There have been many times when I’ve seen a special promotion at Rita’s. Normally, I’ll still order from the flavors I’m familiar with — like the classic mango, Swedish Fish, or blue raspberry. This time, I decided to try the limited offering of Shamrock Cream Ice, which I wish would stay longer than around St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.
In past years, the Shamrock Cream Ice has been available on St. Patrick’s Day, and a few days before and after it. In Rita’s locations around the area this year, you’d be able to find the Shamrock Cream Ice starting on opening day until around March 17.
This time on my trip to Rita’s (in Media on Providence Road), I ordered a kid’s-size, Shamrock Cream Ice Italian ice, which was just the right temperature when I received it. You could see the condensation starting to form on the striped paper Rita’s cup, and the Italian ice was still cold. As I worked my way towards the bottom, the ice started to melt, but still tasted frigid on my tongue with each bite.
For anyone who has had the Mint Oreo Ice or Mint Chocolate Chip Cream Ice at Rita’s before, I would definitely say that the Shamrock Cream Ice closely resembled its taste. The Shamrock Cream Ice had a green-colored minty base, but did not have any chocolate chips like the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice. I only had the Italian ice, but fans of Blendini’s and Misto Shakes at Rita’s can try the Shamrock Cream Ice which is blended with vanilla custard and oreos.
I was not bored of the minty flavor, although I did only get a kid’s size. While I usually would prefer a crunchy texture added to my Italian ice, I think that there was enough flavor and sweetness in the Shamrock Cream Ice alone. Customers interested in toppings can purchase their choice of toppings for an additional charge.
While the Shamrock Cream Ice is the only special promotion currently, Rita’s has offered other special promotions recently. In February, some open Rita’s locations had a Chocolate-Covered Strawberry flavor for Valentine’s Day. In the fall, a Witches Brew-Berry flavor was available and a Rocket Pop Ice flavor was served in the summer.
Even with some flavors like the NERDS Grape Ice and Cola Ice being discontinued, seven new flavors are set to come in 2026. The Mystery Peeps Ice will be on the menu starting March 20, the first day of spring and the same day that Rita’s is offering free kid’s size water ice.
After asking the shift leader what some of the most popular flavors were, I decided to try an additional second kid’s Italian ice that was split half and half between mango and blue raspberry (two of the flavors he mentioned, and two of my personal favorites). My Italian ice was served with more mango on the bottom compared to blue raspberry on the top, which worked out because the mango was equally delicious to the blue raspberry.
The fruity, classic taste of Rita’s Mango Italian ice completely satisfied all of my dessert and sugar cravings. The Blue Raspberry Italian Ice was similarly tasty, living up to its popularity in every cold and sweet spoonful. I would completely recommend the limited-time Shamrock Cream Ice, but for people who are not as interested in branching out, I think you can never go wrong with some of the most well-known flavors.
As the weather warms up in the coming weeks, the cold, refreshing taste of Rita’s water ice will become more appealing. Whether you go to Rita’s while the Shamrock Cream Ice is available or not, I would definitely suggest that you try the special promotion, because you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised like me.
