Water Ice

South Philly is known for its vast array of culture and food, but as the heat turns up this summer, everyone is enjoying a nice cold water ice (not to be confused with Italian Ice).  Nothing beats a water ice with a pretzel rod or you might want to even throw a bit of ice cream in the mix and have a gelati[i]. Water Ice is the best in South Philly!

South Philly’s popular water ice establishments are Italiano’s, John’s, and Pop’s. There are Rita’s locations too out here, but I’m just talking about the real local stuff. All three have been South Philly favorites for a long time. I have recently just tried all three again to refresh my memory.

Pop’s is located right off of Broad Street on the East side Oregon Avenue. Pop’s has a wide variety of water ice flavors and the taste has always been consistent. The after taste of the water ice has a robust and flavorful taste. You can walk across the street to Marconi Plaza afterwards and enjoy a stroll through the park.

Next is Italiano’s which is located at 12^th & Shunk streets in a quaint neighborhood of South Philly. Parking is tight, but so is everywhere else in the city these days. Just like Pop’s, the selection is vast. The water ice has a strong taste at first and has a finishing slushy type taste. Italiano’s is a favorite by most of my native friends.

Finally, there’s John’s water ice on the corner of 7^th & Christian Streets. If you’re ever walking down to South Street, John’s is a place to stop. The selection is small, but has other flavors on occasion. The water ice from here will make your mouth water. It is addictive.

It all comes down to personal preference. All three establishments are worth checking out if you live in the city or from out of town. John’s is my personal favorite, but I’ll let you decide.

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[i] Gelati: A combination of both water ice and ice cream. Outside of South Philly Gelati (the plural form of gelato) is Italian-Style ice cream.