Gelateria Gondola Chatswood — Restaurant in Sydney

Tried two scoops today after seeing the high ratings. Gelato surprisingly lacked the signature chewy texture despite looking very stretchy and firm, though this may have been due to hot weather.

Panna cotta & balsamic vinegar strawberries: 5/10, quite monotone flavour wise and disappointingly more on the watery side than creamy (which was unexpected as they use jersey milk?), but had commendably crisp biscuit pieces in it.

Yogurt and sour cherry: 9/10, I recommend it! Great, rich yogurt taste, nice tang, and had big, syrupy macerated cherry pieces which had a liqueur note.

Cone was a miss - not crisp. Partner tried the sorbets, which had a perfect true-to-fruit flavour.

Place still earns 4 stars for their authentic, hard to find elsewhere flavours and freshness. Keen to try more in the hopes that the panna cotta flavour was just a dud!

*UPDATE - went back and tried coconut pandan, coffee & mascarpone, and pistachio.

Coconut Pandan: 6/10, a little too sweet, missing the rich, decadent coconut flavour I was looking forward to. Not sure if the pandan was detectable. Mostly let down by lack of texture - little shredded coconut was to be found. Nice, but mid.

Coffee & Mascarpone: 7/10, well… it’s tiramisu without the chocolate so can’t go wrong! Coffee was full bodied but could be even stronger (at least for my tastes). A solid basic.

Pistachio: 10/10! I understand what all the rave is about! The BEST pistachio flavour I’ve ever had, hands down. So richly nutty and genuinely pistachio flavoured - hits ALL the right creamy, slightly savoury, toasty notes. The texture was also the best out of all I’ve tried! Firm, stretchy and not as quick to melt. A winning...

17/11/24 - 4.5 stars

First time back in Chatswood after quite a while and knew I had to come back to Gondola. Happy to say it hasn't changed much at all and still has some of the best gelato on the upper north shore. Price point is still fairly high as I recalled thus can't give it 5 stars anymore. They don't allow tasting but, if you do buy some, they will give you a little taster of another flavour

Pistachio: SS, 9/10. One of the more intense ones around. Give it a go

Café mascarpone: SS+, 9.5/10. Still one of my favourite flavours. Not overwhelming but still rich

70% Belgian chocolate: SS, 9/10. Not usually a chocolate person but I make an exception for this.

Consistency: S, 8/10. Today it seemed to melt a bit faster than I thought even though it wasn't a very hot day. Felt I had to rush a bit.

Creaminess: SS, 9/10. Still excellent

Value: A, 7/10. $9 for two scoops does put a bit of dent...

This place used to be one of the best gelato places in Sydney and a regular go to. Took some friends for them to try for their first time. Unfortunately it didn't satisfy. The flavours have dropped in taste and standard. Some OG flavours such as the pistachio and vanilla madagascar don't taste the same as they used to. You would really be able to taste the flavour before. Same with the newer flavours which we tried such as Baileys which supposedly uses real Bailey's or the Thai milk tea. They tasted more like plain milk. Such a shame. Perhaps the owner's heart isn't in it anymore? They introduce new flavours time to time however don't give any taste test. When you ask to taste, it's a blunt NO. Very dissapointing for an ice cream shop and bad experience for the kids. Place is clean and well maintained. Not much of a...