We here at East Brunswick Village are sweet tooths and like to think we know a fair bit about good gelato. One of the great joys in life, everyone loves getting stuck into a delicious scoop or two. Brunswick’s rich multicultural history means the bar is set high when it comes to quality food, and gelato is no exception, with locals loyal to their favourite scoop shop. We’ve put together a list of the gelato shops in East Brunswick that we think are tops and will hopefully be for you too this summer!
Zero Gradi
This gelateria and dessert bar is the sister spot to the pizza experts at 400 Gradi, sitting next door to their restaurant on Lygon Street. Hand churned onsite, the team here knows a thing or two about making gelato. Transporting the Italian summer to Lygon Street, they serve up mouth-watering gelato, cannoli’s and cakes all year round.
The bacio, pistachio, vanilla, hazelnut, choc mint and salted caramel are among regular favourites. For the vegan lovers, the Black Hawaii hits the spot with a mix of charcoal, coconut water and chocolate, as well as the lemon, pineapple and passionfruit sorbet flavours.
Pop in here for dessert after a pizza at 400 Gradi, or one of the other great Lygon Street restaurants you can find in our guide to Brunswick’s best Italian places. If you’re hosting an event, get in touch with the team about hiring a gelato cart for birthdays, weddings and events of all kinds.
Location: 99 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Website: Zero Gradi
Billy Van Creamery
With outposts in Perth as well as their store on Sydney Road, Billy Van Creamery does everything from the ground up to produce high quality ice cream. Using organic milk and 100% natural ingredients, you can find the team churning fresh cream daily, as well as pitting fruit, washing fresh mint, grinding nuts and crafting their own jams and sauces.
All the classic flavours are covered at Billy Van, with chocolate, vanilla bean, salted caramel, espresso, hazelnut and many more available. For something a little fresher they also have lemon and coconut sorbets to choose from.
Billy Van also offers vegan flavours and be sure to keep an eye out for their delicious seasonal specials including hot cross bun and almond biscotti. If you’re looking to impress at your next event, gelato carts are available to hire and sure to excite your guests.
Location: 146 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Website: Billy Van Creamery
Gelato Messina
One of the biggest names in the country for gelato, Messina requires no introduction. The scoop empire has expanded to Brunswick with a store housed in a little warehouse on humble Weston Street.
Making amazing gelato, they are famous for using only the highest quality ingredients. Favourite combinations include the likes of coconut and lychee, milk choc peanut fudge, panna cotta with fig jam and amaretto biscuit. Alongside classics like blood orange, coffee and dulce de leche, you won’t know where to start.
Incredibly, Messina has taken their game to another level, now owning and running three different farms to source key gelato ingredients. They’ve got a hazelnut farm in Seymour, a strawberry farm in Dural, and a Jersey cow farm in Numurkah where they source their milk, all of which is churned in store. They also offer some pretty amazing cakes, with weird and wonderful flavours and designs.
Location: 136 Weston St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Website: Gelato Messina
Gelateria Bico
Grabbing a cone or cup at Gelateria Bico is as close to Italy as you’ll come through the power of the gelato, handmade in house in the traditional way with flavour combinations that pays homage to some of Italy’s most revered products. Take the Zabaione, an egg based custard gelato made with Marsala wine, pear gelato with amaretto-soaked sponge finger biscuit pieces, or the Crema Di Borsci, a custard gelato mixed with Borsci San Marzano liqueur.
Closer to home, the flavours are no less interesting with favourites including the peanut praline, toasted coconut cheesecake, vanilla custard and spiced apple, blueberry and lavender jam, white chocolate and mixed berry, as well as classics like hazelnut and pistachio. This is a place you’ll have to visit more than once.
When a heat wave hits, drop in for some refreshing relief with one of Bico’s sorbets, or a granita ready to cool you down. The team also offer a range of vegan and dairy-free flavours including the Banana Split, with vegan banana gelato, whipped coconut cream, flaky dark chocolate chips and salted peanuts, and the Almond Torrone, with Sicilian latte di mandorla sorbet and salted almond chunks.
Location: 288 Albert St, Brunswick VIC 3056
Website: Gelateria Bico
Luther’s Scoops
An ice cream shop passionate about its ingredients, Luther’s Scoops practice farm to freezer ice cream making, using local producers and purchasing ingredients directly from farmers where possible. The shop’s name pays homage to famous American botanist Luther Burbank, known as the father of classical plant breeding who helped cultivate and bring hundreds of plants to the world.
Luther’s Scoops takes this ethos and creates amazing and vibrant seasonal flavours including fig leaf and strawberry, butterscotch ripple, malted chocolate, along with beauties like banoffee pie, brown butter cheesecake and vegan offerings including dark chocolate, pecan caramel, and watermelon and strawberry sorbet.
They also baked blueberry pies on site every Tuesday afternoon, which go fast, so be sure to pre-order or drop in at 5pm to grab one fresh out of the oven.
Location: 528A Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Website: Luther’s Scoops
Lagom Gelateria
Sitting at the top of Sydney Rd, Lagom Gelateria has a repertoire of ever-changing gelato wonders, also offering vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and Halal options. Despite the store’s Italian roots, the name “Lagom” refers to the Swedish concept of balance. As this suggests, they pride themselves on making gelato with the perfect balance of flavours.
Using quality local produce, the store has 20 regular flavours on their roster, along with an extra five weekly specials to choose from. Favourites include the Oreo & salted caramel, creamy pistachio, mango, kiwi and specials such as cotton candy, and cloudy vanilla with baked meringue, plum jam and pastry.
Besides the gelato, Lagom also does thick milkshakes, classic cannoli’s and take home gelato cakes including bombe alaska, tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake.
Location: 822 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Website: Lagom Gelateria
Ice Cream Social
More of an ice creamery than gelateria, we think Ice Cream Social is worthy of being on this list. Relatively new to the area, the ice cream is made in store under the gaze of chief ice cream maker, Helena, who comes up with many of the recipes herself.
The ice cream here is made using local hero Schulz’s organic full cream milk and cream. The store also offers a range of non-dairy ice creams made with almond and coconut milk as well as sorbet options for warmer days. Some of the favourites here include their chocolate brownie, good ‘ol vanilla, choc mint baby, and an espresso flavour using coffee concentrate from local roasters Seven Seeds.
Ice Cream Social offers more than just its delicious scoops, with a full baking operation happening on site too, selling pies, cakes and other delicious treats.
Location: 421 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Website: Ice Cream Social
Beku Gelato
This spot might be a little out of the way but we thought it too good not to be in the list, a short bike or tram ride and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Beku means “frozen” in Indonesian and there is plenty of icy goodness to be had at their Lygon Street gelateria. A popular spot amongst locals, this place dishes up Asian-inspired scoops that are sure to surprise, bewilder and challenge your expectations of what gelato can be.
Flavours include a mix of interesting flavours such as Durian, Turkish Delight, Milo, Biscoff, as well as all the classics you can expect and a non-dairy range including the popular mint and lychee sorbet. All corners of Asia are represented here, with Filipino Ube made from purple yam, an Indian inspired gelato infused with cinnamon and cardamom, as well as Korean Injeolmi and Malaysian Teh Tarik flavours.
Location: 150 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053
Website: Beku Gelato
There’s no better way to take the edge off this summer than with a cold gelato, and there are plenty of great options right near East Brunswick Village.
With the weather getting warmer it’s the perfect time to head out for some refreshing gelato. Now that you’re in the know with the best gelato and ice cream spots in the area, you’re going to be busy trying each place out. We hope you’ve found a new favourite or two.