Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

One great place to get real gelato, frozen custards, ice cream sandwich and cakes, sundaes, and many more delightful treats. There are a variety of flavours to choose, I like their famous mango and chocolate, once is not enough! It is ideally located infront of the only playground at South Shore Shopping Center, the Adventure Court. Parking spots are free and ample. In summer time, there’s a long queue but it’s always worth the queue when you get something delightful to eat. My granddaughter never misses to get a scoop or two everytime I take her to the playground Adventure Court. Staffs are friendly. There are some tables and chairs when you want to sit inside but it’s too narrow place when it gets busy. I wouldn’t mind queing up here to get my favourite ice cream!

Best milkshake I have tried. I highly recommend this place. It offers a variety of ice creams, from sugar free to lactose free options. Awesome spot next to the small kid are.

My kids liked this, but don’t go here for ice cream. They primarily make fancy shushees that you drink through a straw. It does allow them to scoop and serve these quickly, but it’s not what i was looking for, which is hard premium ice cream or gelato.

Very average chocolate chip and chocolate chip cheesecake ice creams. I also wish they had dark chocolate flavors.

Great little group of girls... especially Esmerilda and Hannah. Super creamy gelati!

Nice and clean store, quality ice cream! The portions are awful though - go and order a large and a small frozen custard and tell me if they are different sizes at all - save yourself the $$ and just get the small

The sign says that the business is close at 8pm. Myself and kids came Friday night @ 7:50pm. Three young ladies watched us walked in and as we began to order they said they were close and all they have is Soft Serve. I really didn't. appreciate that. It's not 8! You're still open that is what is advertised. No apology, no sympathy just blank stare of , "Yea we're close!" Very unprofessional!!!

Good place, but I went at 8pm and the sign said closed but the door was open, I asked the guy working if they were closed and they said “yes” I I told them online it says they’re open til 8:30pm (on Saturday) the guy just said “yyyeeaaah we need to update that” cool

Delicious chocolate brownie frozen custard!! This is a cute little place, friendly service.

Fun with yummy custard and lots of Italian ices. We were waited on promptly with our orders. Lots of combinations. You can have ice cream sandwiches too.

After a hot day at the beach, this was such a refreshing treat! I was indecisive so I asked to sample a few flavors before deciding, they're all good but the mango and fruit punch had the most flavor in my opinion. The small was definitely enough to satisfy my sweets craving and ran me $6. The service is meh, young kids that clearly do not want to be there or want to deliver any type of customer service.

I asked for cotton candy and they gave me watermelon and when I asked about why the Italian ice was pink instead of blue like cotton candy normally is, the shorter white lady with blonde hair told me they had simply changed colors. I called back the same location confirming the color was supposed to be blue and they laughed over the phone. No issues with Rita herself, she would never let that happen. However today was a day of disappointment.

Rita's never disappoints whenever I'm craving some sweet I can count on her . I always get the small mango with vanilla custard hits the spot every time !

"Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard" is located near the See's Candy store and the play area at the Southshore Shopping Center in Alameda. I was there twice over the weekend, and both times I had a good experience. On Saturday, I went there and got a large Tangerine Italian Ice. It was good and cold, with a somewhat weak fruity flavor. It was about $8 for a large. Is this really Italian Ice? It kind of looked like a slushie. Customer service was fair. The young lady helping me didn't really say much, and didn't suggestive sell. She only asked...."Is there anything else?" The place doesn't have indoor seating. So it's like a walkup counter. I returned on Sunday and ordered a frozen custard twist (chocolate/vanilla). I thought it was a little odd that the place had no customers on a warm day. Oh well, no customers means no line! A large frozen custard (with no toppings) was $8.30. The 12-oz container looked a little small. Texture-wise, the frozen custard was smooth and creamy. Although it looks like soft-serve, it's not grainy in appearance. There's no icy bite or ice crystals. When you eat it, it's dense and doesn't melt quickly. Overall, I'm not a big fan of Italian Ice and frozen custard. But it was nice to enjoy some on a warm weekend in Alameda. Southshore Shopping Center is located at Otis Drive & Park Street. Free parking and it's near the beach.

Maybe we came in too early, but the door was open and the staff member just cleaned out the freezer so nothing was on display. She was willing to help and provided samples which is appreciated. If you never had this before, it can be overwhelming on what to order. But can't go wrong with the combo of Italian ice and soft-serve frozen custard. Even a small was plenty for one person. The combo is sweet and refreshing. Definitely a nice treat!

