When Gelato Messina first landed in Adelaide, it didn’t take long for the queues to become part of the streetscape. The walk for an after-dinner scoop has become a ritual for Kent Town locals – me included – and the quiet thrill of spotting a new creative flavour on the board continues to bring innumerable joy. For a city that takes dessert seriously, Messina settled in as if it had always been there.
And now, it’s gone beachside.
Yesterday, Gelato Messina opened the doors to its second South Australian store in Glenelg, and with it came the signal and joy that summer has officially begun.
The new store sits right in the thick of Glenelg’s coastal churn on Colley Terrace, making it an irresistible pit stop after swims, sunset walks, and Glenelg diners who know that a good gelato is mandatory after dinner on a balmy night.
Inside, the full Messina experience is on display. A 40-flavour cabinet stacked with 35 familiar favourites and five rotating weekly specials, plus gelato cakes, jars of house-made dulce de leche, and just enough merch to prove your loyalty outlasts the 30 seconds the gelato survives in your hand.
Glenelg has long been on Messina’s radar, and the choice makes sense. It’s iconic, it’s high-energy, it’s beachside, it’s grown rapidly over the last few years, and it certainly knows how to show up for dessert. The team is already very familiar with the community – sister bakery Shadow Baking sits just around the corner – and there’s a strong personal pull too. Messina founder Nick Palumbo and his brother Danny both hail from Adelaide, making the Glenelg opening and the second in their hometown “very special.”
Perhaps the most eye-catching arrival here isn’t the gelato at all, but the space itself. Designed by Adelaide-based architects Sans-Arc (the same team behind the Kent Town store), the Glenelg fit-out is the most playful and fun Messina has attempted yet. Quick trip to Italy, anyone?
“This is our most ‘out-there’ fit-out ever and the product of a great and ongoing relationship with Gelato Messina,” shares Matiya Marovich, Sans-Arc Director.
“The design is inspired by a Gelato shop visited on a trip to southern Italy in 2019. It uses a bold, maximalist design approach, and the idea of creating ‘a place of magic’. Colourful, bright, with images and feelings of holidays in Sicily, the shop aims to transport you to another place, a place that is as exciting, creative and bold as the gelato in the cabinet,” he adds.
To mark the opening, Messina – the queen of limited-edition flavours – has launched a Glenelg-exclusive gelato, and it screams summer. Glenelg Dreaming swirls coconut gelato with mango sorbet, finished with passionfruit, baked meringue, and just enough sweetness to justify going back for seconds. Probably thirds. There’s also a small incentive for early adopters. Download the new Messina app and you’ll score double points on all purchases during the first week.
With summer crowds already growing along the coast, Messina’s beachside opening arrives in perfect time – cementing its cult-status gelato and a quick stop to Sicily as a non-negotiable part of the Glenelg routine.
Gelato Messina Glenelg
When: Now open, 12pm to 10:30pm daily (Fri and Sat til 11pm)
Where: Shop 1/1 Colley Terrace, Glenelg
For more info, click here.
