Rita’s Italian Ice

I have been a customer of the CV Rita’s for years and recently learned of this one which is a lot closer to my house. Decided to get some treats this past Saturday afternoon after dinning not far from there. They are up in the Hayward hills right next to CSU East Bay. It is in a little plaza that has a pizza place, Chinese place, subway, Bonfair and subway. The place is really clean, and lot bigger than the CV location. I got my usual of the dragon fruit ice with vanilla custard and the bf got juicy pear with chocolate. Everything was delicious! The service was great and I think we even met the owner who was really cool and nice. Be sure to bring cash to tip your server since their CC machine doesn’t allow you to add tip… we had to search all our pockets and managed to find $ 1…we felt so bad. Parking was easy since it is in a plaza but I can imagine it being a little tough during the summer days but you can always park on the street. Great place, we will be coming here from now on!

HANDS DOWN BETTER THAN LOARD’S ICE CREAM! Went here for the first time with the family. Lots of variety and clean place. Very kid friendly and excellent customer service provided by James and Jenny. They were great and seemed happy to work there. Keep up the great work guys! We will be coming again soon.

Different and refreshing! Didn’t have many flavors available but the lady doing our ices was very nice and helpful! The location is weird and hope they can maintain business!

My brother and I were just driving through Hayward and we decided to go for some ice cream. I searched Unilocal and fount Rita’s so we came here. The place is very clean and well lit. It was our first time here so we got different recommendations. I got the strawberry mango gelati (vanilla ice cream on the bottom and top and mango strawberry in the middle. When you mix them it is the best thing. The regular size was just enough. Very friendly staff. Will definitely come back for more whenever I’m in Hayward.

I’m so happy they opened a Rita’s closer to me! I’ve visited this location twice now. Both times I ordered a mango gelati, which tastes consistent with their Castro Valley location. However, the other location almost never has mango whenever I come in, so I’m super happy that Hayward always has my favorite flavor when I drop by. Their workers are also super sweet & friendly! No question that I’ll be back whenever I need a gelati fix.

This was one of our pitstops on the way to San Leandro and even though it was 50 degrees outside, the gelati really hit the spot! The frozen custard here is amazingggg! It’s super thick and creamy. I wish they had more creamier flavors of ice so it’d pair with the custard better.
My favorite custard flavor is strawberry so definitely try it! I sampled most of the ice flavors (besides the ones i’m allergic to) and a lot of them did just taste like artificially sweetened ice-​kinda like shaved ice. Some of them were just too sweet for my taste so I ended up getting sour patch kids ice paired with strawberry custard.
The man working there was super nice and helpful. The regular size was hard enough to finish, definitely a good portion size. I would definitely go back if I’m ever in the area!

We are huge fans of Rita’s! Thankfully, we came across this location during New Years Day because the Castro Valley location was closed.
We all got the gelati. I ordered the green apple and mango ice with vanilla custard. Hubby got the mango ice with strawberry custard. My son got the blue raspberry with vanilla custard. Love love how they layer the custard and ice. Everything was just perfect.
The owners (I believe) were so kind and helpful!
Lots of parking.
They take card.
Utilize their punch card.
Their bathrooms are clean.
:)

I’ve been a fan on Rita’s Italian Ice ever since I moved from New Jersey in 2011. I’ve been looking for the same italian ice feel but never found it on the west coast until they opened a Rita’s in San Carlos and Hayward. This is a lot close to my house than the San Carlos location, so I’ll definitely be here when I’m craving their delicious custard — which is mostly every day. I recommend getting a gelati (ice and custard layers) with vanilla custard and mango ice. You won’t regret it!

Looove their custards. you gotta try their mango, coffee and oreo custard cake. It’s so darn good & fresh Bought the oreo custard cake for my family and they loved it! Their customer service was pretty superb and the inside of the store was real cute and clean. Great place to take your family or friends for dessert. So if you’re ever in Hayward, you definitely gotta check them out!

I love this place. I think my punch card is almost full I frequent here so much. I mainly go for the Italian ice. Sometimes I get the custard, but only on top. They even make a health shake which I still need to try.
Don’t forget your punch card.

Was in the area having Pizza when I looked over and notice its the Ritas I been wanting to try! It was about an hour to closing and the employees were very friendly. First timer so they were patience and helpful while we checked out the menu. It was cold outside and I wasn’t really craving Italian ice so decided to go with the frozen custard. OH EM GEE! its delish! its so creamy and not too sweet. However the custard comes out of a soft serve machine but its not frozen ice cold. Its like a cool custard it was different but good! I got the vanilla and chocolate swirl which was a good mix. We also tried the orange cream which tasted like a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ bar. Prices are decent and I will definietly be back to try the Italian ice when it gets warmer.