Visited Rita's to try the frozen custard. It is definitely different than regular ice cream or gelato. It was a really good. I tried the coffee and cheesecake flavors. I'll definitely be back!

Drove 30 mins just for them to be closed 30 minutes early? Super disappointing didn't even answer the phone who wanted to check if they were closing.

Friendly service. The worker offered us samples to try. I got the gelati and it was good.

3 good things Quality Quality Quality The ice and custard are both world class However 3 things to work on Customer service(workers don't seem too experienced with food service or enthisiastic) Asking for the Rita's app to scan rewards to get me my free slushie... instead it feels like they are just rushing thru transactions maybe to go on their phone in the back who knows. But so far missed it 3 times. Just said "oops" Bathroom always clean but not always outside in the sitting area Also the place looks closed unless the door is open. The sign might be better to be LED. They sell them at staples.

I don't go out for dessert. Going out for things like ice cream just doesn't appeal to me. I rather grab a 1/2 gallon at Safeway and eat it at home and veg in front of the tv like Tony Soprano would on the Sopranos. But of this rare occasion I went to Rita's after dinner and I was glad I did. I ordered a small chocolate Frozen Custard in a cone. It was smooth and creamy. And a small isn't even small, but a generous swirl of frozen custard. Rita's is great quality of dessert that can't be bought at a grocery store. While my mind hasn't changed and dessert will never be a priority for me. On those rare occasions, I would want to get frozen custard at Rita's.

That Rita's is a chain with 600 shops spread over 31 US states is news to me. Despite being well-traveled I've never previously stumbled across a Rita's let alone heard of their existence. Now that I have though, I have only one question: Is Italian Ice always this bad? I was pleased that they allowed me to select multiple flavors in even the smallest of sizes but my chosen flavors tasted completely artificial and nothing like the underlying flavors they were supposedly mimicking. "Mango" tasted like flat orange soda. "Lemon" tasted better though if I'd not known that's what I'd ordered I'd not have identified the flavor as lemon. The most inviting part of this cup of Italian Ice was the texture and (cold) temperature; both were satisfying. Based on their Italian Ice I'd not be up for a return visit but if you insist I'd suggest trying, perhaps, their frozen custard.

Must-try: their misto Why? for those that have ever been to Sonic on the east coast and appreciate a mix of ice and soft serve, this is for you! Protip: don't sleep on their citrus flavors

Not a personal fan :( Tried coming here as I love Italian ice but the flavor I wanted wasn't available and when I asked if they switched flavors every day (so I can come back a different day to try) I was told they switch out flavors as they run out/sell out of an available flavor for the day which sucks because then I'll never know when I'll be able to try the flavor I wanted. Overall, tried a couple of options and ended up with the blue berry and green apple - it was okay, I'd give it a 3/5 but not something I'd crave or see myself getting again.

BEHOLD! a sweet tooth's dream from refreshing italian ice to creamy milkshakes, this place has it all! we came at night time, and there was no line to order. the worker was really efficient in taking and making our orders right away, and we were probably in and out of the store in less than 10 minutes! there are so many options to choose from, both flavor wise and dessert wise, so i'm sure you'll find something for everyone -- -- -- pictured: " regular gelati ($4.34) // this dessert layers their creamy frozen custard (almost like a thicker vanilla soft serve) and italian ice. i chose mango, lemon, and cherry as my flavors, which paired so well together. SO RECOMMEND " regular italian ice ($3.65) // mango flavor

Always wanted to give this place a try. Creamy goodness, I would try the pistachio flavor it was delicious. Service was good but I felt pressured to get more than I needed, clearly not a bad thing if you're up for it. I'm sure this place gets busy in the summer and I'll be back to check on it!

I have been wanting to try their Italian ice for awhile and I finally got to try it. Service: No line. Staff was kind and efficient. She got our order together really quickly. Food: My friend and I got a regular size Italian ice with Mango and Green Apple Flavor. They tasted good but the texture wasn't as smooth as other places I've tried. We also got the Oreo Cookies N Cream milkshake. The drink is on the sweeter side but I quite liked it. I prefer this drink over the Italian ice. Overall, I recommend coming here to try the smoothies if you are having a sweet tooth. The Italian ice was only okay but it's a good treat for the summer time.

I was craving custard so drove over to Rita's and it was exactly what I was looking for. The custard is THICC and the right amount of sweetness. I'll be back to quell my insatiable desire for custard!

