We make gelato in Labrador, so treat this as a local’s guide rather than a neutral one. But everything here is genuinely useful whether you end up at our counter or not.
Gelato or ice cream?
They aren’t the same thing. Gelato has less air churned into it and less fat, and it’s served slightly warmer — so it’s denser and the flavour reads more strongly. Ice cream is lighter and colder, which mutes flavour slightly but gives that familiar creamy texture.
Neither is better. They’re different desserts. Full explanation →
What to look for in a gelato shop
A few things worth knowing before you spend your money:
Covered trays beat mountains. Gelato piled high in a brightly coloured peak has usually been stabilised to hold that shape. Traditional gelato is stored flat, often covered, and doesn’t look dramatic. The flat one is usually the better gelato.
Colour should be muted. Real pistachio is a dull brownish green, not fluorescent. Real mint is white or pale, not bright green.
Ask where it was made. Plenty of shops sell gelato made somewhere else entirely. “Made on site” is a fair question and you should get a straight answer.
Look at the range of non-dairy. One vegan flavour is a box being ticked. Several means someone actually cares.
When to go
The northern Gold Coast is quieter in the evening than Surfers or Broadbeach, and the Broadwater is at its best about an hour before sunset. School holidays and Saturday evenings are the busiest times everywhere.
Making an evening of it
The best gelato is usually the last part of something else. Around the Broadwater that could be:
- Dinner then dessert, anywhere along Marine Parade or at the Aqua Complex
- The pelican feed at Charis Seafoods on Marine Parade in Labrador, daily at 1.30pm, free to watch, with about a hundred wild pelicans turning up
- A walk on the foreshore, which is flat, sheltered and runs for kilometres
- After a swim, at the Aquatic Centre or the Aqua Park on the water
- After Harbour Town, if you’ve done the outlets and need to sit down
Where we fit
We’re Gelato Wonderland, at the Aqua Complex in Labrador. Made here in small batches, around 16 to 24 flavours at a time, served as mini scoops so you can have several flavours at once.
In 2026 our pear and ginger gelato won Champion Flavoured Ice Cream or Gelato of Show at the Royal Queensland Ice Cream, Gelato & Sorbet Awards.
Coming from nearby
More
Vegan gelato on the Gold Coast · Gelato with kids · Dessert around the Broadwater · Our awards