Gelateca

Gelateca is an artisan gelato bar in the garden setting at 319 Chalk Hill Road, McLaren Vale, sharing the site with Pizzateca next door. Dogs are welcome in the shared outdoor courtyard, which makes it a natural dessert stop after a dog-friendly wood-fired pizza lunch.

The dog setup

Dogs on leads settle into the open-air, partly covered courtyard shared with Pizzateca; indoors is people-only. The garden space is roomy, and water bowls are often on hand, though a dog water bottle is worth carrying on hot Fleurieu afternoons. The courtyard is popular, so keep your dog close and settled when it fills.

Worth knowing

The gelato is made with proper Italian technique: fior di latte, Piedmont hazelnut and Sicilian pistachio alongside local twists such as espresso, dulce de leche, and creations using Pizzateca's own chilli honey or house-made limoncello, plus rotating seasonal fruit sorbets. Trading is seasonal, roughly spring to autumn, with midday-to-afternoon sessions and later closes on weekends; hours shift between seasons, so check its socials before a quiet-weekday visit.

Getting there and parking

The site is two to three minutes from the McLaren Vale main street, with free on-site gravel parking shared around the 319 Chalk Hill Road property. It fills on weekends when the pizza crowds arrive, so a weekday afternoon is the calm window.

Close by with the dogs

The flat, sealed Shiraz Trail runs through the area for an on-lead walk under City of Onkaparinga shared-path rules. For cellar doors that take dogs, Hugh Hamilton Wines on McMurtrie Road and Paxton Wines on Wheaton Road both welcome leashed dogs at outdoor seating. If you need a coffee in town first, Sam I Am Cafe is on the main street. The SA wineries index and the McLaren Vale destination page cover the rest.