No matter the season or reason, you can never go wrong with an ice cream.
Whether you’re wrapped in blankets on a crisp winter night, sitting with your loved one watching the Perth city lights twinkle with an ice cream sandwich in hand, or down by the beach with friends on a hot summer day, attempting to escape the heat and gain respite in a scoop of fruity gelato, there’s never a time when ice cream isn’t appropriate.
I’m sure most of us can agree that ice cream is always on the agenda or somewhere in the back of our minds. In Perth, where the weather is almost always warmer than cooler, and where we get more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in Australia, it seems only right that we have an abundance of ice cream shops to choose from. If you're not sure where to start, here are some of the best places where the cool, sweet, creamy goodness awaits you.
Cuccini Gelato - Perth
Cuccini Gelato is the ice cream shop where classic and quirky meet. Here, you’ll find that flavours are ever-changing and evolving. Of course, there are the staple beloved flavours like chocolate, strawberry, and mango, but there are also some more unique ones. Think cooling cucumber-mint, smooth Earl Grey tea, sweet red bean, and citrusy mandarin, to name a few. This minimalist Northbridge gelateria makes everything from scratch in their kitchen so you don’t have to question where your scoops are coming from or, how fresh they are.
Gusto Gelato - Elizabeth Quay, Leederville, East Victoria Park
Sean Lee, the man behind Gusto Gelato, sent himself to Gelato University in Bologna, Italy, where he learnt from the best and mastered his craft as a Gelatiere. If this tells us anything, it’s that Gusto Gelato is about as authentic as it gets outside of Italy. With three stores across Perth, one at Elizabeth Quay, another in Leederville, and the last in East Victoria Park, there's no denying the popularity of this gelato shop. A few of the many standout flavours include decadent caramelised white chocolate, refreshing orange and passionfruit, and a palate favourite always, strawberry and dark chocolate.
Kuld Creamery - Northbridge
Kuld Creamery creates locally crafted ice cream with a less-is-more approach. Every month, they release five new flavours with only six types of ice cream on offer at one time. While you may not be spoiled for choice, you’ll no doubt be spoiled by flavour and quality. There’s no guarantee what flavours will be on offer when you visit, but some past ones include lemon butter with almond poppyseed biscuit, apple crumble, honey baklava, and raspberry and mandarin pavlova. If that sentence doesn't have your mouth watering, I’m not sure what will. Find them open seven days a week in Fremantle and Northbridge.
Chicho Gelato - Northbridge
Craving something a bit more filling than just a scoop, Chicho Gelato has got you covered. With a range of flavours made daily on-site at their Northbridge, and Fremantle stores, this gelateria and espresso bar serves up some intriguing and irresistible combinations. The first to come to mind is their gingerbread berry custard sando, which is exactly what it sounds like, gingerbread sandwiching custard gelato with a drizzle of berry jam. Others include their Chicho hot apple bun, mango sticky rice, and brioche con gelato, which have all been created with one of their signature scoops at the centre.
Milan Gelato - Victoria Park
In the heart of Victoria Park, you’ll find Milan Gelato, an artisanal gelateria with a range of products from traditional gelato to vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options. Some of their stand-out flavours include caramel coffee gelato, with Belgian waffles, and chocolate sauce mixed throughout, rosewater with chocolate chips and pistachio cream, baileys with chocolate fudge brownie, and panna cotta with caramelised fig.
FRY’D - Leederville
Deep-fried ice cream. It sounds confusing, but it tastes unforgettable. What started as a pop-up stall at markets around Australia, settled in Leederville as FRY’D, Australia's first deep-fried ice cream shop, and we’re spoilt to have it in our own backyard. If you’re unsure as to what to expect, FRY’D is the perfect blend of hot and crispy and cold and creamy, two contrasting elements we never knew we needed together. With a monthly rotation of flavours, at times including cookies and cream, matcha, ferro rocher, and salted caramel, you’ll never feel like you’ve ‘TRY’D’ enough.
Pietro Gelateria - Victoria Park, Inglewood
What makes Pietro Gelateria stand out amongst the crowd is their gelato series. Every month, they bring a new flavour series to their Inglewood, East Victoria Park, and Northbridge stores, which contain 4-6 limited edition flavours that are a part of a particular genre. Previous genres include Lunar New Year, cake, twisted classics and the Philippines. There are also 12 permanent flavours that you’ll always be able to find in-store if the monthly gelato series isn’t what your tastebuds desire.
Whisk Creamery - Subiaco, Northbridge
With over 28,000 followers on Instagram, there’s no denying Whisk Creamery knows what they're doing. When you think of Whisk, some of the first things to come to mind include their insanely decadent-looking ice cream shakes, and equally insane croinut ice cream sandwiches, as well as their cute taiyaki cones. These Subiaco, and Northbridge, ice cream shops have a set menu of six flavours with one limited edition unique flavour of the month. However, if you're going here, chances are you’ll be leaving with more than just a scoop and a cone. With multiple special toppings and additions on the menu, as well as other tempting ice cream treats, Whisk is heaven on earth for any sweet tooth.
Roho
Roho came here to revolutionise plant-based ice cream and guilt-free desserts, and that's exactly what they did. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and absolutely mouth-watering, this ice cream shop, which calls itself boujee and isn't wrong, will have you feeling just as good as their offerings taste. Their cookie ice cream sandwiches are probably their most recognisable and loved product, and for good reason. You won’t regret getting your hands on one.
