The Gelato Edit
We’ve rounded up the best gelato spots across the country, each offering something unique to the ice-cream countertop— from honouring traditional methods to out of the box ideas.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
Billy van Creamy
Billy van Creamy was started up by brothers Alex and Mitch Wells, with humble beginnings offering traditional ice-cream from a van in Rucker’s Hill in Northcote. They now have in-store locations in Melbourne and Perth, bringing freshly churned ice cream across the country. Focusing on real ingredients, the Wells brothers only use organic milk, cream, eggs and raw sugar — combined with flavours created in-store and served in hand-pressed maple waffle cones. Scoops include cookies & cream with brownie cookies, house-made honeycomb, and a full range of vegan ice-cream including peppermint fudge and salted caramel.
454 William Street, Perth
Photo: Ross Wyness
Piccolina Gelateria
We have had our eye on Piccolina Gelateria in Melbourne for a while now, spotting those distinct green tiles and creamy scopes on Instagram. Piccolina has three locations in Melbourne: Hawthorn, St Kilda, and their flagship, Collingwood. Started up by chef Sandra Foti, they only use natural ingredients made from scratch, including the nut butter which forms the bases of the gelato. This personal touch means no two batches are the same, perfectly imperfect, the old-fashioned Italian way.
296 Smith Street, Collingwood, Melbourne
Photo: Lillie Thompson
+ Image from the Potters in Protest Fundraising Event.
Pietro Gelateria
Pietro Gelateria is a homage to traditional Sicilian methods with a modern approach after the owner, Mathew Fleay, moved to Sicily to learn the art of artisanal gelato and bring it back to Perth. Located in East Victoria Park, they love experimenting with unusual flavours like ricotta, orange and dark chocolate; lavender and Earl Grey; or coconut, salted caramel and dark chocolate — but the shop offers an ever-changing menu (check Instagram to find out what’s fresh).
Shop 16B, 789 Albany Highway, Perth
Photo: Courtesy of Pietro Gelateria
Kenny Lover
These guys have a bit of a reputation for creating quirky flavours — using fresh flavours and native ingredients. In fact, the Australiana vibes run throughout the decor too, sending their customers back in time to old-school milk bars and 70s discos. Based in Melbourne’s Thornbury, flavours go from your regular strawberry and pistachio to outrageous soy sauce or Kalamata olive and white chocolate. Kenny Lover has some of the best Melbourne-foodies behind them, including multiple Michelin star-winner, Mikey Baker. Don’t forget the hot chips for dipping!
796 High Street, Thornbury, Melbourne
Photo: Hotel Naomi
Mapo Newtown
Mapo brings a sustainable approach to ice cream in Sydney’s Newtown, where they focus on using raw, organic ingredients to amplify the natural flavours. The reason why they are so good? Potentially because owner Matteo Pochintesta went to work at Ciacco in Milan under Stefano Guizzetti — one of the top ten ice gelato makers in Italy. Before deciding to be a gelato maker, Matteo was an architect, meaning the space is just as glorious as the ice cream.
123 King Street, Newtown, Sydney
Photo: Courtesy of Mapo Newtown
+ Main image from the Potters in Protest Fundraising Event. Photo: Lillie Thompson