Rita’s of Houston Heights

I freaking love this place! I recently found it on uberEATS and have ordered it twice! The custard is amazing and the ice cream sammys rock. I’ve had mango and vanilla then added gummy bears to the side. Always tastes great delivered, too!

Perfect summer treat to cool down the Houston heat! My favorite is their gelati, which is a cup of their Italian ice with a swirl of creamy frozen custard on top. I usually get a fruity flavored Italian ice like blood orange or strawberry colada and top it with a vanilla frozen custard for that orange dreamsicle type of flavor. Creamy, yet tart from the fruit flavors and not too sweet.
Their Italian ice flavors rotate, so it gives you an opportunity to try something different each time. My go to refreshing treat. Can’t wait to try the guava flavor that I saw on their website.

The guy behind the counter knows his stuff! I didn’t catch his name but told him that it was my first time at Rita’s and he did an amazing talk-​through!
I ended up ordering the largest size of their layered gelati mixing half mango Italian ice (most popular flavor) and half tiger’s blood ice with vanilla custard. The Italian ice and custard goes really well together even though its so different and it’s def worth every calorie! I enjoyed the mango ice better than the Tiger’s blood ice but they were both really good.
I really like that the guy asked specifically how I wanted my 2 different flavors of ice layered. He offered to layer it vertically half & half so I was able to try the mango and tiger’s blood in every bite instead of having to eat one at a time til I reach the bottom of the cup.

I’m so happy to have a Rita’s within a reasonable distance! The boyfriend and I stopped in tonight and had a perfect time. We both got blendinis and they were both delicious. I got chocolate custard with birthday cake ice and sprinkles, I loooved it! He got vanilla custard with mango ice and m&ms. He loved his! The staff was polite and the inside was extremely clean. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars is because parking is not easy to come by at all.

I resided in clear lake for a while and I was SO disappointed when Rita’s closed that location down. But now that I’m back in the loop, I can enjoy this location which is only 10 minutes away from my apartment! LOVE the vanilla custard with dragon fruit ice. The silky texture of the custard plus the cold sweet ice is the perfect go-​to solution for your upcoming summer’s heat! I can not wait to stuff my face while wondering why I still don’t have that summer bod yet, in the middle of May. Oh well, WORTH!

A good variety of different shaved ices and the frozen custard is delicious! My favorite ice has to be the Dr Pepper.

Good service good custard! We were able to sample several varieties to see what we liked the best. We were not rushed and the owner was friendly as well. That have two picnic tables out front so you can enjoy your sweet treats. I will be back now that the warm weather is here!

Since opening, I’ve been back numerous times, and they have corrected their meager opening day portion sizes on the custard. So, I will keep coming back again and again for the delicious custard. I can’t get enough. Also they have new ices that are «natural». I only tried the pineapple they had at the time, and it was great. I was a bit grossed out by the other artificially flavored ices (I don’t remember them tasting so artificially sweet from my childhood), so I had sworn off ices until now. Very good stuff!

Yummy!!! Excited about this new spot ! Friendly, great customer service and delicious ice cream. The owner also gave my pup some doggie custard with a bone to enjoy as well. Love trying new things and their ice cream is made fresh daily. I recommend the strawberry with chocolate chips and custard !

This place is delicious!!! Anelle was very helpful and friendly! I would definitely go back again!

We love Rita’s since we are from the east coast. I made sure to be here the day they opened to get free ice all year. They have amazing water ice and custard. If you have no idea what that is, just come and try it and fall in love!

If you are interested in something cold and sweet, this will do the trick. But so will McDonald’s soft serve, for a fraction of the price. I am a custard ENTHUSIAST, and was thrilled to have a shop in my very own neighborhood, but alas, I won’t be back. My chocolate custard, instead of being thick, rich, and dense — was light and airy, with only a hint of chocolate. I’m not sure it’s even custard.

