OVO Gelato Newton — Restaurant in Adelaide

Updated Review: I originally rated Ovo 2 stars for a merchant fee issue, but on reflection, that barely scratched the surface of my experiences here. Let’s review.

Pricing has consistently felt at the very top end for South Australia. In the past, John and Gabi even charged an extra $1–$2 surcharge on the pistachio flavour alone. That policy has now stopped, and pistachio is just part of the standard lineup — which makes one wonder about the reasoning behind the original surcharge.

On my most recent visit, I ordered a Belgian hot chocolate. For $10.56, I expected a rich, decadent drink. Instead, it was weak, watery, and tasted almost like powdered mix. If this truly was Belgian chocolate, it must have been added with tweezers. The flavour depth was more like syrup than chocolate.

To compare: St. Louis, a local competitor, charges almost the same for a huge mug of thick, soup-like hot chocolate. The difference in quality is night and day.

Ovo already applies a weekend surcharge — which, as they pointed out, is clearly stated at the till. However, I checked carefully, and there was no mention of an additional merchant fee there. The till screen, for reference, was busy prompting me to join a loyalty club, not showing fee details. Yet, the merchant fee was added anyway, bringing the total price increase to around 11.5%, on top of already high pricing.

Because Ovo uses a pricing display system consisting of physical letters stuck on a board that have to be manually changed, these extras aren’t visible upfront, leaving customers to do mental maths at the counter. That’s not exactly the transparent pricing experience most people expect.

Finally, the public response to my original review was notable: instead of addressing the concern, apologising, or offering to improve, Ovo—or even possibly one of John and Gabi themselves, given the response time on a Sunday afternoon—chose a dismissive, sarcastic remark. This approach seems to match other feedback left by customers.

It’s a bold choice to treat constructive criticism as something to mock, but it’s certainly… a choice.

So, in the spirit of fairness and accuracy, I’m updating my rating. You’re welcome....

I was quite excited to go and try Ovo gelato at Newtown, as I saw it even had a small kept selection of flavours , so my friend and I made a special trip . Everything in the gelato fridge is apparently gluten free , so I dove in with gusto . It’s sister cafe almost opposite , Clay and Co , is owned by the same people and also has many options for different dietary requirements. Apparently in the owners family there are a few celiacs and quite a few different dietary requirements, so there are a few options in both places . Clay and Co is open in the morning -Ovo is for the afternoon and evening crowd . It’s is quite nice to have the option of evening desserts , as in Adelaide there are few options past 9pm. The cafe and light and airy , and had plenty of seating . As mentioned , I did try a taste quite a few of the flavours offered , as it’s unusual to have a large gluten free selection , but did stick in the end with the keto selections - raspberry and the limited edition plum , which had small pieces of the said fruit distributed throughout the gelato . The raspberry had a lovely rich flavour - you definitely wouldn’t guess that it was sugar free as it had none of the artificial sugar aftertaste. It was light , refreshing and wonderfully enjoyable. We had Monestry coffee, a dark rich roast , in double walled glasses before we left and it was a nice way to balance the sweetness of the gelato . As a treat nearer to Easter , I’m going to try and come back and try one of the sundaes with the tiramisu flavour - the small sample I had was amazing, so that’s something to look...

Read good reviews and decided to pop by to try out for myself. The place was well decorated and spacious with ample parking on a Friday night, which is a plus. Ordered a single scoop cheesecake gelato and a brownie with my favourite Rum & Raisin gelato. The cheesecake gelato tasted good, but we couldn't tell how the rum and raisin tasted cos we realised that they had given a vanilla scoop instead after we have started eating. We decided not to make a fuss since we have already tucked in, but were a little disappointed by the mistake and how pathetic the scoop of gelato was (comparing to the one I saw posted in another review), and the brownie is more like a mudcake to us. There are a few other nicer gelato shops around and I'm not sure we will revisit.

Updates after reply: First of all, I seriously question about using scales as I have seen staff scooping gelatos for other customers when I was ordering and am sure there are no scales in sight. Secondly, I would encourage owner to take customer's reviews as feedback cos they provide opportunities to improve. Don't just think ppl are out there to sabotage your business. Thank you for the reply as it just reflected on how the business views not so...