sauce, raspberry cheesecake, cream tea, and even gorgonzola.
Everything at Gelato Papa is made in-house, right down to the honeycomb toffee and granola in the blueberry-yogurt-granola flavour. Whenever she needs Vietnamese mint, Stuckings' neighbour is her go-to, and her father periodically forages for the spiky pears that show up in certain flavours. The bombe alaska cake, which uses aquafaba meringue that has been torched, is one example of a vegan variation that is not afraid to push culinary boundaries.
Boca Gelato
Pastry chef Monika Frkovic and chef Adam D'Sylva have opened a gelateria called Boca. Following successful summers pop-ups at Pepe's and L Manna groceries, the two decided to set up shop permanently in Ivanhoe. The pastel-colored storefront with large windows that let in lots of light and are splashed with various shades of green can be easily spotted on Upper Heidelberg Road. Boca's inner workings may be viewed through a colourful terrazzo counter and an arched doorway in the back. While Frkovic has dabbled in a wide range of frozen desserts in the past, she plans to stick to traditional Italian flavours throughout her tenure at Boca.
Pistachio, coffee, and bacio will always be hand for the purists. Under the counter, in pozzetti (stainless steel drums), you may find flavours like peanut butter, mint chocolate chip, and a very light pink bubblegum gelato created with real Hubba Bubba.
On the other hand, Frkovic puts experimental flavours on the deals board to see what customers think. Past desserts have included tiramisu, Basque burnt cheesecake, orange spice, and liquorice, but the selection changes frequently. D'Sylva is letting Frkovic take the lead on menu creation, although he has made a few tweaks to reflect his Italian and Indian ancestry.
On one side, you have chai gelato, which is really hot. The latter is represented by confetti, a sorbetti that is both creamy and slightly nutty with the addition of Jordan almonds. A wide variety of alternative toppings can be added to gelato and sorbet when they are served in cups, cones, or shakes. Cookie crumbs created in-house, micro malt balls, beehive, and molten chocolate from the in-house fountain are just a few. The freezer is stocked with a wide selection of frozen desserts such passionfruit Bombe Alaska and chocolate-covered gelato balls (traditionally called tartufo).
Lavezzi
Rafaelle "Lello" Lavezzi's ancestors have been making gelato for four generations. In addition, the Lavezzi gelateria in Formia, Italy is family-owned and -operated. They had been exporting Italian goods to Australia for years before deciding to join together to introduce the Lavezzi name and dessert to Melbourne. The original store opened its doors in the Eastland Shopping Centre in Ringwood back in 2015. This shop on Lygon Street was opened by the team at the beginning of 2018.
Nearly 150 years in the sorbet business has resulted in the development of strong morals. First and foremost, keep your sugar intake in check. According to Lavezzi, this method completely eliminates any semblance of flavour. Posetti may also be used. This aids in maintaining the gelato's freshness.
All of the nuts (imported from Italy) are roasted fresh at the facility before usage. After that, they're processed through a pulverizer to become a very thin liquid. No further information is included. Along with the peanut butter gelato, the shop's traditional "nutella" is available. The classic Sicilian treat gazpacho with panna is made by Lavezzi, along with gelato cakes, fruit sorbets, and a dark chocolate variant. Gluten-free cones, vegan flavours, and lactose-free sorbet are also on the menu.
Bico
The small beach town of Pizzo in southern Italy is credited with creating the sphere-shaped ice cream delicacy known as tartufo. From Pizzo, it takes around 30 minutes to reach Acquaro, where Gelateria Multi - mode optical co-owner Domenico Gaglioti grew up.
At Gelateria Bico, named after Domenico's grandfather, the classico tartufo is made by scraping a half-sphere of chestnut gelato, making a gap in the middle, and filling the cavity with homemade chocolate sauce. A opening half of chocolate cream is dropped on top, and the tartufo would then be hand-molded to come together. The final step is to dust it with cocoa powder before blast freezing it for twenty to thirty minutes. Amaro and white cocoa are also available.