This was my thought process while I experienced Rita’s for the first time.
My brain: Italian ice with custard? Weird. Okay, I want one.
*first bite* Oohh, that is weird. Do I like it or not? The mango Italian ice is good and the custard is good but do I like the two together?
*few bites later* Okay, I’m over this. I’m not finishing this whole cup. I tried it at least.
*puts the cup down and 30 secs later* I forgot what it tasted like and need to have another bite to really make sure I don’t like it.
*a couple more bites* Oh man, you know what this is like? A creamsicle! Still kinda weird. I THINK I like it now.
*spoon hits the bottom of the cup* Hmm, I should have gotten a large. I wonder if there’s one in Chicago? (There is not)
I suppose anything that makes me think that much on whether I like it or not is a good thing. $ 4 bucks for a small cup of deep inner dessert conflict.

Love the product. I will most likely return for the gelati. Not a fan of the storefront. Located next to a pub so if you sit outside as we did you will get lots of second hand smoke. Only one person behind the counter means you will most likely have to wait.

I had time to kill since the show I was watching in the neighborhood didn’t start yet. I walked by the area where this was located and was in the mood for some ice cream. I was offered to take a sample of some of their flavors. Friendly employees inside. I got what I usually get which is something chocolate, oreos, or both. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’ve only ever been to the Rita’s in Galveston. Then I found out there was a Rita’s 10 minutes from my house. I died. I love this place because flavors are constantly changing and you can always find something awesome here. The one man that was working was so friendly and made me feel welcome. You must give this place a try.

The Heights needs more businesses like Rita’s. Fun place to stop in and get some tasty treats at a good price for your family, with friendly staff and personable owners to boot. Michael and Dan go out of their way to get to know the people in their neighborhood. Kudos to you guys and hope your business stays strong!

This is only the 2^nd place in town that I have been able to find gelati. The first time I had it, I loved it! I have cut down on sweets a lot, so I don’t get to go out and enjoy it as much.
This place makes some delicious italian ice. The make their flavors daily so each time you come in you will probably have a different flavor available. On this particular occasion I had the iced coffee and the mango for ice flavors, and I layered it with vanilla and chocolate custard along with strawberry and orange custard. It was probably way too many flavors in one cup and not all of them went together but all of them individually were delicious. Next, time I would probably just stick to one ice flavor and 1 or 2 custard flavors.
We came on a sunday afternoon and there was only 1 person working. He was very fast, but I could see how if they were get rushed, the wait could be pretty long. This particular area of White Oak, is great, with lots of restaurants and bars, adding in a dessert place makes perfect sense.

You have to come try the Mango Italian Ice. A must have. The gentlemen that own this franchise are some of the most awesome human beings I’ve gotten to know. Definitely recommend making this your frozen custard and italian ice destination. The chalkboard painted walls are a grwat place to doodle and be artistic. My mother told me, «If you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all.» Unilocal is not my mother. The people that leave bad reviews for a place like this, are probably just unhappy people in general. Kudos gentlemen on your hard work, amazing product, and awesome attitudes. I only gave you 5 stars because I couldn’t give you 10. Thanks for always making my experience a fantastic one.

I love Rita’s and this is the best I’ve I’ve ever been to. Super friendly and helpful. And willing to explain anything and everything you need to pick the right flavor.

I LOVE RITA’S! We had one when I was in MA and I was stoked when they decided to open one right next to my job. The owners of this particular location are very friendly and accommodating. There are conatantly new flavors to try out. The coffee ice, swedish fish, cotton candy and red sour patch are my favorites so far. I am shocked by the negative review below because the staff is friendly, they always offer free samples of anything and everything when asked, you can most definitely get two flavors of custard or italian ice, or a combination of both, and I always ask them to not fill the cup entirely because even the small is a bit much. Possibly she was expecting something like orange leaf or another frozen yogurt place where you fill the giant cup to the brim with fro yo and toppings. I definitely recommend stopping by this place.

I live in the neighborhood and was super excited for a custard place to be opening! Little did I know the disappointment I would feel when I ordered my first cup of creamy chocolaty goodness. I walked in so excited to try a new place and the lady behind the counter was a super downer. She obviously didn’t want to let us taste any of the flavors. I had some questions about the blended drinks and she didn’t seem to want to answer any of them. I ordered and cup of custard with two flavors and she said they weren’t supposed to do that. Say what?! When I received my cup of custard goodness I was SHOCKED at the tiny portion size. $ 4.85 for a tiny cup of custard. Tasty or not, if I can finish a serving with a tiny spoon before my roomie even gets served we got a problem! I will be taking my business down the street.

I’ve been waiting for you a very long time. I grew up moving their gelatis in Philadelphia!