Have come here a few times over the past few years and it really hasn't disappointed - I typically get a gelati (the flavored ice + soft serve) Pros: - just so delicious tasting, good bang for your buck usually, love that they mix a bunch of soft serve throughout the shave ice and that it's not just all at the top like some other places - reliable - Lots of options to choose from if you don't like shave ice, something for everyone - Easy parking at southshore center - pretty friendly service - one time I witnessed one customer really not understanding the concept of Rita's even though the worker explained it multiple times to her, and the worker was so patient LOL Cons: - can be a longer wait due to usually only one high school looking person working behind the counter - and sometimes the clientele takes longer because they don't know what they want, or don't know exactly what Rita's is. - pretty friendly service ing in the sun out the door due to social distancing for covid and a slow moving line due to the whole 1 person working thing

Best I've ever had! So many options to choose from. Friendly customer service Hits the spot every time! Great location too.

Frozen custard in a waffle cone was DELICIOUS - smooth and creamy. Customer service - awful. I walked in and waited at least 5 mins thinking the person working there was in the back on a work thing...when I finally called out he came out, not looking up, playing some kind of game on his phone. I told him what I wanted (it's a good thing I knew because I doubt he would've been keen to help me choose something), he made it, rang me up, and while ringing me up - still playing his game! It was $10 for the cone and again, it was really good but I had to take off 2 stars because I couldn't believe the level of service I received. Don't let me even get started with the fact he didn't wash his hands. Luckily for me he didn't touch the actual cone because it was wrapped in paper but I doubt he would've touched it otherwise. Pretty gross.

Been wanting to try Rita's for the longest time and I finally stopped by on a warm Saturday afternoon. There were a good amount of people waiting and the line extended towards the end of the store next to it. It took us about 30 mins from start to finish because there was only one person working both cashier and making the orders. We got regular Gelatis - blueberry and dragonfruit. I wasn't a fan of the blueberry since it reminded me of medicine flavor but I was surprised it had frozen blueberry bits. I loved the dragonfruit and it went so well with the vanilla custard! The custard was so good, I could eat a whole cup on its own. I would be willing to come back and try the other flavors.

Rita's is THE stop for a quick sweet tooth craving! The service has never been an issue at this location -- the workers behind the counter are friendly and I've been here time and time again. Interior is a little small. It's more of a stop & go type of spot. My go-to order is the gelati with mango Italian ice + vanilla frozen custard, which is really refreshing and never disappoints! The custard is buttery smooth and rich, and good to eat on its own. I've also recently tried the green apple Italian ice flavor, which was good but did have a bit of a syrupy aftertaste. I have yet to try the flavored frozen custards, but they do offer a good variety that all look tasty.

Rita's suck in comparison to Joes Italian in Anaheim. I was expecting a close comparison. I didn't ask for an Icee like the ones you'd get from a 7 eleven though that's pretty much what I received. The Italian ice didn't hold its form. I was expecting Italian ice especially as advertised as being a pioneer for the best Italian ice on the market. Yes, I was expecting way more. Now, if one can get a Joes Italian franchise up north it'll be the next best thing since sliced bread . The one plus and take away from this experience, is the middle eastern gal working the shift alone was sweet, cute and nice.

Yummmmmm I'm always craving Rita's. Not sure if I tried all of the flavors yet but will be back:) thanks

Best fruity icy! I love their cherry flavor the best. A little custard on top is great too (if you're ok with dairy). Most of their other flavored icys are great too. Also, you can't go wrong with straight custard, it's very thick and tasty. Depends are what you are into that day!

I enjoy flavors that speak before the sugar - like a lemon that is tart with some sweetness coming through. It should be an undeniable flavor. We ordered berry daiquiri and lemon, both topped with custard. The custard was really just soft serve. Please be careful of people coming right off the beach in Alameda and walking in without a mask. Unfortunately we spied way too many folks without proper protection.

The gelati is delicious and my favorite. The cones are good too but only order the small. If u order the large you will get the same amount as a small so don't waste your money.

Wow ! All I can say. I pass this place all the time and never thought to stop although I love italian ice. I was here for the tree lighting and decided to stop. They have so many options. I opted for cherry and mango no custard , the perfect combo it was so good my mom went to get her own. My kids opted for the blue one no custard. The blue one was okay perfect for kids. The small is a good enough size its almost $5. We all really enjoyed it and will definitely be back.

I have heard of Rita's for quite some time now but never got the chance to try it. After lunch with hubby and our friends, we wanted dessert. We saw someone walk past us with Rita's and it looked so good we decided to go and give it a try! Hubby and I ordered a Gelati. I only had a small because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish a bigger size. I got half and half custard (chocolate and vanilla), with green apple and lemon Italian ice. I really really love the custard! It's soo smooth and delicious! The Italian ice is good as well! It's a great combination, but for me, I believe that I will enjoy them separately more. Next time depending on what I'm craving, I will most likely come back for more, because that custard was just spectacular! Yumm!

