Forget vanilla. When it comes to ice-cream and gelato, Sydney has a growing appetite for excitement and creativity.

While industry stalwarts such as Haikiki (Newtown), Ciccone and Sons (Redfern) and Cow and the Moon (Enmore) set a high standard for quality, an influx of post-COVID newcomers like Moo’ed (Gordon) and Tasty Towns (Rhodes) increasingly seek to differentiate themselves through flavour.

“The gelato market is very competitive in Sydney, [there’s] lots of talent,” says John Chan, who founded Burwood gelateria Ice Kirin Bar in 2021.

Chan says the strength of the industry has encouraged operators to specialise – whether that means investing in a creative team to develop tantalising weekly specials as with industry leader Gelato Messina, or leaning into their cultural heritage, which is the approach taken by popular Indian ice-creamery Icy Spicy, with rarely seen flavours like pineapple chaat masala and jackfruit.

“[Meanwhile], Ice Kirin Bar focuses on bringing … authentic Asian-inspired and tea-infused flavours to Sydneysiders,” Chan says.

“Customers now go to a particular ice-cream shop just to try a certain flavour.”

The approach has proven popular among consumers, allowing Ice Kirin to open three new stores over the past year; Gelato Messina to expand into Western Australia and Adelaide; and Icy Spicy to open seven shops across NSW and Queensland since it first launched in Western Sydney in 2021.

“We filled a gap in the market people didn’t know they needed, until they experienced it,” says Icy Spicy co-founder Indrajeet Magar.

It’s a trend that looks set to continue, as popular Melbourne dessert spot Kariton Sorbetes prepares to open its first Sydney store in Burwood this March, bringing Filipino-inspired flavours such as ube and durian.

This summer, Good Food put these new scoops to the (taste) test. In compiling the following list of Sydney’s best gelato and ice-cream shops, everything from intensity of flavour and richness of texture to customer service and setting was considered.

Sydney’s top 10 ice-cream and gelato shops

Icy Spicy, Seven Hills, West Pennant Hills, Kingswood and Parramatta
From $5 for a single scoop

When the sun goes down, Icy Spicy heats up. Crowds of people pack into the pink-hued dessert and momo bar to cool down with scoops of densely creamy house-made ice-cream. “We cater largely to the Indian subcontinent diaspora … [with flavours that] bring back fond memories of childhood,” says co-founder Indrajeet Magar, noting the popularity of flavours such as chikoo (a sweet, malty fruit), sweet paan (dried betel nut leaf with spices and rose petal jam) and badaam kesar (roasted almonds and saffron). The pink guava with a sprinkling of chilli salt is soft and delicious, leaving a gentle, lingering heat.

Good to know: Bring the kids. The Parramatta location features a children’s play area.

Shop 7, 12 Harwood Street, Seven Hills (enter via MacKenzie Boulevard). For more locations visit icyspicy.com.au

Moo’ed, Gordon
From $6.50 for a single scoop

There may come a time, as you’re walking past the fourth empty shopfront on the Pacific Highway, cars roaring past, when you question whether the journey to Moo’ed Gordon Park is worth it. Be assured: it certainly is.

The small, grassroots gelato shop offers kind and knowledgeable service (taste-tests encouraged) and small-batch ice-cream, made fresh each morning with unique flavours inspired by owners (and mates) Alex Liu and Ferdinan Tanzil’s Malaysian and Indonesian heritage.

From the frosty pink bandung (rose syrup) to the signature Southeast Asian (pandan, coconut and palm sugar), each option is a genuine delight: creamy, flavourful and just sweet enough.

Good to know: Their famous mie goreng gelato is likely to make a comeback in February.

Shop 6, 888B Pacific Highway, Gordon, mooed.com.au

Ice Kirin, Burwood, Town Hall and Chatswood
From $6.50 for a single scoop

With their range of delicate, tea-infused gelati in Sydney, Ice Kirin popularised gelato daifuku (mochi gelato). It’s a Japanese method of wrapping individual scoops of gelato in thin sheets of pounded glutinous rice to achieve a satisfying, chewy exterior. Now, they also offer scoops in a crispy pineapple bun from Maria’s Bakery, a traditional Hong Kong-style bakery that’s been serving the Burwood community for more than 30 years. But be quick, daily numbers are limited. The friendly staff guide customers through flavours such as lemon tea, brown sugar boba assam milk tea (a take on the popular bubble tea flavour) and, our pick, peach oolong.

Good to know: There’s no dedicated seating at the Regents Place or Chatswood stores.

180-186 Burwood Road, Burwood; 486-488 Kent Street, Sydney; and shop 472 Westfield Chatswood, 1 Anderson Street, Chatswood; icekirinbar.co

Tasty Towns Gelato, Rhodes
From $5 for a single kids’ scoop

Almost-married couple Wilke van de Ven and Thomas Kinsella followed their passion for food all the way to the Carpigiani University in Bologna, where together they learned to make traditional Italian gelato. They’ve since developed their own brand of rich, jersey milk gelato, combining van de Ven’s Dutch heritage and Kinsella’s appreciation of traditional Asian desserts to create a range of 24 flavours, including hojicha (roasted green tea), cremino (hazelnut gelato with layers of chocolate-hazelnut sauce) and fortnightly specials such as carrot cake. The gelato is smooth and velvety, with gentle flavours and textural additions like chocolate brownie or pieces of cheesecake.

