From watermelon-lime granita to cacio e pepe ice-cream sandwiches, these are the season’s must-try treats. Plus: Is Tyra Banks’ “hot ice-cream” worth the wait?

January 3, 2026

When ordering a serve of ice-cream, granita or gelato in Sydney this summer, you may face some unusual questions. Would you like your ice-cream served hot, or flavoured with tomato ketchup? Do you want it sandwiched in brioche, or deep-fried in layers of golden filo pastry?

From Yummy Yako, a food truck serving knafeh fried ice-cream in Carnes Hill, to Erin, a Marrickville wine bar that uses gelato to transform prawn toast and pasta, Sydney has welcomed far more diversity in its desserts than “cup or cone?” over the past year.

The most attention-grabbing entrant came from American model and entrepreneur Tyra Banks, who debuted “hot ice-cream” at her Darling Harbour ice-creamery, Smize and Dream, in June. Banks described the dessert as “ice-cream you can drink”, and it went viral on social media, attracting two-hour queues.

Hot ice-cream isn’t creme anglaise, it isn’t melted ice-cream, and it isn’t a latte. Customers have been overheard comparing it to a microwaved milkshake, but it’s closer in texture to a thin, milky soup.

If that sounds unappealing, Smize and Dream also serves good, old-fashioned ice-cream (yes, cold) with “Smize Surprize” toppings, such as Biscoff cake, and cones dipped in chocolate and nuts. The coffee flavour is excellent.

Ready to branch out? Here’s Good Food’s pick of Sydney’s best new ice-cream and gelato shops.

Mapo, Darlinghurst

It’s worth travelling to Mapo’s new outpost on Oxford Street to try its exclusive range of seasonal granita, which launched in November. The daily-made desserts come in two varieties: a signature watermelon-lime available all summer, alongside a rotating fortnightly special – starting with almond before moving through nectarine, coffee, mango, or fig. Each flavour comes with an optional dollop of mascarpone “soft cream”, but you can swap that for any Mapo gelato (try the ricotta, olive oil and lemon zest, when it appears on the menu). Every second weekend, you can order granita with a side of brioche, Sicilian breakfast-style. Italian-born owner Matteo Pochintesta says his countrymen may have plenty of rules around food, but he won’t judge you for combining the two, dipping the brioche in granita (“like a latte”) or creating a granita sandwich.