Tiramisu gelato is not groundbreaking in any way. You’ll find it in any self-respecting gelato establishment’s cabinet. But tiramisu gelato exists on a continuum, with different standards of scoop available out there – and Messina’s is top-tier.

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a purist. I love a well-executed classic and perhaps that’s why Messina’s tiramisu gelato holds such a special place in my heart.

Messina’s illustrious reputation stretches across the decades: from the Sydney store that opened in 2002 to the Adelaide store that opened just last month. Across the country you’ll see queues snaking out the gelateria’s door, with punters eager to get their hands on the massive line-up of permanent flavours and creative weekly specials.

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I moved to Brisbane from Messina-less Perth in 2021 (WA didn’t score its first Messina until November 2023), so I got the Messina bug pretty late, but once I arrived in Brisbane I quickly fell into a tiramisu-induced obsession.

It began like any ordinary evening. My sister and I had just finished dinner around the corner at Fortitude Valley favourite Bianca, and we needed something sweet to round out the night. “I suppose I should see what all the fuss is about,” I naively thought.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but from the first bite, this gelato tilted the axis of my reality.

Messina had accurately captured the essence of the classic Italian dessert in frozen form. The layers you’d find in a traditional tiramisu aren’t lost in this frozen rendition of the original. It strikes the perfect balance between generous chunks of espresso-soaked ladyfinger biscuits and velvety, mascarpone-infused gelato, and I simply can’t get enough. I’ve managed to find ways to sneak it into my weekly routine. If I’m not meeting my run club at Messina on Tuesday evenings, I’m going out of my way for a cheeky scoop on a Thursday night.

The secret to Messina’s heavenly tiramisu gelato lies in a commitment to high-quality ingredients and in-house baking. Every ladyfinger is baked in-house, and the gelato is crafted with Jersey milk from Messina’s Victorian dairy farm.

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