How have I live here this long and never visited Rita's ?! I ordered the vanilla gelato and mango ice combo! It was SO GOOD! Perfect for a hot... actually even a cold day! I "accidentally" got a large and could not finish it.... I put it in the freezer and ate it the next day and it was still good! I can't wait to be back to try the other flavors! Kudos to the worker there for dealing with my indecisiveness like a champ haha! She was super sweet and nice! I will be back soon :)

Surprisingly not crowded for a warm summer weekend day. Rita's is conveniently located off the shoreline park in a shopping center. Their gelati was a refreshing mix of Italian ice (basically an very finely shaved ice) and creamy custard. They allow you to sample flavors of the Italian ice. I got the blue raspberry and vanilla custard. The custard was pretty heavy and rich, like eating a cold whipped cream, so I ended up discarding most of the custard. The amount I did eat was delicious with the Italian ice and just the treat needed after a visit to the shoreline.

I was super stoked for Italian Ice to finally come to the Bay! I think there have been a couple of very small places that have come and gone or have been nowhere near where I live (to be fair, this isn't anywhere near I live either, but it wasn't far from where I was going that day). When they had their 1 year anniversary, I finally made it over to check it out! They were serving $1 Italian Ice and $2 Gelati all day for the occasion. I was pretty disappointed that there were only 6 flavors and almost all of them were already out. Considering they were open for at least another 4-5 hours when I got there, I think they should have restocked. I think in actuality there were only 3 choices when I was there, so that was disheartening. There really wasn't much of a line which was great. In fact, they seemed to be outside the store with balloons and signs promoting the anniversary with additional staff encouraging people in the shopping plaza to come in, so I don't feel like they were overwhelmed with the turnout that day so I don't think that explains the lacklusterness. The flavors I tried weren't very good unfortunately. They were overly sweet, but also not flavorful? It was a weird combo. The Mango flavor was decent though, so I got that one with vanilla frozen custard. The gelati combo is the jam though, and if you're coming here, I definitely suggest the upgrade! There's not really any seating here which was awful because it was freezing that day (super weird for mid June!) and we had to eat ours in the plaza huddled under another business's awning. It was incredibly windy in this plaza since it's right on the water. I wanted to LOVE this Rita's because as a native East Coast girl, it's something I crave and get nostalgic for, but unfortunately, this just missed the mark. I've been to other Rita's locations before, but there's usually way more flavors (like easily at least double). The cooler here only accommodates 6 flavors, so this was not just a one-off for the anniversary. I think this is the norm at this location. They do serve regular ice cream and some other stuff too, but I didn't drive all the way over there for ice cream. I came for the Italian Ice! Rita's, I want you to stay in the Bay and expand even to the the other side of the Caldecott, but please oh please, you gotta commit to Italian Ice and Gelati and get these Cali folks on board. Do yourself a flavor and serve more (and better) flavors. Thank you!

Worst customer service experience i ever had. the employee literally was so standoffish and unhelpful. we asked if we could have different cups and we're even willing to pay for them and she refused lol. just gave us each cups after to put our drinks in. we wanted the open top lids so we could spoon out the shaved ice. the young lady was not helpful at all. it was so bad i would give it a 0 but i can't so i give it a 1. The cotton candy flavor was good though. i'll just have to go to another rita's

Custard was good. But employees were rude. We came in and there was no one else in the building. Both the girls in there gave dirty looks to me and my BF. And one of the girls was just sitting on the back counter on her phone ??? Idek if she worked there but she was rude either way. Ambiance was attitude filled.

Overjoyed that there's a Rita's in my area now! I used to go to Rita's at the top of the hill next to CSUEB (when I was in college), for my icey-creamy fix but now that there is a Rita's in Alameda I don't have to go very far at all. Rita's is totally drool-worthy, picture-worthy frozen desserts and these shops are few and far apart so it's always a good treat to have some. While they are totally perfect for presentation- I do have my qualms with quality of the flavors - they are not as fruity and intense as Flavor Brigade and the custard isn't as cold, but then again Flavor Brigade isn't in Alameda so this new Rita's is as good as it gets in the area!

