Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices

I’m still not over Ralph’s being gone. I hate the site of Louieg’s. I gave in and tried their icies… no dice. I guess I have to travel to Long Island to eat my lover, which is Ralph’s.
Is it a franchise? Any want to open one with me?

Summer feels ugly and stupid without Ralph’s.
I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL, UNCLE LOUIE G, BECAUSE I BLAME YOUR CRASH LANDING 5 FEET FROM RALPH’S FOR ITS DEMISE. I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL, AND I WILL STAB YOU IN THE FACE WITH WHATEVER SHARP IMPLEMENTS ARE READILY ACCESSIBLE IN HELL.

HEY i heard there is a new ralph’s in brooklyn let’s find it and tell each other about it okay?
oh i’m sorry it is on manhattan but it is in queen’s. it’s great though lots of new flavors. peanut butter pretzel, chocolate layer cake, apple crumb, etc.

A
Deli?
A fucking
Deli? I will
Never understand why some live and die.

The reviews say it all. This place is the sh*t. Ice cream AND Cream ice! I have fallen in icy creamy dessert love for life.
Can’t wait until it gets warmer, so i can go continue my mission of trying every single flavor Ralph’s has to offer. …I will be trying to years to come, but hey. it’s not like I mind ;)

Some people hate on Ralph’s because their a chain and there are better places out there, but they still make a solid Italian ice. My favorite is the cannoli, and for $ 1.50, it definitely makes skipping dessert at one of the nearby restaurants worth it ($ 7 avg for restaurant dessert, you do the math). Sucks that its hard (not impossible) to eat frozen stuff like this in the winter, but thats life. And if you’re one of those freaks who hates Italian ices, do the world a favor and stay in hibernation this year.

Wow they have a lot of flavors here! I didn’t even know you could make some of the Italian ices that Ralph’s had on the menu. And they were delicious, especially so on this particularly tepid day. What to get? What to get?!? There were almost too many choices to choose from, kind of like why I hate shopping in department stores. With so many things to choose from I get so confused, which then leads into frustration for shopping as a whole, and I ultimately end up going home with just a package of underwear because I already knew what size/​shape/​color I needed…
But the ices were delicious. I went with the Rocky Road and Peanut Butter combination. Mmm, so creamy and yet refreshing. However I immediately became jealous after my friends ordered theirs. Not because their flavor choices were any better than my own, but simply because I didn’t have it. I’ll be back Ralph, oh yes, I’ll be back. Good thing it’s just around the corner from my friend’s place; yet another reason to venture off this island and explore some of the surrounding hoods.

to critique Ralph’s is more of a judgement of the Critic themself rather than on this establishment. Ralph’s is my benchmark for all that is beautiful, true, and right in the world. Cream Ices on a rainy day? Let it pour! Water ices when you’re schvitzing? Nothing feels and tastes better. Honestly, this would be a great question to ask a girl on a date; «are you a fan of Ralph’s?» she better say yes if she wants to last till dessert!

What you have here is a place that is just poop your pants fantastic. The crème ice is a delicious tasty treat, and the medium is three dollars. There is a giant board of flavors to choose from – i would recommend birthday cake.

Le’me tell you a couple-​3 things about Ralph’s…
First, I have never had a «cream ice», but it is a brilliant conception
2^nd, the crème ice is a perfect blend of the richness of a full-​fat ice cream and a water-​based ice…
tres, it’s cheap and low-​fat.
I cannot speak to the ice cream, as I have yet to indulge, but …
Bottom line: I really really like the cream ices, they are the best of both worlds.

When I was 17 I was a huge chunker. I had no clue how to eat and this was reflected in my ass, hips and thighs (and face, arms and chin). Through the years, I have lost weight and know how to retain a thin (nish) figure.
Well. imagine my disappointment & glee when I moved around the corner from Ralph’s Ices. Not only are they the most delicious ices ever created (bc they are cream) but you almost think it’s are the «healthier alternative.» Not only am I drawn to them for taste and texture, but also because I grew up with Ralph’s! There was one in my town and it was the after high-​school (sadly, post-​blunt) sugar load activity! This is a nature and nurture problem…
Hope I can avoid going back to chunker. God help me.

Man, f this place.
The guy behind the counter tonight (mid-​to-​late-​40s, possibly Italian?) was incredibly rude to my girlfriend and I.
My girlfriend asked to sample one flavor — the Strawberry Shortcake cream ice. She thought it was only OK, so she asked to sample one more flavor. In a very rude manner, the guy told her NO, you can only sample one flavor. He claimed that this policy was intended to keep the lines moving quickly. Well this was at 10pm at night and there wasn’t a single person behind us! And there were TWO of us, so technically we should’ve been allowed one sample each. What kind of lame ass ice joint only allows for ONE sample? I wanted to slap this dude in his ice loving face.
Anyway, we were pissed, but we had already walked 15 minutes to get there, so we ordered a small cream ice anyway. It wasn’t really that great. Since I wasn’t able to sample any other flavors, I’m going to assume they’re all run-​of-​the-​mill at best, and many probably taste like ass.
I suggest you avoid Ralph’s and instead take your hard-​earned dollars to a place that doesn’t employ human turds and serves products that don’t suck.

