Gelato Messina – Fitzroy

I’ve been to messina a couple of times but i can’t remember all the flavours i’ve tried. To night i went after dinner with my girlfriends and i bought myself 2 scoops. The flavours were pear& rhubarb and dulce de lychee. Honestly the pear&rhubarb didn’t taste like either of the flavours listed. It tasted more like vanilla icecream with some strawberry bits in it. Nonetheless i still enjoyed it as i love icecream so much. I don’t know what dulce de lychee means but it tasted like coconut mixed with lychee and it was delicious. The icecreams here are gelato so it’s good for people who are lactose intolerant. It’s very smooth and fluffy. I recommend trying this place alll year round because there’s always room for icecream. Icecream also taste the best in winter. Try it in winter haha! I dare you.

This is a place where everyone can fall in love with.
Parking is not an issue but the queue to get your indulgence is.
Why we love Melbourne so much?
This place can help with their goodies.
ENJOY!

It’s ice cream but, like, at a night club. But not at a night club. People cue like at a bar, desperate for their next vodka, no I mean ice cream flavour, elbowing each other out the way whilst trying to look cute in their tight jeans/​mid drift tops. No matter what the weather. There are loud bangers playing in the background with mood lighting and lounge communal seating for people to sit around and watch the dance floor, no I mean ice cream cabinet. There are often lines to get in the door as people anxiously try to persuade the door bitch to let them inside. Oh wait, no there’s no list, that bit is made up.
All of this aside, the ice cream tastes great and there are many flavours that your grandparents would have never considered such as salted coconut and mango, salted caramel and white choc, poached figs in marsala & gianduia and, my favourite, something with peanut butter which is potentially salted. The official name escapes me.
Girls seem to go crazy for this place so tinder fellas, impress you next date by taking her here for dessert.

I reckon plenty of good things have already been said about Messina, and it’s my pleasure to add to this — excellent gelatin with many interesting flavours, on top of very friendly service.
Only slight gripe is that Messina is strictly cash only.

I really love this place for their fresh, new flavors and a different approach of putting flavors together like Pandang Coconut sorbet. Who thinks of that?
This place always has a line out the door so be patient but go. You will not be disappointed.

Yes the line is out of control and it feels like a nightclub on a warm night, but it’s hard to beat Messina when it comes to innovative flavours and pun-​filled descriptions of their specials. Kids of all ages love this place and they do a «tiny» portion for little tummies and also big tummies who need to watch their calorie intake (read: me). I’m a fan of the pandan coconut but also sometimes pick something from the special board, especially if there’s nuts and banana involved.

Pretty much the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten. Their selection is huge and EVERY single ice cream looks amazing.
The White Choc Hazelnut flavor was so tasty and smooth with pralines in the ice cream, and the Salted Caramel and White Chocolate flavor was amazing as well.
We didn’t have to queue so much on a Sunday afternoon (it was cold outside, maybe not so many people fancied having ice cream for dessert…) and even got the chance to watch the guy actually doing the ice cream since you get to have a view in the kitchens while you’re queuing.

Just delicious!
A superb selection of delicious gelato flavours, crafted to the highest quality :) My sweet tooth runs rampant at the mere proximity to this place!

I forced Hubby to visit Gelato Messina with me one Thursday arvo. There are in luck! At 12:30pm it was still quite quiet. We looked like kids in a gelato store (oh opps we ARE in a gelato store!) trying to decide which flavours to get. So many different types of chocolate… Soooo many versions of coffee! Do you want coffee, tiramisu, coffee with nuts??? My mind just boggles.
Fortunately they would happily let you try all their flavours until you decide on one that you wanted. We chose chocolate sorbet (dairy and gluten free) and one of their specials called Nuttin To It.
What an amazing choice. The chocolate sorbet was dark and smooth, not too sweet but just hitting all the right spots.
Nuttin to It is a peanut gelato with coffee crunch, peanut and white chocolate. I feared that the white chocolate would make it sickly sweet, but no, it was delicious.
I know a lot of peeps would disagree but to be honest, I felt that the gelato at Spring st Grocer seemed smoother and yummier, but of course, I do like the quirky special flavours they have in Gelato Messina too.

