Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

Rita’s is always yummy. This location is small so they had about 4 options to choose from for the Italian ice/ water ice. I always get the cotton candy flavor. It’s great that they let you sample it before you decide which one to purchase.

Very nice water Ice these guys serve. We went in a group and tried various flavors. One can ask for sample and then order the flavor they like most. When asked for the smallest cup we don't get a real small one but you can always ask for a kid size cup. That is way smaller and can be finished easily. The water ice is something that you should definitely try in Philly. Highly recommended 👍

You can never go wrong with Rita’s in the summer, but I just have to say I adore these two girls working on Sunday evening on August 31. They’re so kind and sweet. Keep it up!

I've never heard of Rita's, but they've been around since 1984, and was founded in Philly, my spouse's home state. We ended our last day on our most recent trip to PA here for some desserts. Being from Hawaii, I know of shave ice and Dairy Queen, so I was curious to see what the hoopla was all about, as they never did open up shop in Hawaii as mentioned in several news articles a few years ago. ATMOSPHERE: It looks like a take out-only store front, but there's a long, narrow room to the right side with a few seats and an interior delivery window. We sat inside for a while but it was so gloomy that we decided to eat and walk instead of looking at bare walls. MENU: Italian Ice (similar to Icee), Cream Ice (the Italian Ice mixed with cream), Gelati (the Italian Ice with a Frozen Custard swirl on top), Misto Shake (the Gelati but blended), Frozen Custard (like super thick soft serve), Blendini (the Frozen Custard with toppings), Sugar Free Italian Ice, and Milkshakes. DESSERT: Frozen Custard - I wasn't in the mood for any floats or shakes so I opted for this, which looks like soft serve ice cream, but oddly wasn't as "cold" to the tongue as regular ice cream is, and didn't melt profusely in the heat wave that was going on. Sounds weird but that's the best explanation I can give. The vanilla flavor was creamy, not too sugary, and wasn't rich like ice cream. The swirl was piled super high on the cone and even got the attention from a motorist's passenger shouting "Where'd you get that??" "Rita's!" I replied lol. Gelati - My spouse's choice. He opted for cherry flavor. I should've taken a sip of it but didn't. It's been a favorite of his since forever, and according to him, is not overly sweet. It's similar to DQ's Mister Misty. Cherry Gelati with Vanilla Custard - $3.99 This was everything I expected. Similar to DQ's Mister Misty, it's a slush (flavor of your choice) with soft serve ice cream. The syrup wasn't overly sweet which was great. Their soft serve still has that odd temperature of cold but not icy cold. That's my best explanation of it. It's weird but tastes nice and creamy. SERVICE: Order time and delivery was quick. The male staff member was friendly. OVERALL: Affordable, good, generous portions, but I think I will try the Gelati or Misto Shake next time!

If cool whip flavor & after taste film on the roof of your mouth is what you’re about then come here!

My mistake that I did not ask if there were different size cones, I ordered a vanilla cone and it was huge. The cost was $6.75, my 😞

This place has THE best Italian ices!! They had so many selections to choose from but I went with the Mango and custard choice as recommended and I was not disappointed to say the least! The customer service was great, staff was friendly and establishment was clean. Will be returning to this location to have yet another ice to finish off my day!

Took a walk and found this little hole in the wall place. Friendly and patient staff. Lots of ice flavors. Creamy rich custard! I got a swirl cone and it was quite tasty. Good portions for the price. I'd go back to have another cool treat!

I keep hearing about Italian Ice and gelati and it a prolific thing in Philly. Well at 92+ humidity making it feel like 100 I found myself dragging myself out of my hotel and walked the 8 blocks at 7pm (still in the high 80s') to try it. There were two young girls working the windows. I told her I'd never had these before and then I opted for the gelati which is like a icee (slurpee, think 7-11) and layered with custard or a harder version of softserve. I opted for the large coke and chocolate/vanilla twist. They were very helpful. Oh my,it was good. I didn't think I'd finish but by the time I got to the hotel I had 1/4 left. There is a Rita's just in the next town over where i live (Alameda) so i am sure to go over and get again.

How is this so good? What wizardry keeps this so cold while also so creamy and delicious?! The friendly folks at Rita's are happy to make whatever wild combination of flavors, custard and toppings. My personal flavor favorites are lemon and black cherry, but the other flavors I have sampled are also delicious... The ambiance is always happy around Rita's - because everybody is happy when they have Rita's in their future!

