Rivareno Gelato Darlinghurst — Restaurant in Sydney

Online ordering not reliable :-( - Posting a review here as I didn't hear about my customer inquiry sent on 23/12/2024...! 2 cakes ordered for Christmas / #14817102-VZCM, #14925944-GKOZ While the Tronchetto was ready for the pick-up on 23rd of December, the crew could not find the Vortex. They asked me to come back later after 6pm (I came for 1pm the first time) so they can prepare another one for me. I'm not living in the area so had to drive twice. The crew offered a tube which is nice but not really compensate the time wasted. I went back and again, unfortunately, when I arrived home, I could see that the Vortex was not the order I made. It was supposed to be Caramello Salato inside and Cremino Dark outside... and it is the same flavours than the Tronchetto (Pistachio inside and Bacio outside) ! I ordered specifically 2 cakes with different flavours for our guests on Christmas eve ! Last year, I had the same issue with the crew in Darlinghurst that couldn’t find the Tronchetto. I had also to come back again later as they seemed to have found it.... I don't see the point to make online orders available if there is no guarantee to get the order when we come for pick-up and not the right flavours!! This is really a poor way to look after customers and I'm very unhappy about that, especially...

Definitely my favourite ice-cream in Sydney, but not happy at all about customer service. Not the first time I visit the shop in Surry Hills and the same person serves me. First of all not even “hi, how are you!?”, once I asked her to try one or two flavours, and I made a joke about how hard is to choose. She said nothing, nor even smiled… ok I get, it it’s annoying, but it’s her job. The only verbal interaction I had was when she told me the price. That’s all, she didn’t said good bye at the end. Today same story, at this stage I don’t aspect anything from her anymore… but it was very annoying to find out while paying that I was charged with a public holiday surcharge. I am sorry, what am I paying for? For customer service? For the ice cream that is only scooped into a cone? There’s already sooooo much profit on ice creams, that seriously paying two scoops nearly $10 just because it’s public holiday, it’s a joke! At least write on the board next to flavours, not in small next to the card machine, so people can make a decision before the ice cream is served. I was seriously so crossed, and of course the lady who served me was so cold and careless, which made the experience even more...

So the story goes that up the road from this place when it opened, sat Messina. Messina, the messianic gelato shop that captured the essence of all that was the 3 smoochers of masterchef. Their gelato was piled as high as their line of punters. They seemed as unassailable as Djokovich with a 2 set lead. And here opens rivareno...all their gelato is hidden. Their logo and shop are pedestrian. All their ingredients are NOT aussie (aussie aussie). And not much happens there for about a year. And then it slowly changes. People sniff around like a doggie let out of its kennel after a while, and discover that this gear isn't to be feared. It's to be revered. And then, a few years pass and the unthinkable happens...Messina ditch their piled high models and...yep, put their still yum gear under the lid, like their brave upstart did earlier. Messina is still good, but rivareno is special. I travel about as much as a budgie smuggler (chill, I agree animal smugglers deserve to be wrapped up tight and put on long haul baggage holds forever...its a metaphor), and eat gelato like a champion. This...