Gelateria Primavera

I like to think of myself as a bit of a gelato connoisseur being that it would be the last thing I would want to eat before I leave this earth. Oh & did I mention I’ve gelato-​ed all over the world from Argentina’s ‘Helados’ on every corner of its cities to Italy’s famed gelato across the country too.
So you see it takes something to knock my socks off & I was pleasantly surprised when I taste tested almost all the flavours available at Primavera… I walked away with the Rafaello, Salted Caramel & Hazelnut but it was the light but creamy & fine smooth texture that was like silk on my tongue.
Messina who? I’m a total convert!

Nestled up near Parliament is Gelataria Primavera. Home to my second favourite ice cream store in Melbourne. I love ice cream and this little hole in the wall place serves some of the best around. The flavours are all quite unique and it is cash only but do not let this deter you in the slightest. Grab some $$ and ask for a taste before committing. Flavours change daily and they do sell out so getting in early is sometimes wise. My favourites there are salted caramel, mango and passionfruit and their dairy free dark chocolate. MMMM

I’ve been going here since they opened, bringing friends and showing them what I consider to be the best gelato in Melbourne. Amazing, interesting flavours. Freshly made. Friendly staff.
Staff have all changed and are only polite because they have to be. There’s no friendly service that makes you feel welcome anymore. Not only that but they have developed a habit of serving the wrong flavour to what you have ordered.
My other issue is that they have gone down the Cadbury path. I’ve seen their prices go up (twice), and there scoop size go down.
Their flavours are really well done and not overly sweet. Based on gelato alone I would rate it 5 starts, but the whole experience brings it down greatly.

Pre-​made juices! Oh no. It seems I’m a juice snob!
$ 10 for a 500ml pre-​made juice. I think that’s a bit rough. I expect a fresh made juice for that price. I’m happy to pay for the real thing, but if I can’t see them make it, I don’t know how long it’s been there. Cold pressed or not…

Yes. Just yes.
Go eat some.
The texture is great, flavours A+, irresistible even in winter.
They have REAL pistachio gelati. nomonomnom

A cheese cave, a wonderfully stocked delicatessen, and gelato done properly (I.e how the Italians do it). Not a huge selection but the 8 – 10 they do do, they do perfectly, what more could you want?

Such a cute little place, in the perfect location for city workers. Just beyond Parliment Station and across from some great gardens.
The selection on offer here is pretty unique and amazing. It’s a small succinct selection though. All about the quality on offer, not quantity of flavours. My only issue and the removal of stars is how the menu is sometimes not entirely correct. I’m still not sure if the menu omitted a flavour OR if I was served the wrong gelati. I can’t understand how/​why my salted caramel came with flicks of chilli. Lip tingling, throat irritating bits of pink chilli flakes. It was soul destroying devastating discovery. Every second spoon was delicious salted caramel. Then came the burn.
In the end I made it half way through before disposing of the remainder.

Finally made it to Primavera, albeit in the middle of winter and only a few weeks after returning from the land of the best gelato of my life, also known as Italy.
The husband and I got a small cup each, so we could try two flavours (we didn’t combine them as the two we wanted didn’t really go together that well to occupy a single cup).
Dark chocolate Jaffa mousse with Grand Marnier and Pistachio Stracciatella were our two choices, with the chocolate Jaffa being the clear winner. The pistachio wasn’t as good as the ones I had in Italy, and it tasted really salty (weird), but I did appreciate the addition of the choc chips.
Really didn’t get friendly service at all on the Saturday night we visited. So for that, and the pricey-​ness I took off 1.5 stars, but rounded up to 4 stars as it probably is the best gelato I’ve had in Melbourne.
Had a peek inside the Grocer too — very cool! I will have to check out the cheese cave some other time. I Will be back to try more flavours too, perhaps once Spring arrives!

Cheeses, Organic fruits and Icecream all in one place.
AND all with charm. The chili ice cream is something to try.
I look forward to a return.

I’d forgotten just how much rewarding Gelati can be. I’ve finally cracked after four days
in these Sahara like conditions, and running out of patience and cool, Primavera came
up in spades. Lemon sorbet always seems so simple, but each time I eat it, I’m reminded justhow wonderful it is. I also had mango-​passion, which was divine. On hot days Gelati can solve nearly all my woes, Crashed on my bike? «who cares I’ve got Gelati.» In fact, if some one was to win my over, or butter me up, that kinda thing, all that would be needed would be a exceptionally large tub of gelati, when the weather’s hot that is. Not as much choice as some of the other places, but damm tasty.