Love the custard and root beer together. Also the black cherry is delicious. Redreshing!

I wasn't planning on doing anything touristy during the two days I was in Philly, but my friends insisted that Rita's Italian Ice was worth a try. They are apparently known for their water ice (Italian ice) and custards that both locals and tourists enjoy. They are known for their gelati, which is custard on top of Italian ice. GELATI (LARGE) Not sure what the price was since I didn't pay, but it's definitely under $6. It's very sharable among friends. We got the guava passionfruit Italian ice (which was fruity and quite sweet) and vanilla custard. I thought the gelati was too sweet but I really appreciated how creamy and thick the vanilla custard was. This location only have vanilla and chocolate custard today, but I'd be interested in trying other flavors in the future. I most definitely would eat the custard by itself instead. The Italian ice is still nice, and I'd probably try a different flavor next time.

Our party had the mango water ice, black cherry water ice, and twist custard. No complaints. The employees were perfectly fine and polite.

Unfortunately right when I got there, the vanilla custard machine was broken so I got chocolate with the mango ice. Was given the wrong receipt so thought I was charged more than I was supposed to be charged. Overall, the Italian ice was just okay and the service was extremely slow!! I was excited for this place, but sadly was disappointed.

The employees couldn't be more inconvenienced to be there - I've seen one pleasant employee and that's it. They are also incompetent and can't follow directions (that may be harsh but it's after multiple visits with incorrect and or missing items). It is not a great experience, nor has it ever been.

The water ice here is good. A small is a good size for most people. My brothers got the ice and custard and really enjoyed it. Highly recommend if you're looking for a causal dessert in the area.

Keke was exceptionally wonderful with a beautiful smile and great customer service. We will come back again. Ice cream was great and pretzel Thank you

its just Ritas. needs more eye candy. I'm not sure why there's an 85 character minimum but this should cover it.

I am diabetic, so I purchased a quart sugar-free cherry, thinking it would be carb-free. Boy, was I wrong! When I tasted it, it tasted super sweet, so I looked up the nutritional information on line. To my horror, it has 46 grams of net carbs per serving! Admittedly, I probably should've looked this up before purchasing but now I have to take the whole thing and throw it in the garbage. What a waste. There should be some sort of warning saying "not a low-carb item."

I was very disappointed with the price, quality, size and flavor of the vanilla custard. It use to be my favorite custard so I was surprised to have flavorless vanilla served to me for the price of six dollars and zero ice cream actually in the cone.

I had never heard of Rita's and when I saw it on Yelp I was drawn in. Great frozen custard and flavored ice treats. Not as heavy as ice cream, the frozen ice is refreshing and certainly cools you off on a hot day. Get a cup and sit on a bench watching the world go by. (Rittenhouse Park is just a short walk.) For flavors, I chose black cherry ice and chocolate custard. The custard and ice are separate and you can mix it on the spoon to adjust your flavor preference. (nice!) Next time, lemon and vanilla, although dragon fruit ice sound intriguing.

Now, I'm very familiar with Rita's! Tried something new which upped them by a star. DESSERT: Cherry Gelati with Vanilla Custard - $3.99 This was everything I expected. Similar to DQ's Mister Misty, it's a slush (flavor of your choice) with soft serve ice cream. The syrup wasn't overly sweet which was great. Their soft serve still has that odd temperature of cold but not icy cold. That's my best explanation of it. It's weird but tastes nice and creamy. SERVICE: We were greeted and assisted immediately as there was no line even if it was miserably humid out. We sought shelter in their air conditioned dining room but it's not the most inviting of spaces as it's an echoey hallway, so we took our treats outside in the heat and people-watched under an awning. OVERALL: They're located all over PA and are consistent so choose any of them and enjoy a cold treat!

Mango water ice is heavenly. Perfect dessert on a cold day and uniquely Philly/NJ treat.

What I love about Rita's is that their custard is also consistently good no matter where you go. However they didn't have the cheese pretzels which was disappointing.

On Friday August 30th I went to my local Rita's water ice and ordered Suger-free pink lemonade water ice. I was not satisfied with my order because there was a red booger in it. I am sueing. I got extreme fevers from here. DO NOT GET

Can't go wrong with Rita's water ice! Let's not forget their custard. It is so creamy and the best around.

