With winter slowly coming to an end, I have been on the hunt for the best ice cream shops in preparation for the summer heat ahead. It was hard to pick just five of my favs, but I have searched all ends of the city, and have come up with my favourite top brain freezing ice cream shops in Melbourne.
1. N2 EXTREME GELATO
One of the first nitrogen ice cream joints to hit Melbourne was N2 Extreme Gelato who are a quirky Sydney-based establishment. Opening their first doors in Melbourne on Brunswick Street, it was my mission to check this place out! With an endless selection of unique ice cream combinations, it’s worth the trek out to not only get a taste of this amazing frozen dessert, but also to be entertained on watching it being made.
Everything and anything you can think of is on the menu here. Think popping candy, boysenberry, honeycomb, Nutella, blue cheese, and every chocolate bar and fruit under the sun is used to mix up some amazing and unique flavours.
Inspiration for N2 has come from the very talented Heston Blumenthal and Ferron Adria, where liquid nitrogen is used to create your favourite ice cream concoction right before your own eyes, and served within seconds.
With a menu changing weekly, I get excited for each visit to see what they have come up with for me to try. Anything sweet and savory mixed together is a winner for me! If there’s something you want but don’t see on the menu (which is rare) you can jump on their site and require a new flavour! How’s that for getting exactly what you want.
Keeping with the whole ‘science’ theme, all the flavours are kept on display in small beakers waiting to be chosen to be mixed together. Once you choose your flavour, stand back and watch has liquid nitrogen and your favourite flavours are mixed together right before your own eyes.
So, for those looking for the creamiest, out of this world flavoured ice cream, N2 Extreme Gelato is definitely my first stop on a hot day.
2. GELATO MESSINA FITZROY
3. GELATERIA PRIMAVERA
4. JOCK’S ICE CREAM
Being a former chef, Jock canned the long hours in the kitchen after a motorcycle accident and opened Jock’s Ice Cream and Sorbets store in Albert Park after having so much fun making ice cream during his time off recovering.
Jock’s gone above and beyond the chocolate and vanilla flavours and spends most of his timing creating new and adventurous cold treats for his ever growing clientele. Not only has he won the hearts of the locals, he has also created an interesting ‘sweetcorn’ concoction for the well-known, Mamasita’s Restaurant in the Melbourne CBD.
My all-time favourite flavour here on one of my latest visits was the ‘Obama Rama’ which was peanut butter and jelly. What more could you ask for, this is every kid at heart’s dream from their childhood days! This is by far one of the creamiest and tastiest ice cream places in the area and is perfect after the beach on a scorching hot day!
5. HELADOS JAUJA
Good ice cream isn’t just made by the Italian’s, and Helados Jauja has proven that with their Argentinean ice-creamery located on Lygon Street. They have made it known that all their products are used with only the highest quality ingredients, with no added preservatives, and it really shows through their flavours.
With a rotating menu of 30 plus delicious creamy ice creams to choose from, everything from Eggnog to White Peach to Dulce de Leche make the list. I must say, the dulce de leche was absolutely amazing! It’s definitely worth the extra calorie intake consisting of caramel and bitter sweet dark chocolate chips. You really can’t go wrong with any of their traditional and innovative flavours.
