Gelato Messina looks to open store in Canberra

It's the cult gelateria with wild flavours that attract queues around the block - and now Gelato Messina is looking to open a store in Canberra.

Co-founder Declan Lee was in town for the launch of Enlighten and the new Night Noodle Markets.

He told The Canberra Times that he was scouting locations for a new Canberra store and was considering Braddon as a possible spot though he stressed that it was still a "first look".

"We definitely want to be here [in Canberra]. It's very early days, we're just getting a feel for the suburbs," he said.

"We're very specific about where we go. We don't like to be in the coolest areas, the coolest place right now, we want to be in somewhere that's up and coming."

Lee said a Canberra Gelato Messina store had been under discussion for many years and hospitality industry figure Socrates Kochinos had invited him to visit Braddon and look at possible sites for the store.

He'd had a brief look at the bustling Lonsdale Street precinct before being whisked to the launch of Enlighten. "At first glance it looks great," he said.

But Lee said it was all about the passion for gelato, which is made fresh and to exacting standards every day.

Gelato Messina's attracted a cult following since opening up in a small shop in Darlinghurst in 2002 and fans still queue around the block for dozens of intriguing flavours, such as lemon meringue pie, gingerbread, and peanut with chocolate chip graham crackers.

There are now stores in Melbourne, China and Las Vegas.

The gelateria has been a regular stallholder at the Night Noodle Markets in Sydney, offering up Asian-inspired gelato desserts.

The Night Noodle Markets are run by Fairfax, the publisher of The Canberra Times.