Ice cream is the answer to so many problems. Feeling hot? Ice cream. Ate too much for dinner, but still want some dessert? Ice cream (but maybe just a small scoop). Need something comforting to eat, while crying and watching a rom-com? Definitely ice cream. Whatever mood you’re in, there’s a whole world of ice cream flavours for you to try. And Melbourne is full of some lovely ice cream and gelato stores that are sure to delight. In no particular order, here are some of our favourite ice cream and gelato shops around Melbourne.
1. Pidapipó
Cult-favourite gelateria Pidapipó started as a concept store in Carlton, and has since grown into a Melbourne phenomenon. All of their gelato is made from scratch on site, in small batches only. Expect different flavours each season, thanks to their use of fresh fruit. If you’re in the mood to celebrate, be sure to try one of their tasty gelato cakes. Or, pop into Pidapipó Laboratorio in Fitzroy and watch them test flavours in the kitchen, and create other delicious goodies like chocolate. See more here.
📍8 Degraves St, Melbourne
📍299 Lygon Street, Carlton
📍85 Chapel St, Windsor
📍429-431 Brunswick St, Fitzroy (Pidapipó Laboratorio)
2. Kariton Sorbetes
Enjoy delightful Southeast Asian flavours at Kariton Sorbetes. With a selection of over 25 flavours rotating between 12 spots, as well as two special flavours that rotate every fortnight, you can be sure to find something that will excite your palate whenever you visit. Try flavours like the Ube Halaya, a punchy, purple-hued mix of purple yam gelato, purple yam fudge, blackberry jam and caramelised coconut curds, or the sweet and salty Keso, which sees cheddar cheese gelato elevated with SkyFlakes crackers, roasted cashews and lashings of grated cheddar. Find out more here.
📍177 Russell St, Melbourne
📍50 Leeds St, Footscray
📍265A Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley
3. Barbarella Gelato & Wine
Inside the historic Block Arcade, you’ll find Barbarella Gelato & Wine. This small but mighty spot is the perfect place to take a pause if you’re strolling through the city, with eight freshly churned gelati and sorbetto from Spring Street sibling store Gelateria Primavera. Expect classics like pistachio and chocolate, as well as a rotating selection of seasonal flavours. While you’re there, indulge in a glass of wine, or enjoy a coffee or pastry. Learn more here.
📍Block Arcade, Collins St, Melbourne
4. Piccolina Gelateria
Enjoy hand-crafted Italian gelato from one of Piccolina Gelateria‘s seven Melbourne locations. All gelato and sorbetti are made from scratch — as are the nut butters and ganaches that also feature in some of the flavours — using seasonal ingredients and traditional recipes and techniques. Try their new weekly specials every Wednesday, and if you find something you particularly like, grab a tub to take home. Piccolina has also made a name for itself for its collaborations, inviting some of Melbourne’s best chefs to create limited-time flavours. See more here.
📍Various locations – find your closest here
5. Gelato Messina
Like most of the rest of Australia, we’re a little bit obsessed with Messina. From their decadent cookie pies to their tasty hot tubs, there’s always something new and exciting going on at this pioneering gelateria. Try not to be too overwhelmed by the selection here — the menu features no less than 40 freshly churned flavours, including 35 traditional gelato flavours and five weekly-rotating specials. See more here.
📍Various locations – find your closest here
6. Kōri Ice Cream
This vibrant ice cream store with two locations will take you straight to Japan. Indulge in 24 freshly churned flavours every day — including eight plant-based batches — like miso, yuzu, Hokkaido cheesecake, and even a boozy sake-spiked variety. The menu also features eight plant-based ice creams, so there’s truly a scoop for everyone. See more here.
📍659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn
📍392 Bourke St, Melbourne
7. Fluffy Torpedo
Fluffy Torpedo might be Melbourne’s most distinct ice creamerie. Its Smith Street site features a floor that’s paved with sour strap lollies, its daring menu has featured flavours like Smoked Cherry Ripe, Vegemite and White Chocolate, and Buttered Baguette, and the tasting sticks are made from reusable laser-cut metal. Plus, 50 percent of all profits go to poverty non-profit The Life You Can Save, making this as guilt-free as ice cream gets. See their for more details.
📍 5/159 Smith St, Fitzroy
📍213 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
8. Gelateria Primavera
Treat yourself to fresh and creative flavours from Gelateria Primavera, located at the front of Spring Street Grocer. Their artisanal gelato menu of milk-based gelato and dairy-free sorbet changes daily, using high-quality ingredients and seasonal fruits to create new and experimental flavours that are all churned in house.
📍157 Spring St, Melbourne
9. Gigi’s Gelato
You’ll find Gigi’s Gelato in the heart of Yarraville. Each flavour is made from scratch by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Luigi ‘Gigi’ Pozzoli, who learned the craft from gelato masters in his native Italy. In addition to the quality ingredients used in the gelato, 50 percent of the sorbet is made from real fruit. The flavours change every day, too, so you’ll be sure to find something exciting whenever you visit. Click here for more.
📍15 Anderson St, Yarraville
10. Gelato Papa
Traditional Sicilian techniques meet innovative flavours at Gelato Papa, where gelato is made from scratch every day. ‘Head Papa’ Lilly first made gelato in 1996 with her cousins in Sicily, and she then went on to train under one of Italy’s great gelato masters at Piedmont’s International Culinary Institute for Foreigners — and it’s these time-honoured techniques that are on show at Gelato Papa’s Fairfield and Preston stores. Everything in store is gluten-free, too, from the gelato to the cakes.
📍14A Gilbert Rd, Preston
📍 72A Station St, Fairfield
11. 7apples
For over two decades, 7apples have been serving up some of the finest scoops in town. The award-winning gelato can now be found at three sites around town, but everything is still made at its HQ on Acland Street using fresh seasonal produce sourced daily from markets. Find out more here.
📍75 Acland St, St Kilda
📍Lower ground floor, Chadstone Shopping Centre
📍QV Melbourne, corner Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, Melbourne
12. Beku Gelato
Enjoy handcrafted treats with inspiration from Southeast Asia at Beku Gelato. The menu changes every month, so regular visits will be rewarded with new flavours to discover. Right now, they’re scooping flavours like roti sisir (an Indonesian sweet bread) and coconut sorbet with jackfruit bits, while past rotations have included flavours like cendol, teh tarik, pandan rice pudding, and caramelised sun-dried banana. See what’s new at Beku by keeping an eye on their Instagram stories.
📍150 Lygon St, Carlton
13. Jock’s Ice Cream & Sorbet
Since 2001, Albert Park stalwart Jock’s has been serving up what is arguably the creamiest ice cream in town. It starts with double-pasteurised full-cream milk, to which quality ingredients are added to create flavours on the rotating menu that stars classics like sticky date pudding, hokey pokey, and several varieties of chocolate. Jock’s also does excellent ice cream sandwiches, cookies and cakes, which all are made in house. Keep up to date with what’s cooking at Jock’s here.
📍83 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park
14. The Boozy Scoop
What’s better than ice cream? Ice cream delivered straight to your door. As its name suggests, though, The Boozy Scoop isn’t exactly doing things the traditional way — these scoops are spiked with premium spirits to create flavours inspired by classic cocktails. This season’s flavours include the likes of mango margarita and dark choc whisky, and each flavour is available in either 150ml individual serves or a 475ml pints. Discover the full range of flavours — and place your order for delivery anywhere in metro Melbourne — at the website.