Now Open: Messina's Marrickville HQ Is the New Home of Shadow Baking, Plus an All-New Food and Wine Bar
These Messinaverse shifts have made the HQ space a paradise of gelato-themed delights.
Shadow Baking, the Darlinghurst bakery headed by three Messina chefs, and Messina's sprawling Wonka-esque headquarters came into this world in sync in late 2023, so perhaps the decision to combine them was always going to be the natural progression. Don't worry Darlinghurst locals, Shadow's specialty baked goods aren't passing into memory, as the original store will continue to run out of its Victoria Street digs. But now, you can go to Marrickville to get these treats, too.
Messina HQ is always worth the trip. It's home to 40+ flavours of their viral gelato, plus cakes, cookie dough, merchandise and pretty much anything a member of Messina's culinary or marketing teams ever dreamed up. Including a creative degustation space, which has also been swept up in the HQ upgrades, now existing as the new home of Erin, Messina's very own wine bar.
Let's break down these changes one by one. First, Shadow Baking. The bakery isn't losing any of the trimmings, and it's bringing some much-needed new touches to Messina HQ with its arrival. Chief among them is air conditioning. Say goodbye to sweltering in the parking lot; now, you can park up on a comfy chair and get out of the heat on any summer (or unseasonably hot autumn) day.
Once you're sat, enjoy fresh-baked pastries, exclusive gelato collabs, coffee and even affogatos made with Messina gelato — be sure to try the exclusive pistachio praline or fudge flavours. Coffee and affogato will be available during Messina's opening hours, and as of Thursday, March 20, a new afternoon and evening offering comes in the form of Erin.
Named for Messina's country Victorian farm in Erindale, this new space will continue to serve all of the degustation favourites in slightly expanded digs, as well as the come-and-go pre-existing snack bar offering. Erin also holds the self-claimed title of Australia's only restaurant inside a gelato store, and we've yet to hear from anyone who says they did it first. The intention is a creative but relaxed experience, with set menus and à la carte bookings available nightly.
The produce, seasonally sourced from the aforementioned farm with a paddock-to-plate ethos, ends up in some appropriately delicious-sounding menu items, often including creative spins on gelato. Think gnocco fritto with jamón serrano and parmesan gelato; Messina jersey beef tartare with parsley, buckwheat and horseradish snow or kaffir lime gelato with dessert lime, lovage snow and garden herbs.
On the drinks front, we'll give you a moment to guess. If you guessed gelato cocktails, your prayers have indeed been answered. The starting lineup is strong, including a spicy watermelon margarita, the Nicky Glasses martini (with salted caramel and coffee), a salted coconut and mango daiquiri and even a pepperoni negroni. Beyond cocktails, there's a healthy offering of local wine and beers and a wine launched in collaboration with Doom Juice — a Gewürztraminer and Vermentino blend named Moo-Tang.
All in all, an already scrumptious space has reached new, tastier heights, and who knows where Sydney's undisputed lords of gelato will go next.
Find Messina HQ at 1 Rich Street, Marrickville – open from 12pm-10.30pm Monday to Wednesday, 8am-10.30pm Thursday, 8am-11pm Friday to Saturday and 8am-10.30pm Sunday. Head to the website for more details.
