Melbourne has a serious sweet side, and few treats suit the city better than ice cream and gelato. From market stalls and beachside gelaterias to Chapel Street institutions, neighbourhood scoop shops, and handmade ice cream specialists, Melbourne offers frozen desserts for nearly every mood. The best ice cream and gelato in Melbourne can be traditional, playful, Italian-inspired, dairy-free, handmade, seasonal, nostalgic, or designed for a late-night walk after dinner.
This guide brings together some of the best ice cream and gelato spots in Melbourne, with a mix of South Melbourne Market gelato, Windsor dessert culture, Port Melbourne artisan scoops, Hawthorn neighbourhood ice cream, and Bentleigh handmade batches. Whether you want a classic cone, a cup of sorbet, a rich gelato cake, a beachside scoop, a dairy-free option, or a proper handmade ice cream experience, these venues show why Melbourne is such a good city for frozen desserts.
Fritz Gelato
Fritz Gelato is a strong starting point for anyone looking for gelato in Melbourne. Located at South Melbourne Market, it has the advantage of being part of one of the city’s best food-shopping destinations, where a scoop of gelato fits naturally after coffee, lunch, produce shopping, or a slow walk through the market. It is casual, easy to visit, and built around the simple pleasure of choosing a flavour and eating while exploring the area.
The appeal of Fritz Gelato is variety and accessibility. A good gelato stall needs more than sweetness. It needs smooth texture, strong flavour, reliable scoops, and enough choice for different tastes. Fritz offers gelato, sorbet, yoghurt-style options, coffee, hot chocolate, and market-friendly treats, making it a useful option for families, visitors, and anyone wanting dessert without a formal sit-down experience.
Fritz Gelato is best for South Melbourne Market trips, casual desserts, family treats, dairy-free sorbets, and anyone looking for a reliable scoop in a lively food-market setting. It belongs in this guide because Melbourne’s ice cream scene is not only about late-night dessert bars. It is also about the everyday joy of a market scoop done well.
Address: Stall S11, 322 Coventry Street, South Melbourne 3205
Gelato Messina Windsor
Gelato Messina Windsor brings one of Australia’s most famous gelato names to Chapel Street. The Windsor store is especially useful for dessert after dinner, a late-night walk, a shopping break, or a casual sweet stop in one of Melbourne’s busiest dining and nightlife strips. It has the kind of reputation that makes people go out of their way for a scoop.
The draw is the depth of flavours and the sense of fun. Gelato Messina is known for its signature flavours, rotating specials, gelato cakes, rich textures, and playful combinations that move well beyond basic chocolate and vanilla. It works for people who want something classic, but it is especially good for diners who like creative flavours and a dessert menu that changes enough to reward repeat visits.
Gelato Messina Windsor is best for Chapel Street dessert runs, late-night gelato, gelato cakes, date-night sweets, and anyone who wants one of Melbourne’s most recognisable gelato experiences. It belongs in this guide because it combines consistency, variety, and a strong dessert identity in a high-energy location.
Address: 171 Chapel Street, Windsor 3181
Ice Cafe Venezia
Ice Cafe Venezia brings a classic gelateria feel to Port Melbourne, close to the water and the relaxed rhythm of Bay Street. It is the kind of place that suits an afternoon walk, a beachside treat, a family outing, or dessert after dinner nearby. The name points clearly toward Italian-style ice cream, and the experience is built around simple, familiar pleasure.
The appeal of Ice Cafe Venezia is its artisan gelato personality. A good neighbourhood gelateria should feel welcoming, colourful, and easy to drop into, with flavours that work for both kids and adults. Scoops, cones, cups, sorbet, creamy flavours, and sweet treats all fit the Port Melbourne setting, especially when the weather is warm and the beach is close.
Ice Cafe Venezia is best for Port Melbourne dessert stops, beachside gelato, family treats, casual sweets, and anyone looking for an Italian-style scoop on Bay Street. It adds a bayside option to this guide and shows how ice cream and gelato are often best enjoyed as part of a walk, not just as a restaurant dessert.
Address: 65 Bay Street, Port Melbourne 3207
Cones Hawthorn
Cones Hawthorn is a neighbourhood ice cream and gelato shop on Glenferrie Road, serving the kind of classic scoop-shop experience that works for students, families, locals, and anyone passing through Hawthorn. It is casual and straightforward, which is exactly what many people want from a good ice cream stop.
The menu focuses on ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and cone-friendly flavours, with dairy-free and vegan-suitable sorbet options also part of the appeal. Places like Cones matter because they make dessert feel easy and local. You do not need a special occasion or a full restaurant meal. You can simply stop for a cup or cone and keep walking.
Cones Hawthorn is best for casual scoops, family desserts, Glenferrie Road walks, vegan-friendly sorbets, and simple ice cream cravings. It belongs in this guide because Melbourne’s best frozen-dessert spots include small neighbourhood shops as well as bigger-name gelato brands.
Address: 836 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn 3122
Will’s Batch Bentleigh
Will’s Batch Bentleigh brings handmade ice cream to Centre Road, giving Melbourne’s south-east a dedicated scoop shop with a strong neighbourhood feel.
The appeal of Will’s Batch is in its handmade, small-batch identity. Ice cream works best when texture, flavour, freshness, and generosity come together, and a dedicated ice creamery can focus on those details. With scoops, sundaes, shakes, spiders, frappes, and a broad flavour range, Will’s Batch suits both quick dessert stops and more indulgent sweet cravings.
Will’s Batch Bentleigh is best for handmade ice cream, family desserts, sundaes, shakes, neighbourhood treats, and anyone looking for a dedicated ice cream shop in Bentleigh. It rounds out this guide by adding a suburban handmade ice cream specialist to balance the CBD, market, Chapel Street, Port Melbourne, and Hawthorn options.
Address: 2/435 Centre Road, Bentleigh 3204
Final thoughts
The best ice cream and gelato in Melbourne show how varied the city’s frozen-dessert scene can be. Fritz Gelato brings award-winning gelato to South Melbourne Market, while Gelato Messina Windsor adds creative Chapel Street flavours and gelato cakes. Ice Cafe Venezia gives Port Melbourne an Italian-style gelateria, Cones Hawthorn offers a classic neighbourhood scoop shop, and Will’s Batch Bentleigh brings handmade ice cream to the south-east.
Together, these venues show why Melbourne is such a good city for a cone, cup, sorbet, or scoop. The scene can be classic or creative, market-based or beachside, dairy-rich or vegan-friendly, city-focused or suburban. Whether you want gelato after dinner, handmade ice cream with the family, sorbet on a warm day, or a late Chapel Street dessert, Melbourne has an ice cream or gelato spot for the occasion.