I love Rita’s and am so glad to see more of them opening up in Houston. It’s probably impossible to go wrong with anything here, but if you are looking for a recommendation, I would go for a Blendini (custard + ice blended together + a mix-​in). My usual order is chocolate custard + hot fudge as my mix-​in + any ice flavor that sounds like it would go well with chocolate.
I would give this 5 stars because I think Rita’s is delicious, but when I went to this location, they were very few selections of ice flavors (and practically nothing that would go well in my aforementioned chocolate Blendini). Hopefully that was just a one-​time occurrence though!

very Clean facility and helpful staff. If its your first time they will explain everything that you can create for a tasty treat. Its good dont get me wrong, but the only difference between this and a snowcone place is these few points:
1. There are some homemade products using real fruit
2. You can add frozen custard to with the ice treats
3. you can also add other candies to your concoction.
Great place to have when you need a break, but I would rather go and get an snow cone for a bit cheaper price. If you are looking for something different, this is the place to go

My first Rita’s experience was soooo good.
I got the mango ice with vanilla custard on top and literally, best frozen treat ever.
I’ve never had frozen custard and the whole experience was just phenomenal.
Yum.
Parking is fairly easy here. It’s a shared lot with Christians and barnabys and there’s an additional lot across the street, too.

What a GREAT PLACE!
We first experienced Rita’s during a trip to Virginia this past Spring. Sooo… we were really excited to see that one was coming to The Heights… and Lo and Behold… the owners… two amazing guys… recently moved here from Virginia and felt that we needed Italian Ice within waking distance from our home! LUCKY FOR US! Lots of fun rotating seasonal flavors!

Omg! It’s so delicious! If I lived closer to this place I’ll have it everyday. Italian ice layered between frozen custard #gelati

I was there! I met a mascot, Rita’s. She was so cute! I tried to eat the mascot. It looked like 10 million calories! I didn’t care ! Rita has great ice cream cups!

Pleasant break from the heat of Houston. I tried the mango ice, and it was just right. Not expensive, and a clean and well-​lit place.

I love Rita’s! I wonder if it’s named after Rita Hayworth, one of my favorite actresses and one of the most beautiful women ever. If they showed Rita Hayworth movies at Rita’s Italian Ice, that would be super fun! Or maybe some Rita Wilson or Rita Moreno movies. That would be fun, too.
The Heights location is finally open! I’m so happy that there’s now a Rita’s inside the inner loop! Plus it’s a few blocks from Stude Park where I like to go running, so I might have to treat myself here after a workout.
The ice is awesome! I got a sample of the Swedish Fish flavor, and it was great! It was sweet but not overly sweet. I ended up getting a gelati with vanilla custard and cherry ice. The cherry ice is the best! It’s so delicious! It’s sweet and perfect! The vanilla custard is great, too, and complements the cherry ice well. It’s amazing!
All of the employees were super nice to me. When I first walked in, this young woman asked me if I’d ever been to a Rita’s before, and I told her no. So she explained about signing up for the birthday club and about a promotion they have coming up in September when they will be giving away free ices. They also gave away free ices on opening day, but I was a day late. Oops. She also told me about the Rita’s Ice app for your smartphone that works like a punch card. After I installed the app on my phone (and I signed up for an account with them), I tried scanning the QR code next to the register, but the app told me I was too far away from the store. Then the employee tried scanning it for me, and it gave the same error message. Then another employee suggested that I try turning off my phone’s GPS and then turning it back on. After I did that, the app read the code and gave me a credit on my virtual punch card. After getting 7 punches in the app, you get a free ice!
The location is pretty small, but most dessert places are. There are three small tables inside. There are some tables outside also. There’s one public bathroom in the back that is clean. The parking lot can get full depending on when you go, but it’s totally worth going! I will definitely be back!

I was so excited to see a Rita’s coming to the area since I never took advantage of it when I lived on the East Coast and wanted to see what the hype was all about. Got to say that it was well earned! The texture of the ice was completely different than shaved ice, sorbet, or gelato … and it was amazing. Opted for the mango which was delicious. Taste super fresh and not sugary sweet. Refreshing on a typical Houston summer day. My son hogged the whole thing and wanted more! Can’t wait to go back and try other flavors.