Five to try: SEQ’s best ice cream and gelato spots
With summer hitting us like a furnace, ice cream and gelato destinations across South East Queensland have become the most searched for escapes. Here are the best spots to have a tasty cool treat.
With summer hitting us like a furnace, ice cream and gelato destinations across South East Queensland have become the most searched for escapes. Here are the best spots to have a tasty cool treat.
Anita Gelato West End
Anita has blossomed into an international artisan gelato brand from a modest kitchen in Israel, with more than 150 gelato, frozen yoghurt and sorbet flavours across dozens of its global locations. Since opening four years ago, the 30-plus flavours at its West End store have been drawing long lines. Anita delivers generous portions, with a waffle stacked on top to create crunchiness even when you order it in a cup. Its products are still hand-churned daily, staying true to its founding story. It also caters to every palate and dietary preference with indulgent creations from cookieman that combines hazelnut, chocolate and meringue to vegan and sugar-free options.
111 Boundary St, West End
Gelato Messina South Brisbane
Messina has become a household name in Australia with queues snaking out the door almost every night at its South Brisbane store. It pours more than 40 gelato flavours daily with 35 classic staples and five rotating specials. The Sydney-originated brand opened its first Queensland store in 2015 and quickly expanded into three locations across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The brand controls the process from farm to cone, with its own dairy farm supplying the rich Jersey milk, roasting its own hazelnuts, growing its own fruit and producing the unique single-origin chocolate, creating authentic and creamy gelato that remains true to its traditional Italian methods.
Shop 1/109 Melbourne St, South Brisbane
Cotton Tree Ice-Creamery Maroochydore
Cotton Tree has been serving the community fresh and flavourful scoops for more than eight years, building up a strong local reputation. The family-owned business sources premium ingredients from its local back yard, delivering a rich and velvety texture with creamy flavour in every scoop. Each batch is handcrafted in small quantities to ensure maximum freshness. With a rotating selection of 20 indulgent flavours, including honeycomb, bubblegum and M & M vanilla, plus four dairy-free sorbets, it will definitely have something that satisfies your craving. Cotton Tree also specialises in customised ice cream cakes for special occasions.
Shop 3/1 King St, Maroochydore
Shiro Gelato & Snacks Brisbane City
Shiro delivers a fusion of Japanese craftsmanship and well-loved local flavours to create its unique signature tastes and innovative combinations, blending traditional premium ingredients such as matcha from Mount Fuji, roasted hojicha and black sesame with kid-favourite caramel, Oreo, tropical fruits and locally sourced dairy.
The smooth texture, clean flavour profiles and natural sweetness have quickly attracted a big following who are willing to wait in line regularly for a taste of the mochi-wrapped ice cream since its first Southport store opened in 2023, with a second location in Brisbane CBD kicking off a year later. Shiro also serves matcha and hojicha drinks.
Shop2B/131 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City
Rose Gelateria Hope Island
Gold Coast-born Rose Gelateria is a pastel-toned eatery delivering a vibe close to a European patisserie. Its handmade gelato is crafted in-house daily, developing a devoted cult following with queues stretching out the door. The menu has 24 rotating flavours, ranging from indulgent creamy staples to innovative seasonal specials, with plenty of vegan and dairy-free options. The signature rosewater and rose petals gelato offers a romantic floral experience both delicate and indulgent. Pair it with a coffee, a thick milkshake or a delicate French macaron for the ultimate treat. Its popularity has expanded the brand to four locations in the southeast.
Shop/39A Masthead Way, Hope Island
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