We were looking for water ice or ice water because my sister had read that it was good in Philadelphia and that we should try it. So we drove up and down the streets and up and down the streets and finally found Rita's. And then realized that Rita's was actually very familiar to us and we had had their products before. But we got in line and they ordered our ices and they were delicious. I had mango and it was really out of this world. I love mango and this was a great mango flavor. Definitely recommend it.

Where have you been, Rita, all of my life? Oh yeah, you're a major Philly chain well known o pretty much everyone native Philadelphians except for me...oh well. I think Rita's got it down right. Cheap but delicious custard ice cream, rich vanilla flavoring, incredibly friendly service and did I mention cheap? $2 and change for a perfect treat on a hot summer afternoon. I will say that the combo swirl was not as impressive as the original vanilla, but that's my personal opinion.

PERFECT FOR A WARM/HOT DAY IN PHILADELPHIA! :) During my stay in Philly, I had the opportunity to try Rita's twice! Rita's offers Italian Ice, Cream Ice, Frozen Custard, Gelati, and more! I got to try the mango flavored italian ice and the strawberry flavored gelati. Gelati has a dollop of creamy frozen custard layered on top of the italian ice with more creamy frozen custard. Both mango and strawberry flavors were delicious! Flavored very well and was very refreshing. Each bite melted in my mouth. Loved how it's not too heavy.

I mean it's ice and they have all kinds of flavors. Got blood orange, passion fruit, black cherry and of course lemon with custard. Flights is the best way to go here.

SPEEDY SERVICE!! always a plus! tried the cherry water ice, its similar to hawaiian shaved ice in consistency, very fine and its flavored as well. and it absolutely melts in your mouth. also tried the mango gelati, its a combination of mango water ice and custard. its so good. the custard and gelati combined make a very good flavor combination! i absolutely love it!

Got literally a table spoon if ice cream and all jimmies. What a rip off!

Great spot for that Philadelphia favorite, Italian Ice (or should I say water ice)! Gelati is a solid go to for the best of both worlds (custard and ice), but you can't go wrong with any order. Don't forget, you can try any flavor you like for free! AND they close at 9pm (sad, but true), so plan ahead and enjoy the sweet adventure. PS - Service can be a bit slow. But slow down, enjoy yourself, and don't throw a fit - it's only ice cream after all.

Can't get enough of Rita's. They did frozen custard before it was cool (cough, Shakeshack). So much more satisfying than ice cream - smooth, creamy texture and served at a slightly warmer temperature that doesn't freeze your mouth. I love the toppings options. Italian ice at Rita's is also great but I come for the custard.

Excellent frozen treat on a 95° day walking around Philly. Had the watermelon flavored water ice in my gelati. The gelati is a part water ice, part custard combo. Note: The custard is NOT like soft serve. It basically doesn't melt! How much solid-at-room temp hydrogenated fats are in that stuff?!? Who cares. This stuff was perfection in a cup! The sweet ice pairs with the frozen custard great. There's air conditioned seating on the side of the counter where you order.

I am used to the Rita's in South Philadelphia so this was my first time here. I love the idea that they have an inside area of the people can sit and relax and it's extremely clean. The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating and I would definitely enjoy coming back here with my daughter

Delicious. They have some of the best water ice around. The custard is good--try the coffee custard for a taste of icy cool heaven. Rita's is the perfect treat on a hot day in the city. It's also quite inexpensive. I get the kids size, as the adult small is still too much. Sure, I could eat it all, but really...should I? I order the kid's custard for just $1.75 and am completely satisfied.

Philly food tour: John's for Philly water ice, Rita's for frozen custard. Except we got water ice too. It was good, but not enough flavoring (we got vanilla). The frozen custard was a whole other story. So decadent, thick and sweet. Like eating frozen molasses. Like eating very hard soft serve. *Droool....* Me wants frozen custard now.

Honestly, one of the best desserts I have had in my entire life. The mix of vanilla custard cream and pineapple italian ice was so good. The chunks of pineapple in the italian ice was a really nice touch. It is so sad that I can't find it near where I am from. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone planning a trip to Philly. I don't think anyone would be disappointed to try it. The quality of it exceeds how much it costs.