Good to know: This sleek, eat-in gelato shop is right across the road from Rhodes train station.

Shop G18, 14 Walker Street, Rhodes, tastytownsgelato.com

Small Joys, Five Dock
From $6.50 for a single scoop

You won’t find vanilla ice-cream at Small Joys. Rather, former Aria chef Terrence Seeto has created a range of playful and profoundly delicious flavours such as “dirty Milo” (Jerusalem artichoke gelato with chocolate fudge and malt crumb), popcorn miso caramel, and the bestseller of the summer: yuzu peach pavlova. The latter is a textural marvel, with still-crunchy shards of baked meringue and peach rippled through a velvety yuzu gelato. Flavours change seasonally, and can be served in made-to-order egg bubble-waffle cones or deep-fried in panko crumbs with a complimentary house-made custard. There’s nothing else quite like it in Sydney.

Good to know: For an additional 50c, you can have “one scoop” (i.e. two smaller scoops) of two flavours.

Shop 1a, 142 Great North Road, Five Dock, instagram.com/smalljoysgelato

Hakiki, Burwood and Newtown
From $7.30 for a single scoop

Your first scoop of traditional Turkish (or dondurma) ice-cream at Hakiki is a “wow” moment. The creamy, hand-churned mixture of milk, sugar and salep (wild orchid roots) stretches like the softest of bubble gums, with a dense and satisfying chewy texture. Founders Nev and Zeynep Bagriyanik grew up in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras (formerly known as Maras), where this unique ice-cream originated, and brought their expertise to Sydney in 2011. Their range of 28 flavours include standouts such as baklava, peach and raspberry, and the bestseller of the summer: melon and feta.

Good to know: Turkish ice-cream has a higher melting point, making it the wise choice for particularly hot days.

• Shop 1, 63-71 Enmore Road, Newtown; 1a Railway Parade, Burwood; hakiki.com.au

Duo Duo, Strathfield and Roselands
From $6.50 for a single scoop

Creaminess and flavour are key at Duo Duo, where the team use a special churning technique to ensure there’s less air in each scoop. The result is richer in flavour than most, with textural additions like shortbread, blueberries and fudge.

The menu changes frequently (requiring many, many taste tests, says general manager Chris Duong) and includes everything from classic vanilla bean to Vietnamese iced coffee. This summer, Earl Grey lychee was the pick of the bunch for its light, refreshing flavour, streaked with fresh lychee jelly.

Good to know: Duo Duo also make some of Sydney’s best doughnuts.

11 The Boulevarde, Strathfield; 67 Chapel Street, Roselands; duoduo.com.au

Cow and the Moon, Enmore
From $8.60 for a small, double scoop

On summer nights the crowd of customers at family-run gelateria Cow and the Moon spills out onto the street, filled with fans of world-award winning gelato master John Crowl. There are couples sharing outdoor tables, friends milling around after shows at the Enmore Theatre, and dogs angling for wafer cone crumbs.

Crowl and wife Wendy have been churning out Italian-style gelato since 2011, offering a large variety of super creamy, intense flavours which run the gamut from traditional (Madagascan vanilla bean; cookies and cream) to seasonal and fun (passionfruit creme; “Queenslanda” with mango and cream).

Good to know: The higher minimum price reflects a very generous portion of up to two flavours, and is easily shared between two.

181 Enmore Road, Enmore, cowandthemoon.com.au

Mapo Gelato, Newtown and Bondi Beach
From $6.50 for a single scoop

Matteo Pochintesta makes produce-driven gelato, sourcing most of his ingredients from NSW farms to create vividly flavoured, Italian-style gelato and sorbets. His recipes are simple, focusing on using the fewest number of ingredients possible to create profoundly delicious scoops − a feat no better exemplified than in his seasonal summer sorbets, of which up to 60 per cent are made from freshly picked fruit such as red plums, nectarines or blood oranges. If you’re after a classic, creamy flavour like stracciatella (milk and chocolate), it’s worth splurging on a drizzle of Pepe Saya sea salt caramel on top.

Good to know: Keep an eye on Mapo’s Instagram for one-off flavours made in collaboration with Sydney chefs.

123 King Street, Newtown; 64-66 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach; maponewtown.com

Gelato Messina, various locations
From $6.20 for a single scoop

Gelato Messina, which launched in Darlinghurst in 2002, has become a finely tuned powerhouse of service, quality and creativity. The weekly specials are how they’ll get you: pictures posted on social media of decadent dessert items artfully churned through creamy gelato. Vanilla pound cake in milk gelato with colourful hundreds and thousands? Yes. Choccy biscuits in dulce de leche and cream cheese gelato? Absolutely.

With a dedicated creative team for flavours, pastry chefs for the additions, and their own hazelnut and dairy farm supplying ingredients, it’s easy to see why this has become one of Australia’s most popular gelaterias.

Good to know: There will probably be a queue, but it usually moves quickly.

For locations, visit gelatomessina.com