Rita’s Italian Ice and Frozen Custard

Ice. Custard. Happiness. — This is what Rita’s is known for their Italian Ice and Frozen Custard that would definitely make you happy.

My sister who calls herself Anney and I are big fans of anyhting that is fruity and icy. We love sorbets, sherbet, snowcones,  and of course, ice cream. We’ve heard about Rita’s and is dreaming of one day being able to try their  famous Italian Ice and Frozen Custard. Now we can! Because tomorrow, Rita’s is gonna be opening their first branch here in the Philippines at the ground floor of VMall in Greenhills.

Let me give you a little bit of history first, Rita’s story began in the hot summer of 1984 when a former Philadelphia firefighter named Bob Tumolo started selling Italian Ice (also referred to as water ice) from a small porch window in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. His goal was to earn a little extra income and named the business after his wife Rita.

Bob and his mother, Elizabeth, set to work on their special formulation of Italian Ice, which they made fresh each day. Soon Rita’s Italian Ice became a flavor sensation with Philadelphians and before they know it they were branching out because to meet the demands of their consumers.

You might be wondering what’s Italian Ice and how is it different from sorbets or snow cones. Well, Rita’s Italian Ice is a sweet, smooth frozen treat made fresh daily on location and hand scooped to order. Unlike shaved ice, Italian ice is made by the same process as ice cream: freezing the ingredients while mixing them together producing its unique flavor and smooth consistency. All Ice is served within 36 hours of mixing and features delicious real fruit flavors.

These were the flavors of Italian Ice avilable when I dropped by their store last wednesday: Alex’s Lemonade, Banana Split,Black Cherry Cheesecake, Blueberry, Cherry, Choc Chip Cheesecake, Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Cotton Candy, Dulce de Leche, Mango, Sugar-Free mango Peach, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Strawberry.

Among those flavors, I was able to try: Blueberry, Alex’s Lemonade, Strawberry, Cotton Candy, Cherry, Choc Chip Cheesecake, and Black Cherry Cheesecake. Their Italian Ice is made of real fruit and even has fruit bits mixed in.

You can have two flavors in a single order. One of the most popular flavor combination is Cotton Candy and Cherry.

When I’ve tried all the flavors I like, I got myself a regular sized Blendini. A Blendini is a combination of Frozen Custard, Italian Ice, and a delicious topping blended together. My Blendini is composed of Black Cherry Cheesecake Italian Ice, Vanilla Frozen Custard, and whole cherries. It’s super good and refreshing and of course, lighter because it’s a blend of an ice and a custard.

Frozen Custard is like ice cream but is denser because it’s made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. They have four custard flavors available: Vanilla, Light Vanilla, Chocolate, and Coffee. You can order this in a cup, cone or as a sundae with two toppings, whipped cream, and a cherry.

Here are some of the other items on their menu:

Gelati~ Best of both worlds in Rita’s signature treat – alternating layers of our famous Italian Ice and Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard.

Misto~A combination of your favorite Italian Ice and creamy Custard blended together. The Misto is a Gelati you can drink with a straw!

All Custard Blendini ~ Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard and a delicious topping blended together.

Milkshake ~Rita’s take on a classic milkshake but richer and creamier – this beverage combines milk and Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard; blended together in a variety of unique flavors, then topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

Frozen Lemonade ~ A combination of Alex’s Lemonade Italian Ice blended with any other Ice flavor of your choice,makes for a refreshing summertime beverage, made with real fruit, perfect for on the go!

You should try Ted Castro’s signature Blendini called Ted’s Blendini. Ted is Rita’s Ice Philippines Operations Manager and his Blendini is made of Mango Italian Ice, Vanilla Frozen Custard, and Wet Walnuts. It’s really really good. I’m giving it a two thumbs up.

Oh and they have Ice Cream Sandwich made of Jumbo Oreos with frozen custard in between! That I wasn’t able to try the last time I was there but one which I will try when I go back.

Thank you so much for letting me try the different flavors of Italian Ice and Custard Rita’s Ice. I am now thinking of what flavor combinations I’ll try when I come back.