At Bico, the gelati is hand-churned everyday from scratch. There are several rotating specialities that Domenico and his son Davide enjoy creating, like Hazelnut cheesecake, liquorice and coco, salty Chocolates, Franjaffico, melon granita, and prickly-pear sorbet. A mainstay and highlight, fior di papaya is made with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 ripe bananas per batch. Pastries like gelato-stuffed cannoli and lemon meringue tarts are also on offer.
The Gagliotis constructed over eighty percent of the shop's interior. The ceiling is lit by green pendant lights, and square white subway tiles line the walls. A polished concrete insert houses the pozzetti.
Il Melograno
Carl Fodera, having spent ten years in Italy, was eager to return to Melbourne, but he wanted to bring a genuine Sicilian flavour with him. There are no rainbow peaks or perfectly round scoops to be found at this gourmet gelateria, only the genuine taste of real ingredients. Gelato by Il Melograno does not contain any artificial flavours or essences and is made without the use of preservatives.
Without preservatives, the gelato is unsaleable. In contrast, Il Melograno stores its gelato in an airtight tank called pozzetti, where it is buried under pot covers to preserve flavour and prevent the original gelato from melting. The end product is a dense, velvety dessert that tastes just like the components you put into it.
Fodera collaborates with Marco Enea, a gelato maker who comes from a third generation of the same family. Despite putting their own unique take on the classic Italian dessert, the duo is committed to maintaining its traditional preparation. Il Melograno is renowned for its innovative fusions and rotating seasonal flavours. Chocolate and thyme, pear mixed jasmine, and Iranian pistachio are just a few of the creative flavours that are handcrafted right next to the conventional fare of hazelnut gelato , lemon sorbet.
Il Melograno is a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch with an Italian twist. Up until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, you can order from the cafe's menu. There's a small courtyard out back, wood-fired coffee roasting space, and an outdoor seating area at this gelataria.
Beku Gelato
Agusta Triwahyu picked up the skills to make ice - cream from either a friend's relative while on vacations in Rome. She didn't care about anything but being the best dessert provider at dinner date and spoiling her offspring. Beku, which means "frozen" in Bahasa Indonesia, was developed by her in December 2017. Upon her return, she immediately began company offers a variety to cafes and restaurants. Durian gelato , teh tarik, a Malaysian compressed tea, are just a couple of the Southeast Asian treats you can have inside Triwahyu. The vegan options include yuzu and strawberry sorbet and fruit sorbet with jackfruit bits.
In case you really can't get away from the classics, there are also tubs of chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry pozzetti hidden away in the counter's recess. Don't go without sampling our go-to snack, the fragrant Turkish delight. Flavours are rotated out every month. Everything at Beku is, as we have become accustomed to from Melbourne's next-generation gelaterias, completely natural, with the exception of the gelato, which contains a natural compounds stabiliser.
Billy van Creamy Fitzroy North
In less than a year after launching their organic icecream truck Billy Van Creamy, Alex and Mitch Wells were able to obtain this spot just a few steps' walk from Edinburgh Gardens.
The 30-seat flip has been open over its March 2016 lease end date, but it could be forced to close at any point if the lease is not renewed. Tables for gathering are scattered everywhere, and murals of quirky cone shapes, painted by Billie Justice Thomson, add a touch of whimsy. Because of its high number of services and modern timber design, it doesn't look like a typical pop-up.
Just like the food from the food truck, it has a similar flavour. This includes the all-time favourites such as hazelnut, pistachio, lemon salty caramel, and more. The five ingredients used in every flavour are: the base flavour, Divine milk, corn syrup, cream, and also an egg-yolk stabiliser. Besides the cream, it's all organic. When it comes to ice cream, this is approximately as natural & tasty as it gets.
Conclusion
Gelato has risen to prominence as Melbourne's favourite frozen dessert after a large number of Italians relocated there after World War II. Nut butter at Piccolina Gelateria's flagship location sells for $600–$800 per kilogramme and can fill a 20-liter nut grinder. Chocolate sauces that are thick and liquid can be churned in a fountain and drizzled over the gelato. In her gelataria, PidapIPo, Lisa Valmorbida uses only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients to create her delicious gelati. Violet Stuckings is the brains behind the unusual flavours of Gelato Papa, which include apple pie without caramel sauce and gorgonzola with hazelnut buttercream.
Tiramisu, Basque burnt cheesecake, orange spice, and liquorice are only few of the past sweets that have been served. When gelato and sorbet are served in cups, cones, or shakes, a large variety of additional toppings can be added. Every day, Domenico and Davide Gaglioti, the shop's proprietors, churn their own gelato from scratch. Cannoli filled with gelato and lemon meringue tarts are just a couple of the pastries on offer. Guests flock to Il Melograno for the creative combinations and ever-changing seasonal flavours for which it is known.
Agusta Triwahyu created Beku, whose name means "frozen" in Bahasa Indonesia. Sorbets with jackfruit pieces or yuzu and strawberries are available for vegans. The 30-seat flip has remained operating past its lease expiration date in March 2016, but if the lease is not renewed, it may be forced to close at any time. It doesn't appear like your average pop-up due to the extensive list of amenities and sleek timber construction.
Content Summary
- Therefore, we have compiled a list of the top five ice cream stores in Melbourne based on reviews from our current clientele.
- We hope that this list is useful to you as you look for something sweet to end your meal.
- Gelato has risen to prominence as Melbourne's favourite frozen dessert after a large number of Italians relocated there after World War II.
- Most shops still utilise factory-made, low-quality pastes even if they have the means to produce their own gelato from scratch.
- The businesses featured here are all committed to excellence.
- Last but not least, if you're trying to choose between two ice cream shops, pistachio is the flavour to get.
- Lisa Valmorbida's gelateria is called Pidapipo in homage to an Italian version of Simon Says that she and her nonno used to play.
- She whips up a variety of delicious gelati right in front of you, with flavours including pistachio, rose, coconut, ricotta, and fig.
- Using materials including steel, copper, marble, stone, concrete, tiles, and leatherette, Melbourne-based shop designer Rabindra Naidoo was inspired by Italian architecture from the 1950s and 1960s.
- Gelato can be stored in an airtight tin, thanks to the pozzeti packaging.
- Emma Nicholas-Jennings has been a gelato scooper for as long as she can remember.
- The 100% fruit juice really brings out the natural flavour of even the most basic fruits like lemon or burnt fig.
- Kenny Lover's Homemade Ice Cream There are the usual suspects for sale at Kenny Lover (pistachio, chocolate, etc.),
- Michael Baker, one of the four proprietors, cut his teeth as a director at Catalonia's one-star Alkimia before honing his skills at the three-star El Celler de Can Roca, approximately 90 minutes west of the city.
- Saint David's ice creams are created with whole milk, cream, three distinct types of sugar, and two primary stabilisers.
- Other customer favourites are the hot chips, which are great for dunking in ice cream, and the spiders, which are made from thin sodas from Henry Sugar, another of Baker's enterprises.
- Since her Sicilian Papa ancestors have been in the gelato business for over 40 years, she decided to name her company after them.
- Stuckings uses a traditional method to create gelato despite the fact that many of her flavours are novel.
- Apple pie sans caramel sauce, raspberry cheesecake, cream tea, and even gorgonzola have all been served in the past as dessert.
- Gelato Papa's blueberry-yogurt-granola flavour features honeycomb toffee and granola that are both created in-house.
- An extreme example of a dish with a vegan twist that isn't scared to try something new is the bombe alaska cake, which features a torched meringue made from aquafaba.
- After having temporary locations at Pepe's and L Manna supermarkets during the summer, the two decided to permanently locate in Ivanhoe.
- A colourful terrazzo counter and an arched doorway in the restaurant's back allow patrons a glimpse of Boca's inner workings.
- Frkovic, on the other hand, will occasionally test out new flavours by putting them on the specials board.
- Tiramisu, Basque burnt cheesecake, orange spice, and liquorice are just some of the sweets that have been offered in the past, but the menu is always evolving.
- D'Sylva is allowing Frkovic to take the helm in menu development, though he has made a few adjustments to represent his Italian and Indian heritage.
- On the one hand, there's the fiery chai gelato.
- When gelato and sorbet are served in cups, cones, or shakes, a large variety of extra toppings can be added.
