Melbourne CBD gets a huge delicious upgrade as Mondo Gelateria opens on Elizabeth Street.
Mondo Gelateria opens on Elizabeth Street in the Melbourne CBD on 23 January, led by owner Rio Olivetti trained at Gelato University.
Rio Olivetti studied under Stefano Tarquinio, Head of Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna; yes, that’s a real place and yes, it sounds incredible. Now he’s bringing that training to Melbourne with Mondo Gelateria, running 7.30am to 11.30pm seven days a week from a 150-year-old Elizabeth Street building.
Coffee runs, shopping breaks, post-dinner desserts – the extended hours cover pretty much any gelato craving that hits.
Mondo Gelateria – Melbourne CBD
- Where: Elizabeth Street, Melbourne CBD
- When: Opens Friday 23 January, operating 7.30am-11.30pm seven days
- Flavours: 28 rotating flavours plus five house favourites
- Also: Hand-crafted cakes, specialty coffee, aperitif bar, late-night DJs
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
View this post on Instagram
Twenty-eight rotating flavours pull inspiration globally – yuzu-blood orange, cassis calamansi, matcha-mango, strawberry shortcake with pistachio. Five stay permanent including Black Forest Gâteau spiked with kirsch liqueur-infused Amarena cherries, Pistachio Crunch with salted pistachio praline, Salted Caramel dotted with kumquats and freeze-dried raspberries, Chocolate-Fudge Brownie, and Lemon Cheesecake mixed with roasted lemon cake chunks.
Taiwanese pastry chefs Executive Chef Peini Yu and Head Chef Jasper Yang run the baking side. Yu previously headed pastry at five-star Nice Prince Hotel and Fuli Resort in Taiwan, Yang came from Ivy Sweet. Daily output includes seasonal cakes, petit gâteaux, eclairs, brioche and cookies. Signature cakes lean into the gelato angle – Black Forest Gelato Cake layers chocolate sponge with cherry and chocolate gelato, while Yuzu-Pistachio Mousse Cake sits Sicilian pistachio and orange gelato beneath yuzu mousse.
Aperitif bar serves gelato flights infused with limoncello across flavours like lemon verbena and toasted coconut, yuzu with elderflower and Davidson plum, charred mandarin and pear. Monthly rotations keep things moving. Veneziano Roasters handles standard coffee while inventive cold brews push further – Tokyo Drift blends Ethiopian coffee with matcha, yuzu and miso caramel, Casablanca Dusk adds orange blossom honey and preserved lemon zest, Seoul Harmony goes plum and barley with black sesame and rice foam.
Late hours until 11.30pm include DJs spinning sessions, positioning this as more than a daytime sugar hit. Takeaway fridges stock scoops for those heading home. Whether Melbourne CBD needs another late-night option remains to be seen, but gelato paired with decent coffee and actual Gelato University credentials gives it a solid foundation in our eyes.
For more information, head here.