Sometimes, a long review is not necessary, you just need to know the essential: The yoghurt/​cinnamon is to die for.
So just move your bum and go there. NOW

I love a place that is so good at what they do and yet they are open almost anytime I am ready to buy from them, rather than me having to dedicate a specific time to get there before they close.
This little gelato+juice bar have some of the best tasting ice creams in town. The staff are super nice and makes sure that you are satisfied with what you like so don’t feel bad when asking for samples to try before you buy (for me it is simple, I take off anything from the menu that is directly chocolate or is in any way affiliated with the chocolate family and I consider the rest).
What I really love is their range freshly made juices available to take away, especially OJ in those cute glass bottles.

OK, yes this place serves the most awesome fresh gelato and sorbet and, if you can make it past that, there is now a great little organic food and grocery set back from the street.
Exploring the grocery section you will find artisan foods and organic free range foods and the staff are always happy to answer question about the source and origin.
For those like me who aren’t big on cooking, they have a space in the fridge for fresh preprepared meals that you can take straight home, heat up and eat. I’ll definitely be back to work my way through these.
Now, the selection of stock is not cheap but as someone who cares about the quality of my food, where it comes from, and the care and attention that goes in to its preparation I’m happy to shop here. Also, you can pick up fruit and veg here much quicker that Safeway or even Queen Vic Markets so if you are going past, drop in and check out the selection.

I don’t even know how to deal with the flavours of gelati and sorbets that hide in little silver tubs built into the benchtops at this place. Seriously, I want to cry and laugh and put a minimum of five different flavours into my mouth at once, but that’s not actually going to benefit me. This is the problem with being a tourist, but can also apply to the locals fearing that the flavours could, at any time, change on a daily basis.
My best advice is to take a friend. Get three flavours each. Play swapsies. You will still be ridiculously full, but you’ll get to try double the number of flavours you could sensibly get away with if you were a solo traveller. I got a sorbet bucket, my friend got a gelato bucket. Nothing quite blew my mind like the ridiculously fresh watermelon and mint sorbet, but the other five flavours sure came close.

So my checks in may consist of coffee, gelati and gym from here on in. Watch out Melbourne, we are in trouble because this is quite delicious.
Ask for a little taste test if the menu is a little too overwhelming, which is what I did.
I was already sold on Salted Caramel so I tried the passionfruit and yogurt. It was tart and passionfruity and everything delicious rolled into one frozen delight. NOMMMMMM
I was little thrown off by the fact that you can’t visualize the gelati. I like to look at it and narrow my choices down by eating with my eyes. You can’t here, so go with your gut.
Run.

Adorable little gelato and juice bar nestled in next to City Wine Shop. They offer fresh, seasonal flavours on an ever-​rotating menu and are happy to offer samples if you’re struggling to decide.
This, however, is just the beginning. They’re promising to open their full boutique grocer and Australia’s first purpose-​built underground cheese cave early 2013. If their neighbouring establishments are anything to go by, this is worth keeping an eye on!

I’d heard rumours about a cheese cave opening in Melbourne, a beautiful grocery store and amazing gelati. I mean, these are the kinds of things that a girl like me stays awake at night dreaming about so you can imagine my delight in finally seeing the flood of photos for said gelati coming through on my instagram feed. YES. It had arrived.
A week or so later I made the visit for lunch and while the grocery and cheese cave isn’t quite ready (stay tuned in 2013 for those, which will sit under the name «Spring St. Grocer») the gelati is in full swing and good god, it’s delicious. You can have a little taste of those you’re curious about (try the one with tumeric, it’s unusual and reminds me of holidays in Bali) then settle on your flavours. For that particular lunch, I had a small serving of the coconut, banana and ginger sorbet. It wasn’t overly sweet and had an amazing creaminess, despite having no dairy in it. I convinced myself that what I was eating was healthy, GOOD for me even!
While it might be a bit of a stretch of the imagination to assume gelati can replace all lunches from now on, I know with certainly that the cold-​pressed juices made here indeed could. As a recent convert to the world of juice cleansing, I love cold pressed juices because it keeps all the flavour and nutrients in the extracted juice, along with the vibrant colour. Yes, you’ll pay a little more in comparison to the other juice bars in town but you’re actually getting a far superior juice that your body (and your nutritionist) is going to love you for.
Next time I’m going to have a two course meal — a green juice followed by the new chocolate and orange gelati.