So during a Sunday jaunt around Sydney I was craving gelato... bad. I'd done a bit of research prior to coming into town, and it appeared as though there were two reasonable options in relatively close proximity to one another. I think you might know where this is going...
Obviously I went to both one right after another, which means that I get to do one of these heads up comparison reviews that I love way more than I should. Let's meet the contenders:
RivaReno Gelato - https://www.yelp.com/biz/rivareno-gelato-sydney
Messina - https://www.yelp.com/biz/messina-darlinghurst
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
So right from the get go we had a tale of two styles, and on top of that a tale of two experiences.
RivaReno, the Italian gelato chain (akin to Grom if you're familiar) brought over from Italy has adopted the very traditional metallic and clean cut feel of what you might find in Europe or the States. However, while I appreciated the clean atmosphere, the service was lacking. After walking in to find no one behind the counter I stood for a good five minutes before another customer walked behind into the back area to inform the staff that someone was there. Not very impressive, but shortly after I had my gelato.
Messina was essentially the exactly opposite in every way. Close quartered and with a line out the door, Messina is an Australian chain that brings about a very hometown and cozy vibe. The staff are enjoying themselves while tending to anxious customers in a fast and friendly way, and the overwhelming selection of flavors has children cramming in between customers in line just to catch a glimpse of what they may want to order. Even with that being the case, I was in and out in only a few minutes, and that was partially the fault of my own indecisiveness.
RivaReno - No Star Granted (0)
Messina - Star Granted (1)
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
Both RivaReno and Messia charge just shy of $5.00 for a single scoop of gelato in a cup ($4.90 and $4.80 respectively), but of note here is that Messina has at least twice the selection that RivaReno does. While RivaReno sticks to the classics with renditions of chocolate and vanilla primarily, Messina mixes it up with yogurt flavors, fruity mixtures, and routinely rotating specials. From a price point, however, these two are essentially identical.
RivaReno - Star Granted (1)
Messina - Star Granted (2)
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Depending on which review you're reading here the picture at the bottom will change, but if you were to look at both you'll quickly be able to figure out how this went.
My RivaReno Salted Caramel was mostly melted even as it was dished into the cup, and the picture below was honestly taken not seconds after I got it. The flavor was mediocre at best, but little bits of something or another threw it off and the fact that it was melted was a huge turn off.
In contrast, my salted caramel yogurt and chocolate peanut butter fudge flavors at Messina were excellent, with great flavor and consistency all around. It wasn't the best gelato I've ever had, but it was certainly in the top 10.
RivaReno - No Stars Granted (1)
Messina - Single Star Granted (3)
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
It's an easy one here folks. Messina has better service, a better selection, ever so slightly better prices, and a better product. I very rarely give one star reviews, but RivaReno was absolutely blown out of the water here and there's no reason you should go with Messina so close.
RivaReno - No Star Granted (1)
Messina - Single Star Granted (4) read more