The Rita's Italian Ice Flavor We Wouldn't Choose Again
With 574 locations across the United States, it's safe to say that Rita's is a well-loved frozen dessert chain. It's many people's go-to for chilled treats as it offers 90 flavors of Italian ice and 94 flavors of custard. With a menu like that, you're free to mix and match until your heart's content to satisfy any dessert craving imaginable. Also with a menu like that, there's sure to be some flavors that rank lower on the totem pole. The Rita's slogan is "Ice, Custard, Happiness," but in our ranking of 14 Rita's Italian ice flavors, the mint chocolate chip didn't make us too happy.
To further diversify its offerings, Rita's has two lines of custard (frozen and hand-scooped) and three lines of Italian ice (classic Italian, cream ice, and sugar-free). The mint chocolate chip flavor is part of the cream ice line, a creamier Italian ice that contains dairy but is more icy than ice cream (that's why the name is "ice cream" backwards!). Although creamier than classic Italian ice, the iciness of this treat is unmistakable, which didn't go well with the mint flavor or chocolate chips. This is one flavor that's better left to full, creamy dairy.
Skip the mint chocolate chip cream ice and go straight for the custard
The mint flavoring has a strange taste mixed with the dairy powder added to the cream ice, and the chocolate chips are unpleasant with the water-based texture of the treat. The texture is definitely the biggest concern, with online reviewers consistently calling it weird and undesirable. We have to second the sentiment.
Luckily, Rita's has many more delicious flavors than they do not-so-great ones. And don't get us wrong, we love a good mint chocolate chip ice cream, even in milkshake form. Ever since the flavor was popularized by its debut in a royal wedding in 1973 England, it's been a fan-favorite. So if you're set on the mint chocolate chip flavor and find yourself at Rita's, we suggest skipping the Italian ice version and going straight for the hand-scooped chocolate mint chip custard. And if you really want Italian ice, too, you can opt for a layered gelato with mint custard and your choice of Italian ice flavor.