Rita’s

Rita’s was my introduction to frozen custard so I might, perhaps, be a tad bit blindsided by the inherent awesomeness of said desert. I have no idea if Rita’s frozen custard is poor, average, or excellent in terms of other frozen custard, but compared to all the ice cream and gelato I’ve had — well, Rita’s frozen custard below those right out of the water.
Tastes. Awesome.
Location. Perfect.
Stars. Five.

Be prepared for a long (but not too-​long) line during the summer. It’s great to have a little frozen custard/​ice place in the heart of Columbia Heights.
No seating inside, but some outside. Only wish they took American Express (they take other forms of credit).

i have loved rita’s for several years now and am so excited it is in my neighborhood. perfect for a short walk with my dog!
if i could give ten stars, i would… LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the free coupons on the back of my Giant receipts!

Located right off the Columbia Heights metro, this friendly little frozen custard shop has a lot to offer. If you’ve tried ice cream, gelato, and fro-​yo, then you might as well sample some frozen custard. You can get a straight up chocolate or vanilla with lots of toppings, or go for a «blendini» where they mix it up in smootie/​milkshake fashion.
The only minus is that there is no seating inside, and outside is the CH fountain that is still under construction in that plaza that also has no seats.

Fan of the ices but the ice cream is weird. It’s so close to my home and work, but I’ll walk to Adams Morgan for frozen yogurt any day.

I really like Rita’s but I was rather unimpressed with this location.
I wanted a Blendini — strawberry ice+vanilla custard and nilla wafers. Didn’t have strawberry or nilla wafers. I ended up with cherry ice+vanilla custard and pretzel pieces. This combo wasn’t necessarily terrible but it wasn’t what I wanted and it just made me sad. Sure they had some other flavor options but nothing that would have paired well.
I’m hoping that if and when I make a return visit, they’ll have more flavor options readily available.

We don’t have water ice in California. Moving from the Bay Area, one of my friends casually mentioned Rita’s and his jaw dropped when I told him I had never heard of it. The next thing I knew we had taken the metro to columbia heights for this icy treat.
Wow. the water ice was really good. It tasted like ice cream, but it wasn’t bad for you? No way.
Where the heck have you been all of my life?

Luckily for me the mediocre empanadas were located right next to a Rita’s.yay! I can’t tell you how much I LOVE frozen custard. I got a chocolate frozen custard. «It tastes like fluffy butter air» — My sister’s words. True that! Anything that tastes like butter is good in my book. Was it the most amazing frozen custard I’ve ever had? no. The chocolate flavor was there, though not as part of the main attraction which is somewhat of a shame. But it hit the spot and I gobbled it all up!

I love this Rita’s location. Every time I go there, the people are so friendly. They’re offering $.49 Gelatis on April 4^th, 2009 (1−3PM) this Friday and you know that I will be there. :) BTW: I found the deal on
. It looks like they must be working with them to bring the deals, I think. I wonder how they can do that though. Anyway, yes. My wife and little girls are going. Just thought I should share this with all the Rita’s fans out there.

3 Star Synopsis — Rita’s Water Ice is now closed for the season but it will open again next March (2009). I once thought that Rita’s frozen custard was unrivaled but then PC W. and Karman L. introduced me to the Dairy Godmother (see
). Suddenly, Rita’s «frozen custard» wasn’t frozen custard at all. Rita’s had too much overrun (air) and larger ice crystals. Moreover, the freezing method was entirely wrong — an internal chamber instead of an external barrel wall (see
). It deserves more dignity than being called «soft-​serve» but it’s unworthy of the label «frozen custard.» Instead, it bears a stronger resemblance to lightly chilled, extra-​whipped mouses. Rita’s may not serve the best frozen desserts but they are still delightful treat nevertheless. I recommend ordering the kid size servings ($ 1.60 for flavored ice, $ 2 for «frozen custard»), which is just enough to leave you wanting more without overwhelming you or your pocketbook.

Despite the redundant name, the «water ice» at this place is delicious. You even get little fruity bits in it. Great for a hot day or whatever. And you can convince yourself it’s good for you.
For those confused people, it’s not supposed to be Italian gelato or Italian ice — this is its own thing, which I think started in Philly.

