GELATO MESSINA FINALLY LANDS IN HOBART WITH A TASSIE-ONLY FLAVOUR TO CHASE
Good news for anyone who has ever flown home from Sydney or Melbourne wishing they could pack a tub in their carry-on: Gelato Messina has finally opened in Tasmania.
The cult gelato chain threw open the doors of its first Tasmanian store on the Hobart waterfront on Saturday, November 7.
It has arrived with a flavour you can only get in Hobart, and a honey tart that mainland fans can try from this week.
Where to find Gelato Messina in Hobart
The new shop sits at Shop 4, 4 Franklin Wharf on the Elizabeth Street Pier, right on the city's busy waterfront.
According to Pulse Tasmania, the doors open at 8am every day, with full gelato service from noon.
It stays open until 9.30pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so there is plenty of time for an after-dinner scoop.
The store has taken over the old Billy's Burgers shopfront and has created about 10 local jobs.
Pulse Tasmania reports the company spent around five years hunting for the right Tasmanian site.
The store is part of the wider Elizabeth Street Pier redevelopment, which includes a new 98-room Citadines hotel next door.
If you are visiting Hobart, it is also a short stroll from Brooke Street Pier, where the ferry to Mona departs.
The Tassie-only flavour everyone will be talking about
The star of the opening menu is a gelato called Apple Of My Isle.
It is a leatherwood honey gelato with caramelised apple and a croissant crunch, and Messina says it is exclusive to the Hobart store while stocks last.
The honey comes from Tasmanian producer Miellerie, which cold-extracts leatherwood honey from trees in the state's south-west World Heritage wilderness.
Gelato Messina and Shadow Baking executive chef Tom Mitchell told Pulse Tasmania that "leatherwood honey is one of Tasmania's great treasures".
If you have never tried leatherwood honey, expect something richer and more floral than the supermarket squeeze bottle.
A bakery under the same roof
Hobart is not just getting gelato.
Messina's sister bakery, Shadow Baking, shares the space, selling coffee, pastries, toasties and summer drinks.
According to Gourmet on the Road, it is only the third combined Messina and Shadow Baking store in Australia, after Marrickville in Sydney and North Adelaide.
Shadow Baking has created its own opening special, a Leatherwood Honey and Dark Chocolate Tart.
It layers leatherwood honey caramel and baked dark chocolate custard, then finishes with vanilla cream, leatherwood honey jelly and dark chocolate shavings.
Here is the good bit for everyone else: the tart rolls out to other Shadow Baking stores from Tuesday, November 10.
Messina notes on its Hobart announcement that Shadow Baking in Hobart is grab-and-go only, so plan on a waterfront wander rather than a sit-down brunch.
What else is on the Gelato Messina menu
The cabinet will carry 40 freshly churned flavours each day, made up of 30 regulars and 10 monthly specials.
This month's Extra Special Special is a Mississippi Mud Pie, which should keep the chocolate lovers happy.
There is also a new range of gelato cakes, and Shadow Baking is stocking its three core cakes to take away.
Messina says shoppers who pay through its app during opening week will earn double points, which is worth knowing if you plan to become a regular.
Gourmet on the Road reports the brand now has more than 30 stores around the country.
Thinking about Christmas already?
With summer on the way, Messina has also opened its festive range.
The Messina Christmas page lists the return of its Christmas Coma dessert, which it calls the main event at Christmas lunch since 2017.
Its 2026 advent calendar has already sold out, so if a gelato cake is on your Christmas wish list, it pays to get in early.
Limited edition desserts are pick-up only, with collection dates listed on each product page.
For merchandise and gift packs, standard shipping orders close on December 18, or December 14 for Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Whether you are a local or planning a summer trip south, the Hobart waterfront has just become a much sweeter place to spend an afternoon.
