Rita’s of Rancho Penasquitos

We finally got to try this place, wonderful! I didn’t know there were options other than ice cream, nice surprise! My child and I tried a mix of two or three different low or sugar free ices. Lots of smiles, helpful service, good prices, thank you!

Rita’s is such a classic treat to enjoy here in San Diego. This particular location is right across from a Von’s, Starbucks, and Golden Bagel which can all get pretty crowded but you’ll typically be able to find parking asap!
The vanilla frozen custard is to die for! However I am not a fan of the Italian ice as I find that it is wayyyy too sweet for my liking. What I really like about Rita’s is how many options you get — gelatini, milkshake, frozen custard, Italian ice mixed and matched in multiple ways.
My favorite is the mango Italian ice, vanilla custard, with wafer cookies as a blendini!

My kids love Rita’s. Everything from the shakes to soft serve custard.
Great job guys.

I had the opportunity to visit Rita’s for the very first time on the first day of spring, 3/​20, when they offered free Italian ices! They were to open at 1pm and hubby and I arrived around 12:45p. There was already a line forming. Once they were open, the line began to move quickly, they were obviously ready for the crowd which says a lot about the business. Small Italian ices were free and if you added custard, it was $ 1 extra. Of course we had to try the custard, because ice cream. So I had the Island Fusion ice with a chocolate/​vanilla swirl of custard on top and hubby had the Birthday cake flavored ice with orange cream custard. The combos sound weird but the taste was delightful! And believe me, the small size was quite filling, I can’t see myself finishing a large on my own. I’d love to stop by again and try different flavors!

This place is amazing! Shaved ice is unlike I have ever had, so creamy! Their custard flavors are out of this world and the service is fast! Location is very nice also. Come and enjoy any time, you are guaranteed a treat!

I love Ritas everywhere, their gelati is the best especially when they’re in stock with custard. The only thing with this location is that the time I came here they only had 1 sugar-​free option which was cherry that I wasn’t a big fan of. Wish there were several sugar-​free options all the time.

From what I gather, Rita’s is a hit or miss with most people. Some people find the combination of ice and custard strange, some find the ice too sweet and/​or the custard too creamy. For me… it’s perfect and definitely a hit!
The gelati is probably the most popular option, which consists of a dollop of custard on the bottom of the cup, packed to the brim with italian ice, and then topped off with a custard swirl. The combination tastes delicious if you choose the right flavors. Some of my favorites include mango, Florida orange or pineapple topped with vanilla custard. I must say, you have no one to blame but yourself if you choose a weird (almost disgusting) mix, such as blue raspberry with chocolate custard. Choose wisely!
The tables and seating outside have recently been upgraded which is nice if you want to hangout for a bit. This particular location is clean and the employees are professional. I do wish they were more consistent with the amount of custard on top of the gelati. Depending on who you get, it may be a generous amount or the tiniest little whiz of cream.

Ritas is conveniently located near my house. It’s a good place to go to grab some dessert.
There was no one at the counter when I first arrived, but someone came out shortly. I just think that a staff should always be ready to help customers.
The custard stuff is a little too rich and dense for me. I prefer the Italian ice over any of the other options. I usually get the smallest size because it’s soooo sweet that I can’t eat that much. I got a key lime Italian ice last time and it was pretty decent.
Probably will be back again because of location, but it’s not my favorite place to go to. It wouldn’t be my first choice

I was sad when buckys closed years ago bc where was I going to find my Italian ice?! It’s been years but God has answered my prayers.
Rita’s has been a nice addition to the PQ plaza and a cool (hah!) destination for a cold treat. They offer a few different flavors of custards on any given day (vanilla, chocolate, special) and they let you try all the different flavors of ice you want! They even have some sugar free options. The gelati (ice, custard, ice, custard layers) is my go-​to and I’m sure I’ll be back many times before the summer is over!

