Best of the Gold Coast 2017: Top 10 ice cream and gelato

WE have got the hot scoop on where to get the coolest cones this summer. Here are 10 of the best ice creams and gelatos on the Gold Coast.

WE have got the hot scoop on where to pick up the Gold Coast’s best ice cream and gelato.

Read on for 10 of the best spots:

Amy Prosser holds selection of Ice Cream at Heven Yah at Mermaid Beach. Picture Glenn Hampson

Heven-Yah

Shop 2/2387 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

When people travel the world, they usually come back with a new outlook on life, a million photos, maybe some sunburn. Sisters Amy and Holly Prosser came back with a dream to share the art of chilled treats with the Gold Coast. While their preservative, colouring and flavouring free gelati will take your tastebuds on a journey, Amy says getting to this point was a journey for them, too “We spent some time overseas and it was inspiring to see how traditional gelati is done and the art form that it is. We started to educate ourselves and we were lucky enough to spend some time in the kitchen of a gelataria in Portugal. We came home and from the basics developed our own recipes and from there we’ve been continuously evolving the product.” These aren’t your typical flavours, with each variety having a special spin, such as cultured buttermilk gelato with fennel flower blueberries, pineapple and yuzu sorbetto, mascarpone, meringue and passionfruit gelato and even Middle Eastern spiced pumpkin gelato. “Getting to know the basics of gelati making and perfecting the base is the most important thing,” Amy says. “We’re always seasonal and then it’s about developing and playing with flavours and sharing it with our amazing customers.”

Gelato Messina are famous for big, decadent, creative flavours.

Gelato Messina

The Strand, Coolangatta

Why does everyone rave about Gelato Messina? They reckon it’s because the goods are made the same way our gelati forefathers made it 100 years ago. While there’s certain things that are significantly better now – air travel, Wi-Fi, dental hygiene – apparently they had frozen desserts right a century ago. That’s why you’ll find handmade, chemical and preservative-free flavours including smashed caramel brownie peanut butter gelato or their ricotta gelato with cannoli shells, citron and chocolate and even peach gelato with whipped cream, madeira sponge and raspberry gel, plus so many more.

Tom Burns at Scoop Gelati at Burleigh Heads. Photo: David Clark

Scoop Gelati

23-25 James St, Burleigh Heads

You better get a double scoop at this Burleigh Heads gelati shop. Owned and run by twin brothers Alex and Tom Burns, under the careful guidance of mum Kate, they’ve been serving regulars and locals alike for almost three years. In the heart of Burleigh, people skip up straight from the beach for the cool classics as well as out-of-the-box creations such as biscotti, turmeric latte, banoffee pie and cherry chocolate bonita. To cater to those balmy summer nights, perfect for late-night beach walks, Scoop is open until 9pm or later.

One of Lello Lello’s smooth, creamy flavours.

Lello Lello

Pacific Fair, Broadbeach

Their gelati is velvety smooth, but at Lello Lello mum and dad Sharon and John Yosh and daughter Shelby like to throw a bit of crunch in the works. “We do a lot of traditional flavours but also modern flavours too,” Shelby says. “We use crunch through pretty much all our flavours. There’s our caramello nut crunch, which has a burnt caramel taste with crunchy glazed nuts through it, or our strawberry and white choc crunch with a choc arabeschi crunch through it.” While the gelati is the main attraction, the gang also do a range of desserts and dang good coffee.

Quench’s sorbets are almost like eating a fruit salad...almost.

Quench

Brickworks, Ferry Road, Southport

You might head along to Quench your thirst with a fresh juice or smoothie, but there’s a good chance the cabinet of colourful gelati and sorbet will catch your eye instead. But it’s no trick – they’re a treat for the tastebuds as well. Fresh, fruity flavours such as lime, pina colada, strawberry, watermelon and passionfruit provide a zesty chill, while decadent flavours such as traditional Italian tiramisu, Nutella, pistachio, salted caramel, choc hazelnut and more. Plus they’re up with the times, with vegan coconut on offer, as well as dairy and sugar-free chocolate gelato.

Cowch Dessert and Cocktail Bar make dessert fun again!

Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar

Pacific Fair, Broadbeach

From waffle ice cream sandwiches to crunchy cone bowls to ice cream filled Yorkshire pudding (a strange combination, but promises to be very good), Cowch puts ice cream in all the right places. Owner Arif Memis says he fell in love with the cold, creamy mixture the same time as us all, he’s just taken the obsession a step further. “When I was a kid my grandma used to take me to the corner store when I was a good boy and get me a Bubble O Bill or a Golden Gaytime. I always associated it with happiness and love.”

The Gelato Shop Broadbeach have lots of fun flavours and concoctions.

The Gelato Shop

97 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

Another family-run operation, Stefanie Spittle’s parents bought The Gelato Shop almost 15 years ago, and now she and her husband James are running the show. They’ve got around 90 flavours of gelato and sorbet they cycle through the front cabinet and from January you might spot their cute gelato cart bopping around Broadbeach and its surrounds. Since last year they also introduced a vegan range for the dairy-free among us, with the same awesome flavours including Ferrero Rocher and coffee crunch.

“You want my milk for WHAT?”

Gelatissimo

2/15 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise

The ice cream kings of doing things differently, there’s always something a little crazy going on at Gelatissimo. The start of summer saw a Reef Coconut Oil flavoured ice cream (more coconut than oil, don’t worry), followed by a salted caramel made from camel milk – an ode to the Three Wise Men who rode on camel back. In the past there’s been other wild flavours including Vegemite, barbecue and beer. What will these crazy cats come up with next?

Brothers Josh Johnson 12 and Jack Johnson 11 sample My Gelato Shop’s Chrissy flavours. Picture Glenn Hampson

My Gelato

1/6a Douglas Street, Kirra

1/12W Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach

You might have spotted these gelato experts flaunting their Christmas creations in the Bulletin during the week. It’s just another way David Lo Giudice and Giordana Sorrentino express their love for both gelati and their customers. With stores in Broadbeach and Kirra, they’ve got the Coast’s creamy cravings covered, with holiday-goers waiting the whole year to scoff down their traditional concoctions. A 50 flavour strong menu includes 14 chocolate varieties alone, from Nutella and mascarpone to mint chocolate to chilli chocolate and Raffaello. We think the name came from people refusing to share, “My Gelato! Get your own...”