The location in Alameda is good af. The one in Brentwood is trash. The employees aren't that welcoming or friendly (at Alameda location) but idc as long as my order is right and good lol

I had the vanilla frozen custard, pie crust pieces and toffee pieces in a waffle cone. 11/10 Very creamy and delicious

Love Rita's frozen Italian ice. It's the perfect treat for these sweltering summer days. It's also located in the mall right next to the beach so it's an awesome treat to have under the hot sun. This branch is small and has limited flavors daily. I had the cantaloupe with custard and it was delicious. The custard is thick and creamy, perfect texture, while the Italian ice is never crunchy, melts in your mouth evenly and coated with flavor. It's not like ordinary shaved ice where you get some bland crunchy ice bites. It's way better! However by the end of the cup I was getting a headache from the sugar overload. They don't post it but they have a kids size and I think that's perfect for one serving. The small is a little big. One thing they can improve on is the social distancing measures they take. They serve 2 groups of costumers at a time no matter how big the group is and it felt a little crowded ordering.

If you're looking for a sweet treat while shopping around Alameda's Southshore Shopping Mall then Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is the place to go. All house made and friendly service at this location. I asked what the most popular Italian ice was and the kind worker said it was Strawberry or Margarita/Lime and he let us even sample before deciding on what we wanted. I opted for the Strawberry with Frozen Custard. It was a good mixture of creamy and icey. It got windy towards the end so I couldn't eat mine fast enough. I think they also service ice creams and cakes too!

First time here with a friend as I've heard of Rita's but never experienced it. Neither of us have. Malaysia waited on us and was Super pleasant, patient and has a lovely smile. She allowed us to sample several flavors and never seemed to become bothered. Friend settled on PB custard with Chocolate soft serve. I got the Mango ice with the vanilla soft serve. Let me tell you about this soft serve - it is like something you've never had before. It's thicker than regular soft serve and extremely velvety, It's crazy! It was tasty but I will honestly say either can stand alone - meaning you can't lose if you choose to get either the ice or soft serve and won't be disappointed.

A new dessert place in South Shore Center. Thanks for the person who wrote that it was near the play area because I had a hard time finding it. The customer service was excellent. The server kept reminding us to try different flavors. The iced were very flavorful. I was craving ice cream so I stick to those flavors. I ended up with the cookies and cream, but I must admit I wasn't a fan of any of the ice cream flavors. They fell flat for me so Ai can only give 3 stars. They told me they make new flavors everyday. I will have to give them another try.

This is the best frozen custard everr!!! This is our feel good spot so many fresh and delicious things to chose from.

I used to go to the Rita's when I lived in New York, they always had the Swedish fish flavor. So when I moved to California and found one I was so excited. Then I found out that they don't always sell the same flavors, so I would call them to ask what flavors they had that week. Again and again I was met with aggravation in there employees voices. My great memory of Rita's when I was little was ruined by that. I still like some of the flavors but the customer service was awful. How can you call yourself a family friendly establishment when you have people who work for you who seem like they hate their job.

So I'm bumping this back up to 3 stars. I'm all about second(or in this case third)chances. I really love this place. But for while I'd been met by surly servers. Or ones that didn't fill the pint fully when you're paying ten bucks for it. So, I was back at the south shore center picking up a pizza. That's my little pilgrimage there to get mod pizza and Rita's. So I thought; lemme go see what a visit to Rita's is like today. Total 180. The fellow serving was inviting, efficient and friendly. Filled the pint to overflowing. Overcompensating perhaps due to reviews... Perhaps. Dunno. Anyway that's more like it. You just won a customer back. Because I really like the product.

The Gelati is amazing. Its Custard on Top, Italian Ice in the middle, and Custard on the bottom. The thickness of the custard with its semi sweet taste is a good contrast to the delectable and easy to digest Italian ice. They just work so well together. I highly recommend getting this one. I tried Italian ice on its own because at first, the machine wasn't working and it was decent. It was good, nothing special. But my friends convinced me to get the Gelati once the machine was working again, and wow, absolutely no regrets. Its wonderful. Price is around $5 for everything, and its great! I can see why people go so often.

Great water ice for all to enjoy. This little shop serves water ice, soft serve ice cream, good old fashion ice cream. My suggested flavor of water ice is kiwi strawberry but they all tend to taste pretty good. Customer service is great and we always feel welcomed! They have a little playground outside for kids as well.

Taste: 5 Value: 4 Service: fine So, I'm all about the frozen custard. I've had the most authentic and creamy versions in thw midwest. Needless to say, I was excited to try this combination with Italian ice. Overall, I would say that the combination is a winner. The custard really carries the dessert and the creaminess helps you cut down the sweetness of the Italian ice. Just like boba has current sweetness levels, I think I would say this is 100% and I wish it had been closer to 75%. Mango is the ultimate flavor of all time though!