Best Ice cream in Sydney

1. La Cremeria Deluca Leichhardt (Now Closed)
Sardinian born-and-bred Luigi De Luca makes all his own bases for his gelati and sorbeti. It's rich, it's creamy, it's all natural. De Luca is also the president of the Gelato Manufacturers Association and runs regular Sardinian cooking classes and gelato making classes. Everything's good here but for the full experience go for something traditional like cassata or tirimisu.

2. Gelateria Caffe 2000 Rozelle
Owner Tonino Lo Iacono's gelati are the best thing this suburb has to offer. He makes the most splendid pear gelato, and the strawberry jam swirl is positively grouse. The tiny little gelateria is a Rozelle stalwart - sit at one of the little tables out the front with some peach gelato. They also operate as a diner and do an excellent polenta board with pork chops. Just make sure you don't get sidetracked and miss the gelato.

3. Mado Auburn
Maras ice cream is the one to order here. The Mado folks claim it's the only ice cream you can eat with a knife and fork. And they're spot on - the consistency is bizarre (part stretchy and firm, part creamy and melty) and it tastes faintly like orchids. Topped with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios, it's a dessert you'll find in very few restaurants. Also big on our list is the sour cherry.   

4. Pompei's Bondi Beach
There's Amedei gelato on at the moment at George Pompei's pizzeria/gelateria. This incredibly bittersweet Italian chocolate is Italy's finest and a square by itself is pure pleasure. Appearing on restaurant menus all over town (Pilu at Freshwater serve it as is while other restaurants turn it into mousse and fondant) but here, it's made into an incredibly luxe gelato. The pistachio is also awesome as is the hazelnut and the strawberry is a real dazzler.

5. Bar Italia Leichhardt
If you're up this end of Norton Street, it's the best place to eat a mega huge cone - they do a great chocolate - but our favourite is the pistachio. Take it away or eat in the leafy, rambling old courtyard out the back.

6. Passionflower Haymarket
The Chinatown shop is still the best, though there's one located on George Street in the CBD if that's your 'hood. Flavours like black sesame, lychee and plum feature, though choc chip is the house favourite. They also do a good line in cookies 'n' cream. Weird rules apply here, though - there are two separate menus, one for eating in and one for takeaway. And god help you if you sit down in their seats with your cone. We did it, and got very embarrassingly ushered out. Great ice cream, though.     

7. Gelato Messina Darlinghurst
With a huge range of flavours, this slick gelateria applies traditional technique in designer digs. Always packed with people spilling out on to the footpath on the scant chairs and tables set outside, they do all your favourites (strawberry, vanilla, chocolate) but then do some more unconventional desserts that change with the seasons like pina colada. They also do an excellent straccitella (chocolate chip).

8. Nice Cream Paddington
A small-scale business, they've been operating for about 15 years by word of mouth. They've got 50–60 flavours on any given day that change with the seasons from hot apple pie and cinnamon to blood orange sorbet. It's hand poured, hand packed and uses all-natural and local ingredients from local suppliers. And just to put the cherry on the top, they know the names of all their regulars. Get into it. DR

9. Sugarplum Randwick
Right in the heart of the Spot, this completely pink ice cream parlour is a spunked up version of your American style soda shack and their ice cream is roolio troolio good. There's black sesame and banana, burnt caramel and green tea as well as the classics like rum 'n' raisin and English toffee.

10. Patagonia Coogee
Argentinean 'scream by the beach. The best thing they do is the dulce de leche (a type of south American caramel) - it's rich, it's got that deep, dark, slightly burnt buttery sugar taste and it melts super-quickly, which means you need to eat it in double time. Other flavours include peppermint choc chip (a real crowd divider) and Snickers (totally yum).

Best takeaway ice cream

Pat and Stick
It's the perfect ice-cream sandwich: extra hard ice cream, crumbly, rich biscuit and a huge range of flavours.
Blackwattle Deli Pyrmont

Maggie Beer
The best ice cream to have come out of a tub this year. Our favourite is the burnt fig, honeycomb and caramel. Oooh, baby.
Maloney's Grocer Coogee

Best restaurant ice cream

Quay
Peter Gilmore hand churns all his own ice cream in-house and makes the most amazing granitas - he redefines what it is to eat dessert in a restaurant.                                                                                          Circular Quay West

Bodega
Ben and Elvis (Belvis) make ice cream and flavour it Argentinean. Dulce de leche ice cream, banana splits... they take old favourites and reinvent them.                                                                                          Surry Hills

Bentley Restaurant and Bar
Brent Savage's white chocolate ice cream is given a nitro spin and served smoking at the table.  
Surry Hills

Glebe Point Diner
Strawberry jelly and vanilla ice cream is a childhood favourite luxed up with creamy house made ice cream and proper fruit jelly.
Glebe

Perama
Ice cream, Greek style. George Calombaris' baklava ice cream is the sweetest, creamiest thing this side of Petersham.
Petersham

Best healthy alternative

Wowcow
For a healthier alternative to ice cream you can't go past Wowcow's all natural, low fat super chilled yogurts and toppings. Make sure you try their Wow Sticks too(Wowcow's version of the traditional spanish churro).

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