Just a few minutes and a world away from the hurly-burly of Lygon Street, the quaint atmosphere of Rathdowne Village is a revelation. Great food stores, gorgeous cafés, village vibe. And right in the middle is Yumbo’s, a little family-run gelateria.
For 30 years, Yumbo’s has been churning out Italian gelati, based on natural ingredients and fresh fruit, with no artificial flavours or preservatives. The gelato cabinet holds around 20 flavours – including vegan sorbetti – served in cups or cones, or tubs to take away. There are also luscious looking choc tops, smoothies and a range of gelato cakes, all made in-house.
Local residents clearly enjoy Yumbo’s excellent artisan gelati and super friendly service. No cutting-edge interior design here – just a laid-back, comfy vibe. The compact shop doesn’t stretch to inside seating, but there are a handful of stools outside on the footpath.
We love a good nut gelato. Most gelaterie have pistachio or hazelnut – both classic Italian flavours – which makes them ideal to use as a test of gelato quality. Macadamia is far less common, and Yumbo’s macadamia gelato is just gorgeous. Silky texture, with that lovely buttery macadamia taste plus the added bonus of macadamia pieces.
Benny paired macadamia with a scoop of choc mint gelato. The choc mint is also good – rich chocolate with a mint overtone and not overly sweet.
My choice: a classic combination of hazelnut gelato and dark chocolate sorbetto. With generous chunks of dark chocolate, the sorbetto was super rich – just perfect for dark chocolate tragics. Hazelnut is a perfect complement for dark chocolate, and the velvety smooth gelato could not be faulted.
But visit in fig season and Yumbo’s star flavour is its fig and ginger gelato – jammy swirls of figgy goodness with the heat from the ginger offsetting the sweetness. Awesomely good.
Popular with locals, this super friendly, family-run gelateria offers excellent value for money. Just $5.50 for two scoops of house-made artisan gelati!
Yumbo’s Ice Cream
396 Rathdowne Street
Carlton North Vic 3054
T: (03) 9347 0449
W: yumbos.business.site