Date of visit: 7÷16÷2015
I’ve tried Rita’s twice (once here and once at Scripps Poway) and it’s just not for me. If you like custard (super rich and creamy in a not good way, thicker than ice cream dessert) or frozen ice (super sugary, flavored water), then this is the place for you. However, I’m just not a fan.
Cam and I decided to split a medium vanilla frozen custard and we both determined it was like eating cold frosting. The custard also left a bad after taste and film in my mouth. After splitting the custard, I felt like I had just drank a bunch of heavy whipping cream. It wasn’t a refreshing dessert, especially after dinner. I was disappointed because I was expecting something more like frozen yogurt, but should have been expecting something rich and heavy.
They also serve the custard in a plastic lid, which was a little slippery with the napkin when they handed it to me. I was a little scared about dropping everything, which wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, but I think they could improve on the cups — maybe use the paper cups?
I’ve had samplings of the frozen ice at Scripps and they tend to run a little sweet for me. I could see them being refreshing on a hot day, but I could never imaging combining the frozen ice with the frozen custard.
Although I don’t really like their frozen custard or ice, the staff was friendly enough and the store was well lit and clean. I’m a bigger fan of frozen yogurt because it’s lighter, so next time I’m in the area, I’ll probably go to Golden Spoon.

When they opened last summer my boyfriend and I went here the first day they opened. I’ve heard about Rita’s forever and needed to know what the hype was about. I probably tried almost every flavor considering I would go here almost every day. The Gelati is Italian ice on the bottom and custard on top. I think it’s a lot for one person and totally gave me food coma. I loved the end of the gelati where it was basically a Misto shake. From then on, I got Misto shakes which is just custard and the Italian ice mixed together. although they don’t really add the actual custard unless you ask for some to be blended in.
The staff is friendly and let’s you sample different flavors of ice. I probably annoyed whoever worked here because I would mix two flavors together. Like strawberry and mango when they didn’t have it already premixed.
For first timers, try mango or juicy pear (surprisingly, it’s good). If you wanna wake yourself up try green apple. My all time favorite flavor is the strawberry-​mango. Other flavors to try are tropical fruit and coconut cream with pineapple. Since they have different flavors every day you can check their website for whatever location you want to see what they have that day. If you sign up online they also send you text alerts if you only like a certain flavor.
The milkshakes are also good here but they only come in one size. I tried the dipped cone because they had the option to dip it in cherry or caramel. The regular size dipped cone was way too much for just one person. The vanilla custard itself tasted like nothing. I don’t know how people only go here just for the custard.
The line used to always be out the door when they first opened, but now Rita’s is everywhere.
Use coupons, it’ll save you money (2 for 1 deal).

I have family members that loved this place when it first opened. But notice the past tense in that sentence. Those same family members don’t really crave Rita’s anymore.
Rita’s has been opening new locations all over San Diego. I didn’t really understand the craze. Who the heck is Rita. Is she a real person. A mom. Like, I didn’t get it.
We visited some time ago (this post is overdue) when this location opened. It was madness in the beginning so we waited until the crowds died does weeks after.
There was a line out the door when we finally visited but it moved pretty quickly. The staff seemed busy so we didn’t really feel all that comfortable asking for samples of anything.
I believe we got a gelati which is basically frozen custard on bottom, topped with fresh italian ice, and then topped with another swirl of frozen custard on top (see pic).
I think we got some sort of red fruity italian ice with a chocolate/​vanilla custard.
The combo wasn’t a hit for me and friend but it was fun to finally try out. The custard wasn’t anything special and the italian ice reminded me of a slurpee (not meant as an insult as people like slurpees right).
This Rita’s is located in a small strip mall where parking can be tight. There were also tons of kids screaming and running around the water fountain right in front of Rita’s. Hell, I even witnessed a toddler falling into the water fountain (his mom fished him out quickly).
But hey, isn’t that what a sugar rush will do to kids when you feed them frozen custard and italian ice :)
We actually bumped into my cousin who was having a gelati with her family that evening. I joked to her to watch her kids as one of them might fall into the water fountain too from being so jacked up on sugar.

Where should I begin?
Slow service?
Dirty counters?
Long lines?
Rebecca not washing her hands?
My Blendini cup only being ¾ full?
Watching Mr. Carter scratch his face, hair and side of how mouth while he’s completing my order?
I went to Rita’s two days in a row this weekend and the service was absolutely horrible, the store was dirty, and my food was NOT to standard. The cups (Blendini’s) we’re NOT full and while the employees were blending them I watched the custard spill out over the side and they used their fingers to put it back in… DISGUSTING!!!
I hope the manager reads this and uses it for training purposes. The food wasn’t for me so I don’t care. I won’t be eating from Rita’s anytime soon…

My first time trying Rita’s. Been looking forward to try this for months and I was not disappointed.
The staff was great and offered to let use taste what ever flavors we wanted. Once we decided they were generous with the servings and careful to scoop everything up very neatly so I the serving looked nice and was not messy.
Cool combination of frozen custard and Italian ice. One part is richer than ice cream and one part is lighter than ice cream. You get the best of both worlds, and can go back and forth as you eat or combine the two.
I had the combo twist strawberry and vanilla frozen custard with mango and raspberry Italian ice. It was refreshing and tasty! My wife had the vanilla custard with cookies and cream Italian ice. I thought mine was a better combo.
Overall a nice treat and something different than ice cream.

