Gelato Messina Bondi — Restaurant in Sydney

Update: Review changed to 5 stars. Customer service responded promptly and gave us vouchers for ice cream to make up for this. We are very pleased with the customer service. We love the ice cream here.

Charged me extra! Young bespectacled lady charged me double scoop plus single scoop for a triple scoop ice cream. $7.40 plus $4.80!!

It's my partner's birthday and I drove to get an ice cream for him. Paid in advance, which is what we've done many times before, especially as any delay would cause the ice cream to melt faster. I said three scoops and even held out the last 3 fingers of one hand. She charged me for 2 scoops $7.40, which I only found out when I told her the third flavour.

She changed the cone (to a larger one) and then gave me the ice cream. Then I asked to make the extra payment, but instead of cancelling the previous charge and charging me for a triple scoop, or only charging the additional amount ($1.80 to $9.20 for a triple scoop), she charged me another $4.80!! Had she told me that, I might have said to forget about the third scoop and stuck with 2 scoops.

I paid an additional $3 when I shouldn't have. I didn't stay to dispute as the ice cream would have melted before I got it home to my partner. I am so disappointed that you would overcharge customers like that, especially as we live right in Bondi and frequent this place. I was about to get 2 more triple scoops tomorrow (with my partner this time), but I think we might consider going elsewhere for ice...

Messina's is my ultimate Kryptonite. I cannot get enough of this place. It is conveniently located and I cannot resist it. The flavors aren't your ordinary Gelato flavors. The have the classics but what I really look forward to are the limited edition flavors they come up with. During Game of Thrones, they have GOT Themed flavors. Some of the top memorable flavors have been The Voicemail: salted caramel gelato with baked cheesecake, candied macadamia nuts and hazelnut fudge. The Boss's Wife - Hazelnut Gelato and coffee gelato with white chocoalte and hazelnut praline ganache. True Romance - peanut butter gelato smashed with caramel brownie, milk choco peanut fudge and candied peanuts. Are you drooling yet?

One scoop will run you about $5. I always go with a 1/2 litre, because you just don't know if they'll ever have that flavor again. It's living live on the edge with Messina, one day the flavor is there and the next it's gone. I've never had a flavor I did not like. The Pistachio Praline, Coconut Lychee, and salted carmel are some all year round flavors that a are a must try.

Try and get there before the dessert rush (after dinner time) the line can get long, but goes by quickly. It's just a store front so you have to order it to go, but that's ok because you can go sit at the beach and enjoy it (if it makes it that far.) I have a serious addiction that I don't plan on quitting...

The large open display style fridges have recently been changed for smaller, individual fridges which only hold two tubs of gelato and require the staff to open and close glass doors every time to access them. It’s now impossible to see the flavours unless you’re right at the front and you can’t really choose what you want until you’re at the front and the staff member is waiting for you to decide because you can’t see any of the flavours. When I asked why they changed the setup I was told it was a superior cooling system but service wise, it’s a disaster and it felt like an eternity trying to get served.

Awesome gelato but the new...