I came here today for the first time. The gentleman was so friendly and explained how it worked: ice with or without the custard, blended shake with toppings. He told me about popular flavors and let me try 2. I ended up going with mango ice as is and it was great, super refreshing for a warm day. I will definitely be back and perhaps more adventurous next time. Also, great pricing!!!

outrageous prices, if you order a vanilla cup of ice cream the center of it is all hollow, do these owners think we are stupid. family of four costs 23 dollars for a very small amount of ice cream, can go to supermarket and get four half gallons of premium ice cream for this kind of money, never again !!

Okay I know Rita's is an institution but JEEZ it's sweet. I had maybe a fifth of mine before I could do no more, and it probably didn't help that I got the Swedish Fish flavor. This particular location does have a seating area, with maybe 5 tables inside. They also offer a sampler platter now which I regret not trying.

This is a great little water ice oasis in a quiet little section of Center City, and pretty standard fare for a water ice place - but does have a good selection of flavors. The main spot is the outdoor service windows, where you walk up to order ice. There is a little side entrance with a couple seats, but mostly you just walk up to get what you want, and then move on. During my visit this past Saturday late afternoon, one of the windows was taken up by a friend of the employees talking to an employee. Eventually they noticed that there was a line and that I was waiting, and the girl finally moved away and motioned me to go order. Not a big thing really, but how often does this happen to others? Usually when this affects someone's impression of the place, it's happened before. Management needs to be aware. Otherwise, it's great to have a Rita's in a nice, accessible spot in Center City.

I love point cards. You buy ten items you get one delicious icy dessert for free. Like cherie c. I also get the kids size. Sadly the gelati does not come in kids size! Wild Black Cherry is my fave. It has actual pieces of real black cherries in it. It's not your typical clown red cherry either! The great thing is you can try any flavor. The lines get deep in the summer, so enjoy it now in the early spring. PS the first day of spring is coming up (3/20) they give away free small water ices that day! PPS Another little known fact about this locale, if you are facing the store front to the right is a glass door, step inside and they have some tables and chairs now or you could just pretend your laundry is drying and sit on the laundromat chairs or the wooden steps for the flowers at spruce market. Sooo many seating options!

I decided to give this place a try because it was across the street from where I was staying. I'm not really a big water ice fan so I got the Blendini. I had a chocolate peanut butter one and it was great. The staff was very friendly and helped explain all the options. I was happy that I gave it a try.

Listen, if you EVER need to place an order for your company, or organization, or even for your backyard BBQ, call Nashay and the folks down at this Rita's location! Yes, there are exclamation points because his customer service was over the top! Not just calm and accommodating, seeing as this was my first time placing anything other than a personal order at Rita's, but informative and helpful and made it easy breezy to get it done. Now, I have 5 more orders to place for next week at different locations. Here's to hoping they are all like Nashay!

Hey Rita's on Red Lion Road in Philadelphia PA... I am all about supporting small business, especially during the pandemic. However, many of us have experienced financial difficulties. Over $20 for three kiddie size and one small cone. Seriously! You are no longer affordable! example of price gouging!

i was told by a fellow yelper to try rita's while out in philly and she was NOT wrong. the gelatti was to die for--yet another thing i would gladly fly across the country for again. on one day i had just regular water ice; came back next day for the gelatti (strawberry custard on pumpkin cream ice). it's a bit unclear to first-timers what each item on the menu really is (since uhh, water ice really isn't watery and uhh, custard is kind of frozen yogurty), but once you figure it out, a treasure trove of taste awaits! zomg so delicious. too bad it was my last day there!

The also must-have east coast treat. Even in pouring rain, carrying my borrowed Palomar umbrella, I endured a half mile of Coastal downpour to get to Ritas. I tried the lemonade with swedish fish (honestly, just like eating the real candy), topped with Vanilla custard. Heaven. Despite the weather, despite the cold, Rita warmed me that night. We don't get such great ice in LA. It's icey slush, but not watery, and holds its own in the cup. And to top it off, the custard is money.

I don't know a whole lot about water ice. I didn't grow up in the area and hadn't even heard of such a thing until visiting a friend in NYC maybe 6 years ago. That being said, I think Rita's is pretty great. I tend to stick with the standard flavors (cherry, mango - yum) but recently I tried the Swedish fish that a friend was having and that was pretty amazing. I had also been avoiding the various other strange combinations they offer (strange for me) but tried the custard with water ice combo with my mango and it was really good. I look forward to more hot days and more excuses to try different flavors!