Went in thinking I was going to get a gelati, but after sampling the ice flavors I decided against it. Every single flavor I tried tasted VERY artificial (think aspartame). We ended up getting their custard with two toppings which was decent. We used a BOGO free coupon so it made it worth it. Otherwise I would definitely prefer a frozen yogurt place.
I’m giving them an extra star for their staff who welcomed us and didn’t get annoyed at me trying to find a flavor that didn’t taste like artificial sweetener.

So excited Hayward finally got a Rita’s! The day we came to check the place out it wasn’t crazy busy, so go in the middle of the day during the weekends. I ordered a Mango vanilla gelatini all recommended by fellow Unilocalers and I was not disappointed. The mango italian ice was just the right amount of sweetness and the frozen vanilla custard was something I had never tried before and an absolute must! Come try this place out quickly before there lines become as long as the one in Castro Valley!

The girls that worked here were very nice. We live close by so we decided to give it a try. There were not that many flavors of custard which was disappointing, but there were many flavors of the ice. The custard was nothing special. Tasted like regular icecream, but that’s probably because I eat Haagen Dazs & will forever compare everything to that. It’s a nice little place to grab a treat during a warm day. Price was decent. For two custard cones, the total was around $ 7. I would come back but to try something else on the menu since all I ordered was just the chocolate custard (icecream). Perhaps something with a cookie next time.

I haven’t had Rita’s since moving from San Diego and have been craving it for years.
This location is brand spanking new and the staff seems like they’re off to a great start.
Parking can get a bit tricky but you can’t beat fresh ice!!!

Custard is ice cream on crack. It’s thicker and creamier and so sooooo good. Ice cream will never be the same. The ice is also good. It just taste like a slushy or iccee. When you combine the two it’s a great combo! I got green apple slushy mixed with vanilla custard and a Carmel drizzle. Tasted just like a Carmel Apple! I live right up the road I’ll be stopping by often!

I’m from Philly and have been eating Rita’s my whole life. I was excited to hear that it made it’s way to the left coast. This place was just has I expected fresh in and their custard is the best. We ordered gelatis. The staff was really nice. Hope that Rita’s can be successful over here.

Once you’ve had one Rita’s, you’ve had ‘em all. For me, the product in general isn’t that great… the ice flavors are artificial and the custard isn’t real custard (try the food truck that serves kustard if you want an example of that). Some flavors are OK, some are downright poisonous (I’m looking at you, lime). Rita’s does fulfill the basic need of something cool on a hot day.
The best flavors I’ve had here are watermelon and lemon. I’m looking forward to the pumpkin pie flavor, that was really tasty when I had it at another location. Absolutely avoid the lime. I had the lime last year on free ice day in Castro Valley, and even though it was free I couldn’t stomach it!
Tip: Free Ice Day is on the first day of Spring every year (March 20^th) and they will serve certain flavors for free on that day. Next week on Oct. 8^th, they will have a grand opening event where you can win free ice for one year. They also have a mobile rewards app, and if you buy 7 ices you get the 8^th free.
Oh, and watch out for the parking lot — it’s not great. Lots of businesses in here, small lot and people zoom through here to avoid the traffic light.
So why am I giving this place 4*? This Rita’s is in my neighborhood, and I’m extremely grateful that it’s here! I’ll support it as often as I can and I want everyone else to do the same. The service is good here, the manager is very courteous.
To be honest, if Rita’s wasn’t in my neighborhood, I wouldn’t seek it out. But give it a try, you may like it more than I do.

We have visited the Castro Valley location and have watched and waited for this new spot to open. We happened in on the training night and also the soft opening the next night. Those visits were so delectable that we returned again! Three times in a week is a sign of a welcome addition to our neighborhood!
Italian ice, frozen custard happiness and friendly customer service = a trifecta of fun!

They made their mark with a fantastic opening night. Everyone within a mile radius was walking around with free frozen treats.
So the next night, feeling virtuous after my Zoooomba workout, I have to drive right by Rita’s on my way home. I decide it would be nice for me to bring home a treat for the girls, patronize our new neighborhood business, and yeah… get a little something for myself.
They have a great variety of ice flavors, including two sugar free. The frozen custard is really decadent. So good. Everything is delicious, and the staff is very nice.
It’s still not the taqueria I’d been hoping for in this shopping center, but I suspect Rita’s will be sabotaging many of my future workouts. I don’t mind. Welcome to the neighborhood!