The Best Ice-Cream and Gelato in Sydney
Gelato and ice-cream are both made by mixing milk, sugar and cream (and sometimes, eggs) until smooth, but they’re not quite the same thing. Ice-cream contains ten to 25 per cent fat. It’s churned quickly to incorporate more air, then served relatively cold. The aim here is superior richness and a full, creamy mouthfeel.
Gelato is more of a vehicle for highlighting the fresh fruits and nuts it’s flavoured with. The denser Italian treat is churned more slowly than ice cream, and contains less air and fat (five to 10 per cent). It’s also served warmer, bringing those added flavours to the fore.
On a hot day, we don't really mind which one's on offer, so long as it's made with care, using high-quality milk and fresh ingredients. All the places on this list do that, and most also leave out the preservatives, stabilisers and artificial colours usually found at the supermarket, too.
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Kariton Sorbetes
Try 16 frozen flavours representing the Philippines and Southeast Asia, plus nostalgic Filipino desserts like a halo-halo made with brown-sugar slushie.
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Ciccone & Sons
No pre-made bases, no paste flavouring from cans. Everything at this classic Italian gelateria is made from scratch – besides the Jersey milk, whole nuts and fresh fruit. Take a seat on the wooden benches and enjoy a scoop with an espresso to the cool jazz soundtrack. Also in Glebe and Penrith.
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Mapo
A fun, contemporary take on a traditional Italian gelateria. Seasonally inspired, preservative-free recipes are the bottom line here, and a scoop of the fior de latte is a must. Its Bondi location is positioned right across from the beach.
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Small Joys Gelato
Popcorn miso caramel. Yuzu peach pavlova. Hong Kong milk tea. These aren't flavours you'll find at any old Sydney gelateria. But this tiny spot isn't your average. Artisan gelato maker Terrence Seeto has worked in some of Sydney's best kitchens, and his penchant for flavour, texture and colour is on show here.
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Gelato Messina Marrickville
A sprawling warehouse HQ for the country's biggest gelato success story.
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Pep’s Italian Ice and Panini
Hit this suburban dessert shop for a semi-frozen scoop that’s part sorbet, part granita and super popular in New York. Plus, classic Italian panini warmed in the pizza oven.
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Gaia Gelato
Gaia gelato gets its name from the Greek goddess of Earth and takes inspiration accordingly. Flavours range from Italian classics (lemon, vanilla, cherry amarena) to seasonal options and customer requests.
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Tita Carinderia
Tita isn’t your typical Filipino carinderia. Hit this cafe and bakery for brekkie muffins stacked with egg and longganisa sausage; classic Filipino breakfasts of garlic fried rice, egg and adobo; and ube soft serve ice-cream.
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Rivareno Gelato
Top chefs including Quay’s Peter Gilmore and Nomad’s Jacqui Challinor rate Rivareno’s gelato as their favourite in town. We can’t blame them. At every one of its gelaterias in Europe and Sydney (there are now four and counting), flavours including pistachio and lemon are made in-house on the day they’re sold.
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Cow & The Moon
Cow & Moon was crowned the world's best gelateria back in 2014, even beating out the Italian competition. It’s still one of Sydney's best – and most popular – spots for gelato. The 26 flavours are made on-site and include a great selection of dairy-free (and occasionally boozy) options.
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Gelato Franco
An old-school Italian gelateria by a Bar Italia veteran. This place uses an antique machine to churn out its seasonal gelatos and sorbettos, which means batches are usually small – but they’re incredibly fresh and don’t last long. Biscotti and cakes are also on the menu.
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Zini Contemporary Gelateria
A sleek gelateria and espresso bar that loves to push the envelope with its flavours. While pesto doesn't instantly come to mind when you think of gelato, a scoop of the signature blue vanilla is a must. It's traditionally flavoured but – coloured blue with butterfly pea flowers.
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The Scoop Artisan Gelato
Western Sydney’s best gelateria happens to live inside a sprawling shopping centre. Its 40-plus flavours are churned daily using seasonal ingredients, with past highlights such as New York cheesecake to a vegan-friendly, sugar-free hazelnut.
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Hakiki Turkish Ice Cream & Baklava
The crowds gathered outside Hakiki every night of the week go for one thing: sweet and stretchy Turkish ice-cream made to a traditional recipe. If not, it has to be the baklava and strong coffee, served till late.
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Trovatino Cafe
A Sicilian cafe and gelateria focused on tradition rather than innovation. It’s all about the classics here – expect quintessential Italian flavours such as hazelnut, coffee, lemon and vanilla. It’s also one of the only spots around serving zesty, Sicilian-style lemon granita.
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Gelateria Gondola
Gondola is the passion project of two Venetian gelato-makers. So naturally their place is a love letter to Venice, from the red-and-white gondola uniforms to the paddles used to churn the gelato. A machine from 1927 – the only one of its kind in Sydney – is the real star of the show.
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Cibaria
With dedicated kitchens spanning spaghetteria, bisteccheria, friggitoria and more, the piazza-style spot balances breezy as-you-wish dining with a flash fit-out. Start with woodfired pizzettas before moving onto pasta and gelato.
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Kreamu
Try Vietnamese-inspired scoops made with a coconut-milk base. You might go for soursop and tamarind, sweet corn, banana cashew nut, Vietnamese iced coffee or an avocado and durian number.
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