Where to Get the Best Ice Cream and Gelato in Sydney

With temperatures consistently above 20 degrees celsius throughout most of the year, ice cream and gelato are a year-round delicacy in Sydney.

Whether you're looking for an ice cream cake, experimental flavours, the softest gelato in town, or an ice cream-dressed dessert, we've done the hard yards to round up the best ice cream and gelato joints in Sydney. 

Sydney’s slew of ice cream stores keep the sweet tooth cravings at bay, but when you want to up your ice cream game, there are certain establishments that are standout favourites. Read on for our top scoops on the best ice cream and gelato spots in Sydney. 

Rivareno Gelato

A trip to one of Rivareno Gelato's four locations is a must for authentic Italian gelato experience in Sydney. One scoop of their ultra-fresh, beyond-creamy creations is not enough, so make sure you go with an empty tummy!

Each flavour is whipped up in-house daily, with premium, natural ingredients. Our top picks are the cioccolato made with red African cocoa beans sourced from Zaire and the Ivory Coast, the pistacchio Sicilia that has the most intense and unique taste of pistachio, and the caramello salato with salted caramel, pink Himalayan salt and toffee hazelnut pieces. Honestly, we're salivating just thinking about it. 

Darlinghurst, Barangaroo, Potts Point, Parramatta

Cow & the Moon

This award-winning gelato bar dominates rain, hail or shine. Housed in a humble cafe space, Cow & the Moon serves up generous portions of deliciousness with flavours like Turkish delight, strawberry and balsamic, and green tea and red bean. With more than twenty flavours on offer, this Enmore eatery is pumping late into the night. We recommend a post-gig stop-off as they stay open late, especially for Enmore Theatre clientele.

181 Enmore Road, Enmore

Hakiki

If you consider yourself a bit of a frozen dessert connoisseur, making a trip to Hakiki is a rite of passage. Hakiki specialises in a historical form of Turkish ice cream that melts slowly. Naturally, the flavour offering is incredible, with the likes of baklava, burnt caramel, grape molasses & tahini, melon & fetta and pistachio gracing the menu. If you still have space in your belly, don't leave without trying the house-made Turkish delight, baklava, Turkish tea and coffee! 

Burwood & Newtown 

Gelato Messina

An award-winning institution, Gelato Messina is a household name. From their humble roots in Darlinghurst, Messina has since set up shop interstate and in the US. Weekly specials are the highlights here, with creative concoctions surprising ice cream lovers every seven days, but for those who are creatures of habit, they have over thirty staple flavours, such as coffee, apple pie, pistachio and white chocolate and macadamia. Easily some of the best ice cream in Sydney! 

Various locations around Sydney

Mapo 

Made fresh each day, Mapo gelato is delightfully light and inspired by the flavours of the season. Basically, it's the gelato version of a farm-to-table restaurant and it's top-notch. We guarantee you'll be able to taste the difference. You can get your fix at their Newtown or Bondi Beach outposts with flavours rotating daily. Classics sit alongside incredibly thought-through and inventive flavours like banana, lemon & sugar, nectarine and dry gin, cucumber, lime & tonic. Add Mapo to your list if you're hunting out the best gelato in Sydney. 

Newtown & Bondi Beach 

Anita Gelato 

There's a reason Anita Gelato has made its way from the Mediterranean to Oz - the exquisite ingredients, from the homemade jams to world-class chocolate, ensure it's never boring. Their bestselling Cookieman flavour has a bit of a cult following, so don't miss it. Chocolate, hazelnuts, meringue and biscuit combine for the ultimate indulgence. 

Various locations around Sydney

C9 Chocolate & Gelato 

C9 Chocolate & Gelato is a childhood fantasy that comes to life. When you need of an indulgent sugar hit, this is the place to head. There are over 40 flavours to choose from, with vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free dietaries all catered to. But the real clincher here is all the tasty ways you can eat your gelato, from decadent ice cream sundaes to super shakes and waffles. Next time you're organising the group catch-up, consider going old-school and meeting at the ice cream shop instead! 

Various locations around Sydney

Gelato Franco

Another Marrickville institution, Gelato Franco takes things old school, with their emerald green walls, wood-panelled windows and their gelato served up in vintage glass dishes. The store has no sign but can afford to be discreet with the award-winning shop drawing in crowds. There’s a focus on quality over quantity here, with small-batch gelato and ten staple flavours. Another five flavours always serve up a surprise though.

281 Marrickville Road, Marrickville

Gelateria Gondola

Bringing a little bit of Venice to Chatswood, Gelateria Gondola has taken form in a humble side street and stolen locals' hearts (and stomachs). The artisan gelato and sorbet bar dons an open kitchen for customers to see the creation in action and boasts twenty rotating flavours. With staples like lychee and cacao, banana and nutella, arance rosse aperol and hazelnut delle langhe, we’re making weekend plans already.

2/77 Archer Street, Chatswood

If you loved this edit of the best ice cream and gelato in Sydney and your sweet tooth has well and truly been activated, be sure to check out our edits of the best dessert deliveries in Sydney and the best bakeries in Sydney.