Bear Gelato

Why go

Bear Gelato is a small independent gelato shop on Dominion Road. Ryan Scott and Kahwen Tan left tech careers in Berlin to learn gelato from Lorenzo, the Italian owner of their local café there, then came home and opened in September 2023. They make everything on site from scratch, in small batches, with no pre-made bases.

The flavours are the reason to go. Alongside the classics there's a long list of unconventional ones: gochujang caramel, coconut pandan, sweet roti and ghee, carrot halwa, gorgonzola and pear, even fire-roasted tomato. Their black sesame took gold and the boysenberry stracciatella silver at the 2024 NZ Artisan Awards. There are over 50 flavours in rotation, so not every one is on every day, and each month part of the menu is built around one ingredient or idea, like spices, nuts or tea. Keep an eye on their socials for the limited editions.

It's open in the evenings during the week and from 3pm Friday to Sunday, so it's an after-dinner place midweek and an afternoon treat at the weekend

What to expect

A cute, simple little shop. There are a couple of bar seats in the window and a few small tables, and a steady flow of people coming through.