- A few examples are housemade cookie crumbs, micro malt balls, beehive, and molten chocolate from the in-house fountain.
- Frozen delicacies like passionfruit Bombe Alaska and chocolate-covered gelato balls can be found in the freezer (traditionally called tartufo).
- For four generations, Rafaele "Lello" Lavezzi's family has been in the gelato business.
- Aside from that, the Lavezzi family runs the gelateria they named for themselves in Formia, Italy.
- After many successful years of sending Italian goods down under, they banded together to bring the Lavezzi brand and dessert to Melbourne.
- In 2015, the first location opened in Ringwood's Eastland Shopping Centre.
- This helps to keep the gelato as fresh as possible.
- A sphere-shaped ice cream treat called tartufo is said to have been invented in the southern Italian coastal town of Pizzo.
- Domenico Gaglioti, co-owner of Gelateria Multi - mode optical, grew up in Acquaro, which is about a 30-minute drive from Pizzo.
- Domenico's grandfather's name inspired the shop's signature dessert: the classico tartufo, produced by hollowing out a half-sphere of chestnut gelato and filling it with molten chocolate.
- The tartufo begins with a base of vanilla ice cream, which is then split in half and topped with a layer of chocolate cream.
- Every day, Bico's gelati is made from scratch by hand.
- There should be at least 15 ripe bananas and no more than 20 in a batch of fior di papaya, which is a staple and a highlight.
- Cannoli filled with gelato and lemon meringue tarts are among the available pastries.
- The Gagliotis built over 80% of the store's interior themselves.
- Melograno, or Il
- After living in Italy for ten years, Carl Fodera couldn't wait to get back to Melbourne, but he wanted to bring some authentic Sicilian flavour with him.
- Gelato by Il Melograno is created without the use of any preservatives or artificial flavours or essences.
- It's impossible to sell gelato without added preservatives.
- Il Melograno, on the other hand, bury their pot covers and store their gelato in an airtight tank called pozzetti to maintain flavour and keep the original gelato from melting.
- Guests flock to Il Melograno for the creative combinations and ever-changing seasonal flavours for which it is known.
- Breakfast and lunch with an Italian flavour may be found at Il Melograno, a cafe.
- The cafe serves food till 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
- While on vacation in Rome, Agusta Triwahyu learned how to make ice cream from a friend's relative.
- She made Beku (which means "frozen" in Bahasa Indonesia) in the latter half of 2017.
- Upon her return, she launched a new line of cafe and restaurant services for her company.
- You may enjoy Southeast Asian specialities like durian gelato and teh tarik, a Malaysian compressed tea, within Triwahyu.
- Try some of our speciality, the aromatic Turkish delight, before you go.
- We change up the flavours every month.
- As we have come to expect from Melbourne's cutting-edge gelaterias, everything at Beku is all natural, with the exception of the gelato, which contains a natural chemicals stabiliser.
- Creamy van's Billy Address: Fitzroy North Alex and Mitch Wells, proprietors of the organic ice cream truck Billy Van Creamy, secured this location right off Edinburgh Gardens in less than a year after the business's inception.
- The 30-seat flip has remained operating past its lease expiration date in March 2016, but if the lease is not renewed, it may be forced to close at any time.
FAQs About Gelato
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream. It starts out with a similar custard base as ice cream, but has a higher proportion of milk and a lower proportion of cream and eggs (or no eggs at all). It is churned at a much slower rate, incorporating less air and leaving the gelato denser than ice cream.
Bernando Buontalenti entered the scene in the second half of the 16th century. He was a famous painter, architect, and engineer in addition to being an amateur cook. He is generally credited today as being the inventor of gelato, as he seems to be the first to introduce milk and eggs to the mixture.
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream derived from the Latin word “gelātus” (frozen). Gelato is lower in fat because it contains less cream and more milk, and is churned slower resulting in less air and a richer flavour.
Air makes it soft and fluffy. Since gelato has less butterfat, the mixture is light to begin with. So it only needs 20 to 30 percent air as it thickens and freezes. That keeps the product dense — and therefore creamy, Morano explains.