YUM! Had never even heard of ice cream made of custard before coming here. Rita's was on the street our Air bnb was and we popped in. Wow! This was so delicious. I had twist (vanilla and chocolate rich, deep custard cream). I only wish I could have had it again while it was open. Better than the rolled ice cream phase that's taking over Philadelphia. It's not so overly frozen. You can actually taste the flavor of Rita's which is creamy and delicious! Friendly service too.

I have a confession: I don't really like water ice. I know, I know. That is almost a sin in Philadelphia. I mean, I don't DISLIKE it, but I certainly do not CRAVE it. I do, however, LOVE LOVE the custard (with sprinkles!). However, this place is clean. The employees are friendly. They don't get impatient when I'm changing the order of the little kids I babysit for 85 times in 2 minutes. Also, I had strawberry lemonade yesterday that was actually quite tasty. Plus, this place is about 4 doors from my apartment, so +1 just for that. Oh, and they have indoor tables for the winter or the rain.

The rumors are true. It is an addictive place and it is also very unique. Everything here is cheap and delicious (which probably means it's pretty bad for you). The water ice is pretty different than most other places and I kind of use it as a baseline for comparing all other water ice too. It's hard for me to see how exactly they get their water ice to be SO flavorful when it's just water, ice and sugar, unless there are just TONS of artificial flavors and even more sugar in there than I'm aware of, but I don't really mind because it does taste awesome. The staff is always super friendly. I have had conversations so long with them that I forget what I was going to order from them. My favorite go-to water ice is the Mango gelati with vanilla custard (pure fat and sugar btw, SCORE). Everyone needs to try this place at least once. Note: If you are ordering the Large, you have had too much lately and you need to cut back. The regular size is more than enough. Stop being fat.

I came here for the first day of spring and they were closed. I was so disappointed but then I found out a new Rita's opened on west side of South St. between 21st and 22nd and South down the street from CVS. The line was way long but we waited and it moved pretty fast and when we finally got inside, it was so much nicer than any other Rita's I've ever been to. We went back the next day and just parked in the CVS parking lot for 5 minutes and got some gelati's and it was fine. I'm not saying it's safe to do this but it worked for us so we'll probably continue to just try our luck if we want Rita's because ours is closed and I don't have the patience to look for parking! The employees at this new Rita's at on 21st and South are so much friendlier and it's actually just as close to my apartment as the 15th and Spruce location so I might just go here from now on. I am really upset that they were closed for the First Day of Spring but luckily I found a new one around town!

After a long cross-city bike ride, this was a 96 degree day treat! Here's some reasons to stop by: * Open 4th of July * Right along the Spruce St. Bike path * Stoop seating compliments of Ernesto's (which was 'chiuso') * Genuinely great service by young, cheerful, hard-working youth * Totally refreshing flavors, including sugar-free and birthday cake * You don't have to be a kid to order a kid's size * Only $5 and change for a kid's ice and small "gelato" They would get more stars if they sold flavors made with fresh organic fruit, and served cashew or coconut cream (non-dairy) ice creams. But fun if you're cycling on a hot day!

I went to this Rita's yesterday after licking my daughter up from school. There was a young Caucasian blond serving us at the window. She was very much in a rush although there were no other customers. She attempted to rush us to make a choice in what we wanted than she rushed, what we ordered. She had this very annoyed vibe coming from her, like she didn't really want to be there nor did she want customers. The mistos were good, but the customer service not so much.

I love living a couple blocks away from Rita's! It makes for the perfect "walk"... the only walk to ever generate positive calories haha. I'm not a huge fan of the water ice or cream ice (as far as I can tell, these are like snow cones in a cup), but man the frozen custard is so BOSS! It's thicker than your average soft-serve ice cream, and less sugary tasting. Instead, it is very creamy, rich, and doesn't melt fast. Yum! Love how the Spruce location just opens onto the street like a food truck... Something very old-school and charming about it. I think I'd go less if it were an actual store, but who knows. The employees are also very patient and let you try as many different flavors as you want - so please don't, for the love of Ray J... Nobody wants to be the person behind you!