At Rita’s they offer a unique dessert of italian ice combined with a dollop of custard, or if you prefer, italian ice layered with thick custard. The custard itself is great quality, really thick, rich, and flavorful. Comes in strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate (or swirl). The italian ice on the other hand was a little too sweet for me, and melts fast! It melted so fast — or maybe I ate too slow — that I was left with a lot of sweet syrup near the end that. They have tons of flavors to choose from. I got the kiwi strawberry which was alright, and what you expect. I have no idea how people finish the large size!
Workers are really nice however, service awesome!

Hailing from the east coast, Rita’s has finally made its way to PQ. This is a dessert shop that serves Italian ice and frozen custard and everything in between that involves the two.
The store is always very clean and well lit. Even when there is a line out the door there are clear signs inside to manage crowd control and give newcomers instructions on how to order from the menu. Customer service varies here. I’ve had very enthusiastic people who greet me at the door and also have come across staff members who do not seem to support the culture that Rita’s attempts to share with its customers.
My three stars are for food only. I’ve ordered both the Italian ice and the gelati (Italian ice sandwiched in between a bottom layer and dollop of custard).
The custard: ¹⁄₅ — creamy, lightly flavored, and of soft serve consistency. Honestly, it wasn’t my thing. It tasted like mediocre soft serve that one would find at an all you can eat buffet.
The Italian ice: 3.5÷5 — flavors match what they are marketing (ie: Swedish fish, horchata, starburst) and smooth icy consistency. This was hit or miss for me. Some flavors were overwhelmingly sweet. They have advertisements stating that their Italian ice is made on site with real fruit. But I’m not sure how Swedish Fish flavored Italian ice is made with fruit… nevertheless, some flavors blew my mind away (ie: juicy pear and tropical fruit). The flavors vary daily so there are always options available.
I’ve had debates with friends about Rita’s and people are really into it or not. I fall under the latter but I encourage you to check out Rita’s and make a decision for yourself. Happy eating!

Trying to load my pic on here but having no luck. So I leave my review for now. I see this place every day I work and promised myself if I’m in the area I try it.
Came around 3pm yesterday & was surprised it wasn’t crowded w/​hs kids. At least I came prepared and had time to think about what I wanted to order. Without the pressure of people behind me. I tried a sample of tropical escape and it was heavenly. She also offered to give me another sample but after tasting it, I knew. Then she asked if I wanted custard. Sure, i was craving chocolate.
Went outside and sat down to enjoy my treat. It was as if I was taken away to mini vacay. The tropical escape was so sweet but not too sweet. The vanilla custard on top was good. But not until I got to the bottom was a nice surprise, chocolate!
Probably come back today and use my two for one coupon.

There was a line out the door and only one employee slaying out these custards and ices and blendinis.
The entire time I was commenting and feeling sorry that he had to work so hard by himself and he was apologetic for the wait and did the utmost best he could. Even with a line out the door he still managed to greet new customers with a smile. Erick was great.
My gelati was smooth and creamy and exceeded my expectations. I’m not too big on sweets but this was just the right treat.

Gelati… oh what a wonderful thing. Frozen custard with italian ice. It’s like a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ bar, but just creamier and more heavenly: D TRY IT TRY IT.
There are coupons in the mail too. Watch out for them!

First time at the PQ location and the customer service experience was below par. A few employees lacked enthusiasm, and we were rudely asked to move forward in line. It wasn’t even busy or anything and I felt like they could have made a better effort to be more pleasant.
Ultimately happy with the product, as I am at the other Rita’s locations. I got a large gelati with strawberry mango ice and vanilla custard. It’s a great creamy fruity combo. I’ll be back due to it being near my house, but I’ll hope for a better customer service experience.