Sydney-based gelato brand Messina has made its US debut with the opening of its first store in New York City.

Located at 137 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side, the store is in partnership with Softville, an art-led soft serve concept created with long-time creative partner Studio Jeremyville.

The location offers gelato soft serve made from scratch every day with fresh milk from Upstate New York. The menu launches with five signature sundaes, alongside rotating specials led by pastry chef Eva Wintersteen. Classic Aussie creations such as the Pavlova Sundae sit alongside the Messina customer favourite Dulce con Churros Sundae, with non-dairy options also available.

Customers can also build their own with a rotating line-up of sauces, crunches, baked additions and toppings. 

Spanning 232sqm, the space features interiors by Sarah Carpenter, sculpture and art installations, collectable ceramics, designer objects, and exhibitions by Jeremyville and guest artists. 

“We’ve had our sights set on New York for a long time, and we didn’t want to open just another dessert shop,” said Messina founder Nick Palumbo. 

“Most soft serve starts with a pre-made mix. Ours starts with fresh milk and the same techniques we’ve spent more than 20 years perfecting with gelato. Doing it with our friends at Studio Jeremyville, who have been part of Messina from the very beginning, makes New York feel like home.”

Messina opened its first store in Sydney in 2002 and has grown to about 30 locations nationwide. The NYC store comes as the brand recently opened its third location in Hong Kong.

As part of the ongoing international expansion, a second Singapore store in partnership with Black Sheep is on the way. The company also has plans to open stores in Dubai with partner Blue Coral Concepts, and a further location in Thailand with an additional global partner.