You can’t really fault Gelato Messina because you’ll always find something that takes your fancy.
My favourite thing about the place is that they sell take home tubs where you can have more than one flavour and whilst they’re more expensive than what you would get in the supermarket, you’re getting a much better product so it’s worth it.
I’ve never had to queue myself, but it is quite frustrating to get to the counter and there is no order of who is to be served and it gets a bit messy.
Overall though, it’s not enough to stop me from coming back!

Best ever! I love this place in spite of the queues. I especially love the salted caramel but the bounty come a close second. He adores the coffee one!

You will be forgiven for thinking you are ‘up in da clurb’ when you’re at Gelato Messina. The music is pumping (people are actually dancing while they wait), you’ll have to fight your fellow patrons off for a seat and everyone is huddled around the service area like they’re waiting to get a drink at the bar.
It’s surprisingly well priced at $ 6 for a double scoop in a cup. I mean, there’s really no point in getting just one scoop. Even if you couldn’t finish 2 whole scoops there’s just too much to choose from to narrow it down to one. There are plenty of exotic flavours (and so many with cake in it).
I picked my staple salted caramel and also a scoop of tiramisu. I’d have to admit I was actually let down with the salted caramel. I have definitely had better. But the tiramisu was a hit and taste testing my friends scoops also I’d have to say 3 hits and 1 meh (it’s not a totaly miss) is pretty darn good.

This is going to be controversial but I just don’t like Messina at all. I’ve given it a few goes now & it’s categorically disappointed me almost every single time. The one time I wasn’t disappointed I still wasn’t impressed — it was okay.
As other reviews have stipulated, the queues are stupid — you WILL queue and once you get in there you will still have to jostle your way to the front. And to queue for what turns out to be average gelato is slightly aggravating.
Once there you’re faced with an impressive array of creative flavours, but for me these flavours always miss the mark. Messina seems to be all flare and front, it sounds great, but it never comes through on the actual taste. The basic flavours are done well — but you can get those same basic flavours at other gelato places, so you don’t need to queue for Messina.
On the plus side, the prices are reasonable and the staff are unfailingly lovely even when faced with next level ridiculous queues.
My advice is to try Messina because everyone else seems to rave about it so much, but also nip up the road to Helados or Pidapipo in Carlton for some phenomenal gelato with similar creative flavour combinations!

I’m no gelato natzi but if you pop in here and are subject to a queue don’t be part of the problem and insist on trying half the flavours and discussing them with your 3 mates.
I rarely eat ice cream or gelato, but I tried two scoops. It’s sweet, boy is it sweet. I got in here when I was walking past during Christmas-​Eve week; for the first time ever there was no queue. $ 6 for two scoops; pretty reasonable considering the selection and quality.
It’s a tasty conclusion to a burger or as an insulin rocketing companion on a walk-​home after a light meal. Is it 15+ minute line-​ups and calling ahead orders to people in queue good? Probably not…

This place is pretty good but I don’t understand why the lines to get an ice cream get so long sometimes haha
All the ice cream is made in house and from scratch in a kitchen that looks like a small laboratory… It’s all stainless steel and boy do they keep it clean! A small dream of mine to have in my own home haha.
Back to the ice cream. It’s pretty good but a heads up to those who are lactose intolerant. Everything has milk in it except for their sorbets. The current menu notes that anything with a «D» has dairy just like some have“N” for nuts, except they forgot to say that all of the ice creams on the top half of the menu are «D» haha don’t let that deter you though.
If you can stomach milk go nuts! They have a selection of odd ice creams they rotate as specials which have quirky names and flavour mixes for those looking to be a little more exciting than vanilla, strawberry or chocolate.
Ps the prices are actually fair and their $ 3 tiny scoop was actually bigger than I though and as someone who enjoys ice cream in small doses just to savour something sweet after a meal… It was the perfect size! If your a three scoop kind of person, they have a special for one two or three!

