The best ice cream and gelato in Melbourne

Talk about well qualified. Before opening Pidapipó, Lisa Valmorbida studied at the Carpigiarni Gelato University in Bologna and then worked and ate her way around Italy’s finest gelaterias. We are the beneficiaries of her dedication, and Piadpipó, with its signature marble benches, brass light fittings and 1950s Italo-chic fit-out, is its result. Boxes in the window stuffed with luscious peaches and watermelons point to gelati that are fresh and full of natural flavours. With three stores open and counting, Pidapipó clearly has a strong and well-deserved hold on the gelato market in Melbourne. 

What do you get when two ex-fine diner chefs team up to make gelato? You get Kariton Sorbetes. The artisanal gelato they dish up is inspired by the ice cream carts that dot the streets of the Philippines. After first setting up in Footscray, Kariton Sorbetes has now expanded with a shiny new flagship in the CBD. Expect classic ube halaya – creamy purple yam (ube) gelato topped with rich ube jam, preserved blackberry and caramelised coconut curds (latik) – or for the more adventurous, try the durian gelato with chiffon cake and palm sugar jelly. The hard part is choosing from all the delectable flavours, and the easy part is devouring it. 

Piccolina Gelateria has grown from strength to strength, now boasting six stores across Melbourne. What started as a cute little gelato shop sitting pretty on Smith Street, Collingwood, in the shadow of Gelato Messina just up the road, has now grown into a tried-and-tested favourite. Piccolina gelato is made in the traditional Italian way with natural ingredients. All flavours are made from scratch – including everything from jam to nut butters to chocolate sauce. They’ve also got rotating vegan gelato flavours so no one is left out.

Stepping inside Kenny Lover feels like stepping onto the set of a David Lynch film. It's weird, bright and wonderful, and that is relflected in its range of flavours, too – think vanilla and soy sauce caramel; coconut, galangal and rhubarb; and red wine and cherry ripple. There's a strong focus on Australiana here, so much so it also offers hot chips as a salty side. Get a baby scoop all the way through to a triple scoop, or go big with a 500ml or one-litre take-home tub. You can even pre-order to pick up in Thornbury here.

Kori Ice Cream is bringing fresh scoops to Hawthorn with its Japanese-inspired treats. The store itself is beautiful, with tunes just as sweet as the flavours themselves setting the mood – the playlist is even available on the website. With many of the concoctions inspired by Japanese flavours, such as matcha, black sesame and hojicha hazelnut, Kori is a must-visit spot on your ice cream journey this summer. 

Decked out in pretty pastel pink shades with a playful ice cream mural, Billy Van Creamy does "ice cream with no funny stuff" – perfectly suited to the purists among us. The product is the real deal, and is made from simple ingredients: milk, cream, sugar and egg yolk stabiliser. The vanilla comes speckled with bean seeds and sparkles with flavour, while the chocolate walks the line between being flavoursome and rich. The vegan ice cream flavours include peanut butter choc chip, peppermint fudge and salted caramel, all made with housemade cashew milk and coconut milk. Check out Billy Van Creamy's latest outpost at 146 Sydney Road, Brunswick. 

Augustus Gelatery is a crowd favourite and the proof is in the pudding with many stores popping up across Melbourne. It has franchises all across the state and was started by two best friends with Italian heritage. Augustus knows how to do winning flavour combos – we're talking peanut fudge brownie, Caramilk and honeycomb, Baileys and brownie, and caramel apple pie. There is also a pleasing range of sorbets and plant-based ice creams, as well as a range of celebration-ready cakes. 

Gelato Messina was once known as a Sydney import, but as Melburnians have embraced the sweet scoops with mouths wide open, it quickly became a local favourite. Gelato Messina makes everything from scratch, and that includes baking apple pies, mince pies and brownies before transforming them into creamy, dreamy frozen treats. A whopping 40 flavours (35 permanent and five seasonal ring-ins) means you need to weigh your options carefully to avoid post-purchase remorse. At the time of writing, specials included the Wu-Tang Flan (caramel flan gelato with dulce de leche and caramel crust), Serial Chillers (corn flake milk gelato with chocolate crackles and Milo ganache) and Lime Time (Sudachi lime cheesecake gelato with baked Japanese cheesecake). Exciting enough for you?