I love Rita’s. This location, however, not so much. I really don’t like the Columbia Heights area; around the Metro station they just seem to have built a lot of big chain stores hoping that would revitalize the area. The result is a little hell hole of a suburban enclave.
I happened to be in the area and saw this storefront. It being a hot and humid DC day, I figured Rita’s sounded great. This store is just too small; the line was out the door. There’s no seating inside and, unlike other Rita’s I’ve been to, they didn’t have the ices in view, which I just kind of like to see. They also had only a few flavors in stock that particular day. The guy working there was friendly, at least.
Don’t get their «new» key lime flavor. It’s sickly sweet. I am a big fan of the «gelati.» You get custard (I go for chocolate), a good amount of ice (I go for a berry flavor, usually), topped off with more custard.
I am freaked out by how brilliantly colored their ices are.

I like ritas. I go there a lot when I visit family in Philly.
This location I like but I don’t love. The gelati/​custard/​ice is standard for any ritas and its why i go. Plus there arn’t very many frozen treat places near by. I like the custard the best. Swirl. Cone. Maybe some jimmies.
I’m just put this out there… I think it smells very weird in there. Like dog/​beach balls. Luckily I eat outside.
The people aren’t super friendly or anything… but I guess I can’t blame them since there is NO way i’d want to work in a Ritas during summer. But still… a smile would be nice.
The little tables outside are nice. Custard here i come! If the funky smell goes away i’ll give it 4 stars.

I just moved VERY close to this shop and I can tell already that I’m going to have to put on the blinders when I walk past it on the way home. That, or I’m going to have to start having water with a side of air for lunch to make room for the best cool frozen treats in the area.
My first experience was on a hot day when EVERYONE in the neighborhood had the same idea I did. The line was out the door and the staff was in no hurry to fill orders. A lot of people were getting grumpity, but I understand that good things are worth waiting for from time to time.
I love the strawberry blendini so much that it’s hard to want to try everything else.

i’ve yet to have a flavor of rita’s italian ice that i do not like and i love that there are pieces of fruit in them (only in the fruity flavors obvi). if you’re not sure about a flavor, ask for a sample and they’ll gladly give one to you. they also offer sugar-​free ices for the health/​sugar conscious ;)
rita’s has a couple tables outside to sit but you’re going to have to fight people for them. if you get your groceries at giant, the receipts have a coupon for rita’s on the back.

To the reviewer who gave Rita’s a 2 star rating and anyone else who may be «second guessing»:
Rita’s is an italian ice and custard shop. They do not serve soft serve or gelato. There is a difference between soft serve and custard. Also, Gelati does not equal gelato. Gelati is a mix between their italian ice and custard.
Read the menu.
Their service is fantastic and their employees are extrememly friendly and helpful. It’s not pretentious, it’s just a great little place with a great product. Enjoy!

I don’t know what the reviewers before me were rating… but this place is NOT GREAT. They serve regular old softserve, in regular old flavors. The soft serve is just like any normal softserve you’ve ever had. Their «gelati» or whatever, is definitely not gelato. It is their italian ice (which they have in a variety of flavors) with their softserve custard. Uh… ok. The rating of this place makes me wonder about the ratings of other places. 5 stars? Please. It doesn’t taste horrible but it is NOTHING SPECTACULAR *AT ALL.* Please, heed my words. Go here maybe if you just feel like a softserve, not a 5 star orgasmic experience.

My favorite of all time. I crave it constantly… and dream that they will open a location a tad closer to Georgetown. This is a tasty chain that I first discovered on a little road trip in Maryland, they’ve got locations across MD, VA, PA and others… Make sure to mix the custard with the ice– you will not be disappointed. My favorite flavor is the black cherry– but the flavor possibilities are endless. It’s a worth a drive for an afternoon adventure on a hot day– not to be missed!

‘ILADELPHIA REPRESENT!!!
What am I talking about?! If you don’t know, go to Philly, then you’ll know. This is what we do after a steak sandwich — or in my case, being a vegetarian, it’s what I do instead of a steak sandwich — we get a Rita’s. It warmed my heart so much to see the Happiness just up the street that I had to cool it off with an orange ice and custard gelati right away.
Bliss.

I stumbled upon this place going to pick up my dry cleaning. And yes, the free Italian Ices are true… and yummy to boot.
I look forward to going back and getting a «blendini». The staff working there was very friendly, especially considering they had a line out the door.
This is a really nice treat and I will definitely be back. For $ 3 a regular italian ice is definitely enough for one person. Not to sweet, and a really nice consistency!
Woo hoo!