Frozen magic
Think ice cream emporiums, authentic gelato, and lashings of sweet toppings. Discover new creamy confections and revisit old favourites in Melbourne and Victoria, as gelato maestros scoop up a sugary storm around the state.
Choose a cup or cone and check out 12 of the best places in Victoria for a frozen treat.
Piccolina Gelateria
Diets be damned. Melt-in-your-mouth classics, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee are served alongside decadent honeycomb, white chocolate, and salted caramel at this Melbourne institution. Treat yourself to a scoop on the weekend, when maestros whip out fun limited time flavours to try, like Collingwood's homage to the humble hedgehog slice. Think chocolate gelato layered with butter biscuit, toasted coconut, and a rich ganache.
7 Apples
Sweeten your day with an artisanal scoop of gelato or a mouthful of fruity sorbet at 7 Apples in St Kilda. Indulge in a bite size serve of strawberry sorbet (made from fresh strawberries, with no pastes in sight) or grab a tub to take home and share (or demolish solo).
Dooleys Ice Cream
Fancy a good ol' fashioned sundae with all the toppings served with a side of coastal charm? Head down to the seaside village, Apollo Bay, and get your sticky fingers on a treat from Dooleys Ice Cream.
Fluffy Torpedo - Fine Ice Cream
Where else but Fitzroy can you find an ice creamery with 200 kilos of lollies built into a resin floor? Taste hundreds of experimental flavours drawn from the wildest parts of your imagination at Fluffy Torpedo. A scoop of salted dulce de leche with bacon and cream, anyone? Or maybe a creamy bite of blue powerade? You're bound to find something new and intriguing at this one-of-a-kind store.
Pidapipo Gelateria
Brought to you direct from the halls of gelato university in Bologna, comes Lisa Valmorbida's carefully-crafted confection. With seasonal-inspired flavours like blood orange, kiwi fruit and pears, and dessert-worthy apple crumble and key lime pie creations, there's a taste for the most discerning palates. For an added novelty, check out the chocolate fountains on show in store and lather your favourite scoop in lashings of chocolate and cream.
Vulcano Gelato Rye
Head down the Mornington Peninsula and taste a scoop of artisan gelato made from imported Italian ingredients – it's gelato, just like nonna makes it. Tantalise your tastebuds with an eruption of flavour with everything from tiramisu, cherry ripe and apple pie to crunchy peanut butter and tim tam varieties.
Gelato Messina
The biggest challenge you'll face at Gelato Messina is choosing from the 40 freshly-churned flavours filling the cabinets at each of Messina's beloved stores. From Argentinean caramelised milk transformed into a dulce de leche masterpiece, to white chocolate and macadamia with a crunchy finish, you'll be spoilt for choice.
Il Piccolo Gelato
Come for the gold-clad history, stay for the gelato and sorbet. Your trip to Ballarat won’t be complete without an afternoon sugar fix. Raspberry white chocolate or ginger snap gelato from Il Piccolo Gelato is the perfect cure to your 3'oclock-itis.
Girls & Boys
Vegan girls and boys rejoice, the folk behind Vegie Bar also offer plant-based treats and sweets from their takeaway dessert bar, Girls & Boys. We’re talking baklava soft serves, yuzu gelato and thick and creamy shakes, as well as vegan cakes.
Kenny Lover
Two Aussie favourites, ice cream and hot chips, collide in this eccentric, '70s style ice creamery. The no-fuss institution sits in the heart of Thornbury with a colourful interior, plush velvet seating and of course, chef-quality ice cream. Grab a classic scoop of hokey pokey or load your cone with coconut, berry and blood orange swirl, popcorn and caramel fudge or a minty after dinner delight.
The Timboon Ice Creamery
Direct from cow to cone, The Timboon Ice Creamery has perfected their recipe for mouth-watering, super creamy ice cream. Try a classic scoop of vanilla bean dressed up with meringue shards, fruit curd and fresh whipped cream. Head out the back to their 'Sundae School' where you can learn how ice cream is made and whip up a treat of your own devising.
Frost Bite Stone Cold Ice Creamery
Full fat, full flavour, full creaminess… Frost Bite Stone Cold Ice Creamery serve the ice cream you love from your childhood, made with milk that tastes like real milk. Grab a crunchy oreo delight, lick a scoop of tasty bubblegum or get the best of two worlds with crunchy donut and pancake flavours. Sorbet and vegan varieties are also available.
Gelatina
Savour the taste of High Country with a pitstop at Gelatina in Rutherglen. Grab a scoop for the road and lick and bite your way to happiness with nutty hazelnut flavours and bursts of creamy citrus with a tangy scoop of lemon.
