Goodberry’s Franklin is always a palate-pleasing choice. Photo: Ben Calvert.
There’s nothing better than a cone of sweet, icy goodness on a hot summer day. We’ve already had a few stinking-hot ones that had us heading for our local ice-cream, gelato or frozen custard parlour. Whether you prefer cup or cone, creamy or sorbet, there are plenty of places to love in Canberra.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, and here are a few of our favourites we want to scream about!
Goodberry’s Frozen Custard, Erindale, Belconnen & Franklin
Canberra institution Goodberry’s has stood the test of time and continues to be a solid choice for a cold treat on a hot day. Sundaes, shakes and cones are well and good, but if I’m going to Goodberry’s, I’m there for a Concrete. Choose your frozen custard base blended with whichever mix-ins you fancy, or pick the expert flavour pairings from the menu (hint: the Nutty Professor slaps). There’s a good reason Canberrans have been loving frozen custard since 1998, and you can get it in three locations across the city.
Gelato Messina, Braddon & Kingston
Rain or shine, there always seems to be a queue outside Gelato Messina, even on the coldest of Canberra evenings. The Sydney franchise has made itself at home in Canberra, with its pails of wacky flavour combinations and elegant classics.
Whether you’re into the more ”out there” combinations, such as the Dirty Matcha-Mi-Su (matcha tiramisu), or prefer a more relaxed strawberries and cream, Messina has the goods! It also sells incredible cakes and handmade chocolates, but I’ve personally never made it past a waffle cone with two scoops of whatever looks most delicious.
Jayde McKendrick’s tasting flights are a popular way to try a range of ice creams. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Stripey Sundae, Nicholls
This locally owned business makes its own ice creams in small batches on-site with fresh, local, raw ingredients. It offers plenty of vegan, gluten-free and allergy-friendly options, and has a regularly rotating cast of flavours with creative twists on classic desserts (jam doughnut ice cream, anyone?) The venue recently went completely off-book with a maple-glazed ham flavour for Christmas, which nobody asked for, but I must admit I’m curious!
You can even book its mobile ice-cream cart to attend your function with flavours of your choice – now wouldn’t that be a party to remember! Some of the flavours feature fruits that have been grown in local backyards and traded in for ice cream – it doesn’t get fresher than that!
Matteo Sassi, Florence Gelato: Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Florence Gelato, Capital Food Market
Named to honour owner Matteo Sassi’s home town, Florence Gelato brings Italian artisan techniques to Belconnen, with Matteo’s extensive experience as a pastry chef on show. The flavours at Florence always go the extra mile: it’s not just a blueberry sorbet, it’s blueberry and lemon myrtle. Or salted caramel and popcorn; apricot and rosemary. I think Matteo might be a gelato genius …
My favourite of his creations is The CBR, designed to represent the city Matteo now calls home. Wattle seed represents the wattle trees all over the city, and macadamia from Queensland is for people who come from other places to call Canberra home. Gooey raspberry represents all the things we love about Canberra, and a crunchy caramelised honey brittle is the less-loved parts (politics! roadworks!) that still make Canberra what it is. The limited-edition flavour is now on offer all the time as a Florence signature.
Freshly churned gelato and seasonal ingredients are on the menu at Spilt Milk Bar. Photo: Spilt Milk Bar Dickson.
Spilt Milk Gelato Bar, Dickson
Originally hailing from Orange, NSW, the Dickson branch of Spilt Milk is now under local Canberra ownership. This gelato bar has a rotating line-up of seasonal flavours, but I personally can’t go past the pistachio: it’s made with real nuts ground to a paste in-house, and you can absolutely taste the difference.
The venue delivers to the inner north, absolutely ruining my life (in the best way possible!). A dinner in Dickson or a visit to the pool now feels incomplete without popping by for a cheeky Spilt Milk on the way home.
Melany Batley traded in her finance career to make gelato. Photo: Eunie Kim Photography.
There are still more local ice creams we love but, alas, word limits are real and my editors will only let me wax lyrical about desserts for so long … Keep an eye out for Bungendore-based Mellabella Gelato at special events and festivals, or grab a tub of Canberra’s own vegan ice cream, Future Swirl, at a supermarket near you. Bubu Ice Cream & Dessert in Dickson offers lots of interesting Asian flavours (durian ice cream, anyone?), and plenty of folks swear by a Via Dolce scoop in Garema Place. AND Wildflour Cafe is serving ice cream in croissants!
Clearly, Canberra loves ice cream. What’s your favourite?