Queuing for gelato is madness, but so is living in Melbourne and not visiting Messina Gelato. With a roped line extended down the sidewalk of Smith a Street in peak times, it’s easy to see the devotion of people in need of quality ice cream. There are dozens of flavours on offer however with the large crowds it may be difficult to physically see all the flavours. If you’re with someone else, get them to nip inside and grab a menu whilst queuing. Flavours available include the traditional fruit sorbets and a wide range of creative combinations such as pear and rhubarb, poached figs in Marsala and Italian nougat. There are also weekly specials written on a chalkboard.
I had a combination of the chocolate chip, cherry pie and fragole e zabaglione (frozen Marsala custard and strawberries). Delicious. I cannot wait for my next visit to try some different flavours.
For those looking for more than just eating gelato, Messina also offers gelato making classes.

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum! Oh my, this is some pretty amazing ice cream! Okay, so you might have to queue, but fret not, it really is worth the wait! I would recommend checking out both the menu and specials board before choosing you final choice. Although it is worth remembering they do let you sample a flavour or two before placing your final order. I might go as far to say that this could possibly be the best ice cream in Melbourne, okay so that does mean I need to go and taste the rest now!

Hectic! 8pm on a wed night and the place had lines out like they were giving out gold bullion for free. Quality of product is excellent. I haven’t had better gelato. I tried the giadano bianco and two specials. all good. I don’t venture north much so glad I got to try this. definitely recommend it if you are a sweet tooth.

In my opinion this is the best gelato place in Melbourne. I have tried Trampoline, Romantica and Gelatissima, and have come to the conclusion that Gelato Messina is the best. The reason why I rate it so highly is because of the large variety of flavours, especially some exotic combos for the adventurous and the quality. It is a must try, for all gelato lovers.
The menu option is large, with a variety of flavours to choose from, including some unusual flavours like pandan and coconut, apple pie, blood orange and panna cotta with ameretti biscuit and fig (so nice, it’s a unusual combo but it works). I do recommend trying the salted caramel and white chocolate. In my opinion, the salted caramel and white chocolate goes together so well and it’s my favourite. No cold hard chocolate chip bits, just smooth melt in your mouth gelato.
Another favourite of mine is dolce dulette (creamy rich nutty caramel flavour gelato) bounty and mandarin.
Gelato Messina does get very packed and the queue is massive, mostly late afternoon and evenings. On Friday night and weekends, expect a long wait. Most of the times I’ve been there it is very packed, even some weeknights. There can be quite a fair amount of pushing in and shoving from rude people. The times I’ve been when it’s not so packed is in early afternoons.
The menu options include:
1 scoop-​$ 5, 2 scoops– $ 6, 3 scoops-​$ 7, a take home tub-​$ 10, gelato cakes (so pretty) $ 85, they are displayed at the front.
The gelatos are dearer than most places but it may just be worth that extra money and patience.
Also Gelato Messina is opened till 11:00pm so that’s convenient.

How can amazing ice cream be anything but a five star experience? I scream for this ice cream and happily cross town for their amazing array of flavours and at the moment the lead contender for Lauren’s milkshake of the year!
Do not be afraid to try some of their wilder flavours as it is usually always worth the gamble. I do not line up for much in this world but I do line up for this ice cream.
Service is always super friendly and the staff seem to enjoy their work which is always great especially in a place as busy as here. I am yet to try their birthday cakes but with my bday up in a few weeks I think it is top of my wish list!
I think the fact that when you walk in and out you get a hello and goodbye with a smile adds to the deliciousness of the whole experience.
Gelato Messina is a welcome import from Sydney and I hope they spread their stores more over our beautiful city.