Ralph’s is amazing. The flavors are awesome, even the no sugar cream ices. The water ices are phenomenal, and you can always get two options at a time. I had no idea what I was missing the first week I lived in this neighborhood, but I’ve got it down. It’s well worth standing in line, and then wandering around outside in the heat.
Phenomenal.
I was there March 2, the day after they reopened. And I’ve been there almost every day since… including on days when it’s really not warm enough.

Question: Why am I thinking of Ralph’s in December?
Answer: I just got a taste memory of their cantaloupe and lemon flavors, mixed, of course.
My first Ralph’s experience was at Coney Island years ago, while strolling on the boardwalk one stifling, hot July day. I’d never had ices, sorbet yes, but an icy? No. (Apparently we didn’t have them in Michigan.) My immediate thought back then was, «Where the hell has this stuff been all my life? I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!» Seriously, it’s that good. The ices have bits of fruit in them. Oh, the lemon is out of this world. One taste and you’ll know why the lines are long at every Ralph’s establishment. (In addition to the water ices, they also have no sugar added/​fat free, sherbet and ice cream).
Nothing is more refreshing than a dish of Ralph’s Ice… especially when you have to consume it before it melts. And who doesn’t get a kick out of brain freeze?
Most standout flavors: lemon, cantaloupe, lime, red raspberry, mango and pineapple.
My only hope is that after the «renovation» of Coney Island, the Ralph’s stand will stay on the boardwalk… because I don’t frequent Williamsburg that often.

Fantastic! I’m such a whimp when it comes to walking in the heat, we started off on Frost St. and made it to Graham Ave. then I started getting melodramatic and needed something to cool off with before hoping onto the train.
ALAS I look and see Ralphs! I ordered a large lemon lime and it marvelous. I got my brother a Rainbow and my cousins wife got the cherry. The girls behind the counter were quick and friendly. Sucks I won’t be up there anytime soon to indulge in that again.

Fantastic Italian ices, both water and cream. I always feel a little guilty going here during the summer, but its so close by! Also, it reminds me a little of home on Long Island.
A recent change has me worried though — There’s a Prudential sign on the building. Is it true? Can a summer only business not survive in this now rapidly changing neighborhood?

It’s scorching hot outside, it seems like there’s nothing to do but complain about how hot and smelly it is outside what to do? Head to Ralph’s. They have the BEST Italian ice around. Every time I go I vow to try a different flavor until I’ve exhausted all possibilities, needless to say I’ve repeated a few times, I’ve just found a few favorites, although I’ve yet to try the crème ones.
When you go and you’ll end up going a lot try the sour cherry, passion fruit, mango, lemon/​lime, cherry cola, cantaloupe, honeydew… you get my point. When you try the watermelon it’s hard to remember what a real one tastes like.

Cheap, high-​quality, fresh, homemade Italian ice like you’ve never had? Yes. If your previous experience with Italian ice has been primarily derived from super-​market six packs, as mine had been prior, than you owe it to yourself to go to Ralph’s, and broaden your frozen desert horizons.
I had the canoli crème ice and it was nothing like the ices I’ve had in the past. As the name implies, the ice was derived from a crème base – ralph’s has a large selection of crème ices, as well as water – rather than the water-​based ices I’ve gotten my whole life. Crème makes all the difference, creating a consistency that’s difficult to describe outside of saying that, while similar in its ingredients, it was absolutely not that of ice cream’s. The flavor of the ice was delicate and light, with a highlight of vanilla and undertones of cinamon, nutmeg and choclate. The best part, though, was the slew of canolli shell pieces and choclate chips peppering the already complexly tastey concoction.
At just $ 2, and with less fat and cholesterol than ice cream, you really can’t go wrong.

The best place for Ices and Ice Cream — all are home made and amazing.
Personal fave: Malibu Bay Breeze and Honeydew (with actually small frozen bits of honeydew) Ices — best way to cool down on a hot summer day!

And on the Sixth day, God created Ralph’s Famous Italian Ice. And it was good.
This place, located right my the Graham Avenue L stop (between Metropolitan and Conselyea), is a small «window» where you can order any flavor of Italian Ice that you can imagine! A sign boasts «over 100 flavors.» And it is true!
There are two kinds of Ice: Italian Ice and Crème Ice. Both are awesome. Italian Ice is a water-​based ice that tends to be more fruit-​flavored. Crème Ice is, I believe, a milk-​based ice that is creamier and therefore more like ice cream (Crème Ice is my favorite)! Italian Ice gives you a worse cold-​headache because I think it is somehow «colder» than Crème Ice, which makes it ideal for the hottest summer day. They also have ice cream and milkshake-​like beverages made out of their ices… I have yet to try these, but they sound good.
My obsession with Ralph’s Famous Italian Ice began this summer when I was living in Williamsburg. Now that I’m in Crown/​Prospect Heights, Ralph’s is probably the establishment that most-​often brings me back to my old stomping grounds. (Believe it or not!)
I recommend getting a small, because even the small-​size portion of ice is very generous! The service is friendly and fast! The only downside of this place is that there is no place to sit. (However, that’s not a significant enough downside to demote even 1 star from this little gem of a place with orgasmic Italian Ices!)
I’ve been conducting an Italian Ice Project, in which I am trying to have all of the flavors before I die. You can track my progress here: