Rita’s of Scotts Valley in Scotts Valley, CA

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Telephone:	+1 831-431-8528
Website:	www.ritasofscottsvalley.com
Address:	222-K Mount Hermon Rd, Scotts Valley, CA, 95066
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	590 ftScotts Valley Park & Ride 1.8 miGraham Hill & Cress 2 miFelton Roaring Camp
Categories:	Desserts Shaved Ice Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt

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Bussiness info

Take-out	Yes
Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Parking	Private Lot

Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Wi-Fi	Free

Today

Today	12:00 pm – 10:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Scotts Valley)	1:22 AM Friday, May 30, 2025

Business hours

Monday	12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tuesday	12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday	12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday	12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday	12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday	11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We make a «healthier for you» dessert.

Frozen Custard is a richer, creamier version of soft serve ice cream/yogurt. A soft serve ice cream or yogurt will have up to 50% air injected into the product (Part of the reason it melts so fast) whereas a frozen custard can have as little as 7% air leaving 93% real product.

Frozen Custard also has less sugar than ice cream/yogurt leaving it less sugary tasting. A standard yogurt machine cannot dispense Frozen Custard properly due to the whole ingredients contained in our product.

Italian Ice should not be confused with shaved ice/snow cone as their texture and taste are completely different. Our ice is made fresh daily in the store and is never fully frozen into a block and thus stays smooth and silky and not crystalized and crunchy.

Italian Ice has no fat or cholesterol and comes in up to 80+ fresh fruity flavors some with fresh fruit added.

History

Established in 1984.

Rita’s Ice Custard Happiness is an East Coast institution that reached Scotts Valley in 2015. Rita’s is the largest Frozen Custard & Italian Ice brand in the world. On the first day of spring 2015, Rita’s gave away over 1,000,000 free ices in a single day.

Rita’s Ice Custard is being introduced to the Northern California by East Bay Ice Empire, Inc. You can get additional franchise information at www.NorCalIce.com.

Meet the Business Owner

Lisa R.

Business Owner

Lisa has been a business owner for over 15 years. When she had a chance to become the first ever franchisee for East Bay Ice Empire Inc. in Northern California she jumped at the chance.

Lisa has been an athletics coach in her community for years and understands the value of having a «healthier for you» alternative treat for kids. Lisa has always been active in her community and her very first action as President & CEO of Rita’s of Scotts Valley was to sponsor a field at her local softball field.

Rita’s of Scotts Valley also recommends

Erik’s DeliCafe

38

reviews

Delis

,

Sandwiches

,

Caterers

Lisa R. says,

«Eric’s is a Scotts Valley institution. Fresh bread and the finest ingredients. We LOVE Eric’s.»

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20 reviews of Rita’s of Scotts Valley

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Dan B.

Place rating: 4
Scotts Valley, CA

My favorite dessert place in Scotts Valley! This place has some very unique desserts and delicious.

Beau P.

Place rating: 4
Atascadero, CA

This was my first time ever trying frozen custard and it was really good, creamier and denser than typical soft serve ice cream. They had a pretty good selection of flavors to choose from as well as a good selection of Italian ice. I’m usually more of an Italian ice kinda guy but had to give the custard a try. I ordered coffee flavor and my wife got the orange cream, both were very good. Our daughter ordered the green apple jolly rancher Italian ice and she loved it. I’d like to try the Italian ice next time if we’re ever back in the area.

Melanie T.

Place rating: 1
San Jose, CA

After being in the Santa Cruz area for about 4 years, I have always wanted to try Rita’s after dinner when visiting Scotts Valley, but they always closed at 9pm :(
Luckily, I was able to make it in before 9pm this week however as a first time customer I was hoping I would like it enough to come back but I do not think I will be coming back any time soon. For the first time, I have never ever felt so uncomfortable walking into a store. I was with a group of friends who was also excited to try italian ice for the first time, but the worker made them feel so uncomfortable they had to turn around after taking a few steps into the store. We were greeted with such attitude and the girl working continually rolled her eyes at us while trying to order/asking for samples. I am disappointed I was not able to sample more flavors (except mango and watermelon) as well as the fact that my housemates didn’t even want to order. This negative ambiance and hostile customer service makes me never want to come back again, and I hope something changes about the customer service.
Aside from the attitude and discomfort that I felt, I quickly ordered mango (the first flavor I tried before I was too scared to even try more), and it was good with the custard. Good treat, terrible service.

Annie H.

Place rating: 1
Santa Cruz, CA

Came here for the first time last week with a bunch of my friends and I actually thought it was really good aside from the attitude we received from the girl that closed that night while sampling the difference ice flavors. I brought my housemates with me tonight so they can try it as well but before we walked in the same girl with the attitude the first night threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes at us. They took 2 steps through the door and turned right around. I’m disappointed they didn’t even get to try it. Won’t be coming back until they do something about the horrible customer service.

John S.

Place rating: 5
Pittsburg, CA

Gelato reminds me straight of my Italian grandmother. I only hope she had an opportunity to try this before she left us. It reminds me of my childhood in its purest forms. A very refreshing treat to have in the middle of the day.

CD L.

Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA

It was a very nice surprise to run into this place. We love the flavor.

Amy A.

Place rating: 5
Felton, CA

We’ve been here a few times now and it’s always a great experience! The cheesecake custard is our favorite and the employees are very friendly.

Aniko M.

Place rating: 5
Scotts Valley, CA

Blendini’s ROCK! Also the mint Oreo ice is so good! So glad to have a creative ice cream store in Scotts Valley!

Lauri L.

Place rating: 5
Felton, CA

Ritta’s in Scott’s Valley has a delicious variety of flavors, and always has Sugar Free options! We love that they offer FREE days periodically, and everyone is so cheerful and energetic when they serve you!

Lauren Michelle S.

Place rating: 5
Sunnyvale, CA

Stopped by for their First Day of Spring promotion and they have all the best flavours! Swedish Fish, Black Cherry, and more! I ordered the black cherry gelati with vanilla custard and they gave me a full serving, no skimping! Their customer service was wonderful as well!

Kritter V.

Place rating: 3
Santa Cruz, CA

I asked for one ice for my daughter and excused myself for the restroom. When I came back, was given (and charged for) two.
The ice treat was way too sweet. Completely overpowered the experience.
Clean establishment, though.

Kathy H.

Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA

Rita’s is a MUST stop after a day at the beach. There are always new flavors to try and they do a great job at switching out a variety of new flavors on a daily basis. The employees have always been very nice and they allow you to try as many flavors as you’d like.
You can choose from the many types of frozen ice; my favorites are lime margarita, orange (has chunks of real orange), blueberry and lemon. You can top off your ice with frozen custard or frozen yogurt. The custard is thicker and richer than yogurt ~ it’s a bit rich and eggy for my taste but did enjoy it with the orange ice for a reminent of a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ bar.
Our first taste of Ritas was at a softball tournament — all of the kids loved this treat and they were constantly going back and forth to restock. I love that they are involved in the community and Ritas is definitely worth stopping for.
Oh the added bonus is this is a great treat for those with food allergies!!!

Bryan B.

Place rating: 5
Saratoga, CA

I got the gelati here and the girl who helped me was so nice and full of information because I’ve never been here before. Cotton candy with vanilla custard was so good! Coming back for sure

H G.

Place rating: 4
Santa Cruz, CA

I was waiting for MONTHS for Rita’s to open. I heard about it and was counting down the days. I have had Italian Ice before which I like but what I really wanted was custard.
Now mind you I’ve never had custard. I’ve only heard about it. Growing up here we just don’t have custard. But I remember watching them eat it in «Great Balls of Fire» and hearing my friends and family who have had it in other parts of the country.
I really like it. It is heavy so a little is perfect. But it’s really good!!! I also like that it’s clean and seems to be run efficiently.
My one complaint. They have an older woman who works the front. She is super sweet but not very fast at the register. I was there with some very impatient kids on a super hot day as my stuff was melting and she couldn’t ring the gentleman in front of me in a timely manner. Ive encountered her a few times and she still hasn’t seemed to figure out how to check people out.
It’s just kind of a bummer when you want to get in and out.

Nina M.