Lilly Stuckings (nee Papa, as in Gelato Papa) is a second-generation gelato maker whose Sicilian family have been making the good stuff for more than 40 years. Gelato Papa has two stores (in Fairfield and Preston), and uses ingredients sourced as locally as possible, which means figs, lemons and Vietnamese mint may come from a neighbour's garden and prickly pears are foraged from the empty lot a few blocks from the shop. Expect flavours like chocolate, coconut and yoghurt, and Nutella alongside some more adventurous combos such as maple bacon gelato. 

This is one of the old guards: 7Apples has been serving up respite from the summer heat since way back when in 2001. Its longevity has something to do with a flair for innovation, as exemplified by the rotating selection of inventive flavours, counterbalancing a commitment to classics such as strawberry, pistachio and French vanilla. It also has a lot to do with the consistent quality of its products. The gelato is exactly what you want gelato to be: thick, creamy, and sweet. You can now also find 7Apples on the lower ground level of Chadstone Shopping Centre. 

Gigi's Gelato is the beloved ice cream store bringing authentic Italian gelato to Yarraville. Co-owners Gigi Pozzoli and Sue Yong decided to move to Melbourne in the middle of a global pandemic, in order to open the gelateria of their dreams. Gigi makes everything from scratch in the kitchen, staying true to the authentic Italian roots of this summertime delicacy. Flavours change daily, but are always made from the freshest ingredients and are representative of a true taste of Italy. Think tiramisu made with world-renowned mascarpone cheese from Lombardy, and gianduja chocolate sourced from Piedmont.

Every time we indulge in a scoop, Gelateria Primavera manages to blow our minds with gelati and sorbetti that capture flavours so sharply it's like eating in high definition. Don’t get a cone here, you want a clean cup (a big one) at this icehouse. Not that their stubby wafer bowls aren’t the business: everything here is. You just don’t want any biscuit messing with your scoops. Sure, you may start with the clean base layer of fior di latte that’s just pure sugar, milk and cream, but then comes the sucker punch of mango and orange sorbet, and the undeniable, almost savoury nuttiness of roasted hazelnut. The marble-lined gelateria fills the foyer of Spring Street Grocer, and is an always-popular summer spot.

We’re all about desserts imitating other desserts, and for that, we love Fritz's cinnamon doughnut flavour. Fritz has been scooping in Melbourne since 1952 and even won five gold medals at the 2020 Australian Dairy Awards. With a large selection of rotating flavours, you're sure to find something you like. But hey, if you don't, follow the advice on the Fritz website and send the team an email with your own combination of flavours – perhaps you will come up with something great. There are locations in Richmond, South Yarra and at the South Melbourne Market, so hit Fritz up next time you are looking for something sweet. 

Award-winning pizza chef Johnny Di Francesco took several trips to Naples to learn more about the sweet art of gelato, which resulted in the establishment of Zero Gradi. The first store was conveniently located next door to the original 400 Gradi pizza shop in Brunswick, making it the perfect place for a post-pizza treat. Zero Gradi has now expanded to Crown Casino, and to stores in Mildura and Mornington. Accommodating staff can guide you through the delightful flavours – from classic pistachio and choc mint chip to the quirkier Margherita, black Hawaii and caramel cookie monster combos. 

While Cold Rock may not be as cool as some of the other pastel-licked, sleek new ice cream stores on this list, it certainly is reliable and delicious. For the uninitiated, Cold Rock is not just an ice cream store, but an ice cream experience. Choose your flavour and all your toppings, and watch the masters go to work smashing and mixing it all up on, well, a cold rock. With over 30,000 combinations possible, you will never get bored here. Our personal recommendation is a vanilla ice cream base (so as not to interfere with the toppings), loaded with cookie dough, strawberry Freddo, Flake and chocolate fudge sauce. This is a good spot for the kids in your life.