Place rating: 2
San Francisco Bay Area, CA

I don’t know much about frozen ice. After sampling a couple flavors of the ice here, I was about to walk away empty handed. They tasted SO sweet and reminded me of otter pops if they had been refined to this texture. Desperate to find something I could tolerate, I tried the orange cream soft serve and the custard soft serve. I thought it was pretty good, but definitely not great. It was very heavy. I imagine these things really pack calories. The only thing I really liked about this place was the waffle cone but the ice cream was just eh for me.
This was an interesting deviation but I will stick with traditional gelato and ice cream.
In response to the owner’s comment below:
I am definitely reviewing the correct business. I was told I was purchasing custard by the girl working behind the counter. If I didn’t use the correct terminology, my apologies. Regardless of what this stuff is truly named, this style of dessert just was not my cup of tea. I prefer less sugar and more depth of flavor in my ice cream. If you are big on sugary sweets, you may like this.

Liv K.

Place rating: 4
Sunnyvale, CA

I read about Rita’s Ice while researching restaurants for a Vegas trip a few year back, but didn’t get the chance to check it out. Now that there are a few locations in Northern California, a post-ride dessert craving was the perfect time to check it out. It was conveniently located next to our Erik’s Deli sandwich lunch stop AND I had fallen off my bike a few times that morning, so, ya!??
I went with the kiwi-strawberry Italian ice and strawberry frozen custard gelati. A gelati is Italian ice layered over frozen custard and topped with a swirl of more creamy frozen custard. I didn’t feel like a total fatty for devouring an entire portion of frozen custard because it was cut with Italian ice. Definitely sweet, though, so I don’t have an illusions of guilt-free snacking. If I had to choose between custard or Italian ice, I’d definitely go with Italian ice and a small would be plenty, because I wasn’t getting a lot of help with the large. Too much of a good thing…
Tasty and refreshing, especially after a dirty, crashy morning of mountain biking!

Dan W.

Place rating: 3
Santa Cruz, CA

First time… Not sold.
I tried a custard which tasted more like frozen whipped cream and was super heavy while the «icy» flavors were just sweet and underwhelming.
I guess your supposed to mix the two.
I asked for advise but two girls weren’t too helpful.
I rather go to top-a-lot

Audrey N.

Place rating: 4
Mt Hermon, CA

We were driving past Kings Village yesterday when I noticed a sign saying «Rita’s is now open!» I looked at my daughter and said «Rita’s? Isn’t that that place our friends in Arizona like so much?» We decided to pop in and take a look.
I do have to say that we had a bit of trouble finding the shop. Kings Village isn’t a big shopping center, but the buildings are set at odd angles, and Rita’s is tucked into a back corner, where it’s not visible from the main parking lots or from the street (hopefully they’ll be able to rectify that with signage). We finally found it on a little side parking area between Nob Hill and Ace Hardware, tucked in behind Erik’s Delicafe.
As a diabetic, I was thrilled to see that they had a sugar-free ice on offer (they actually have several sugar-free flavors, which they serve on a rotating basis). I was a bit less than thrilled that it was cherry (not a huge favorite of mine), but decided to give it a try anyway (I’m hopeful that at some point they’ll see fit to offer more than one sugar-free option each day — and possibly even offer a sugar-free custard — but for now I’ll just settle for being happy that they’re taking those of us who can’t have much sugar into consideration! Many places don’t!). It was actually quite tasty! Reminded me of a cherry popsicle! Can’t wait to try the pineapple and tangerine flavors, though! My daughter tried the «Birthday Cake» cream ice, which she loved (I snuck a little taste of hers and it was really yummy!).
The sizes are pretty generous. It took us the better part of a half hour to work our way through ours (Laughing all the time at how numb our tongues were getting! These icy treats will definitely be welcome with the hotter weather starts!)
The only downside was that the woman who was working the counter, while very nice, was difficult to understand, and didn’t seem to understand some of our questions. A minor thing when the store is quiet, as it was when we were there, but it might become a problem during a rush.
Regardless, we’ll certainly be back!

Holly B.

Place rating: 5
Santa Cruz, CA

After spending a few years in Philly for college I was desperately missing Rita’s — beyond happy it’s come to the Bay Area (at least closer than CV).
Pear is my favorite water ice flavor, glad they have it!
Came during the first opening/free days — obviously staff is still training and there are huge crowds — but I thought they managed everything really well and we’re super friendly.
I’m interested to see how they will operate, as a corporation with stricter guidelines/presentation, will work within a local oriented & relaxed community.

Tracey H.