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Gina's Italian Ice
Category: Food Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
6737 Roosevelt Rd(between Euclid Ave & Oak Park Ave)
Berwyn, IL 60402
(708) 484-0944
- Nearest Transit:
-
Oak Park-Blue (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 1 pm - 10 pm
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
48 reviews for Gina's Italian Ice
Review Highlights
"My new favorite flavor is watermelon."
(in 15 reviews)
"or do the pina colada with the cantaloupe."
(in 4 reviews)
"The cantaloupe and lemon flavors are amazing."
(in 9 reviews)
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48 reviews in English
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Review from Claire M.
1/1/2012
This place is AWESOME! Wickedly cheap and with so many flavor choices!
My family has a connection somehow to the Mario's lemonade stand in the city so I'd always been dragged there and they never gave me what I wanted or maybe as a younger person I didn't know how to order what I wanted but everything there was Italian lemonade instead of Italian ice. I ordered chocolate once and got chocolate lemon! Ewwwwww! Maybe I misunderstood or misread the menu but anyway.
Gina's made sense to me and what I ordered what EXACTLY what I'd been waiting for! I've had banana, peach, chocolate, raspberry and lord knows what other flavors. It's way closer to home than I thought too!
I can't eat large portions of cold stuff so their smallest size is the perfect size for me and it's around $2 or something. Probably less.
Wondahful! It's really, really yummy. -
Review from Samari S.
Berwyn, IL
12/19/2011
Best Italian Ice in town!
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Review from Marissa G.
Chicago, IL
7/22/2011
Put the lime in the coconut...or mix the strawberry with the lemon...or do the pina colada with the cantaloupe...
Too many combinations and choices! I love this mom and pop shop, complete with photos lining the wall of their countless satisfied customers. Just mix some flavors, tip the nice high schooler serving you and enjoy as you walk home or on the plastic chairs outside. Roosevelt ain't much to look at for a view, but who cares? You are there for the ice and the company.
I would say, the recipe is a little more water and sugar than pure fruit flavor-- which is okay with me. For the price and to beat the heat, I find it hits the spot. For the most punch of fruit juice, go with 3/4 lemon topped off with strawberry. Yum!
Thanks for helping us stay cool Gina! -
Review from Brad C.
6/27/2011
Love Gina's since I was a kid sharing with my dad, teen sharing it with dates, adult sharing it with my son... what can I say, fantastic.
Now you can debate Gina's v Freddy's all day long but the fact is Gina's is open whenever I head that way, not always the case with Freddy's.
How good is it, I dragged neighbors from Aurora & then Planfield to experience Gina's. -
Review from Aimee M.
Updated - 5/17/2011 ROTD 7/29/2011
My new favorite flavor is honeydew...
My new favorite flavor is watermelon...
My new favorite flavor is cantaloupe...
My new favorite flavor is strawberry...
My new favorite flavor is coconut...
Holy cats, I can't make up my mind because I love every flavor I've tried.
Fresh flavors, Homemade--I've found little bits of fruit in the ice at times, friendly service, reasonable prices--all that makes Gina's one of my faves and I always stop in if I'm in the area.
Can't decide on just one flavor (like me?) they'll mix in a few flavors in your cup so you can get your taste buds working overtime. DEEElicious.Listed in: Bakeries and Sweet Stuff in…, Cool Treats, R O T D
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/15/2010
Need some relief from the craziness of the Eisenhower expressway during crazy traffic time? Exit… Read more »
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Review from Dulce J.
Berwyn, IL
9/26/2011
The most delicious italian ice in the city. Just make sure you bring cash!
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Review from Claudia M.
Chicago, IL
7/25/2011
Large italian ice half lemon half watermelon , sitting outside and watching the cars drive by on a hot summer day! This is what life is all about! Delicious and refreshing. I love that this italian ice did not make me thirsty afterward. It was not overly sweet like some ices. They had lots of flavors (mango, cantelope, strawberry) but I decided to stick to what I knew. Next, it's on mango!!!!
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Review from Katrina B.
Oak Park, IL
8/9/2010 ROTD 9/12/2010
This Sunday my boyfriend and I stopped here, we had seen lines out the door before and I'm a huge Italian ice fan. Ok, like the lines would lead you to believe...its awesome. I had banana and red raspberry. I like the banana the best, and my boyfriend got cantaloupe and watermelon. The ice is the perfect consistency and the prices are not bad at all. They offer some ice-cream here too...but it seems to me that the ice is the mainstay. The italian ice is maybe like 2% too sweet to get a 5 star rating out of me...but I'm sure this is just preference.
CASH ONLY! (there is an ATM the CVS across the street)
The little shop was clean enough, looks beat up from the outside...and a bit on the inside but it has the right feel for a Italian Ice place that has been around 33 years. I will be going back again to try some more flavors. -
Review from CATHERINE C.
Chicago, IL
8/1/2011
The prices are definitely right. For a very large and medium ice it was only 6.25
Parking is a bit of a nightmare if you cant get it right in front.
Place is small but does the trick.
I dont think I would make a special trip out that way but if I am in the area I would stop again..
Good..... but not as good as Marios on Taylor -
Review from Terese S.
6/10/2011 1 photo
Just wonderful. Amazing Italian Ice with real fruit added. Yummy and also fairly inexpensive. A South Oak Park treat.
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Review from Christina R.
Forest Park, IL
7/23/2010
It's an armpit of a day here in Chicagoland and the only thing that makes it better? Gina's Italian Ice! Thank you for your delicious icy cold lemon ice. I love the small bits of lemon and smooth ice and it seems I have temporarily stopped melting.
Gina's is a hole in the wall, if that, but the mother and son who run the place are so friendly and the ice is arguably the best around, and very affordable. They offer ten flavors, but I like to stick to good old lemon usually. Sometimes I get fancy with coconut or watermelon (which also has real bits of melon mixed in).
If you're in the mood for ice cream or pumpkin seeds (say what?), they have that too.
Thanks for the retrieve from the scorching hot Gina's, according to the forecast I'll be back tomorrow.Listed in: In the Summertime
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Review from Candice G.
Naperville, IL
4/15/2010
Should I ever choose to relocate to another suburb, it would surely be Berwyn for the win.
At the top of my reasons for wanting to move to Berwyn would lie a sweet little Italian ice shop called 'Gina's'.
As a kid my parents would always take us here for our choice of one Italian ice and a container of lupini beans. I would always get the original lemon flavor with the hearty lemon chunks mixed in, while my brother would always get something daring like watermelon, cantaloupe, pina colada, red raspberry, or even banana. Now that I'm an adult and know that I should watch what I eat, I order every damn flavor I want to... because I also know that life's way too short to not stuff your pie hole with all the Italian ice flavors your little heart desires... oh, and don't forget the lupini beans.
In my opinion, the best Italian Ice around and if you're not in the mood to stuff yourself silly with huge amounts of Italian ice but still want to try lots of flavors, you can get a small taster OR ask Gina and her crew to do a little scoop of each of the flavors in your cup (rainbow style). Trust me, they're just as delicious mixed. -
Review from Dan M.
St. Charles, IL
8/9/2011
I recently visited Gina's with my wife and kids as a detour on the way home from a Brookfield Zoo trip. Much to my surprise, there was Gina herself behind the counter, ready to scoop our delicious ices. The place hadn't changed a bit.
LOVE the flavor that goes all the way down to the bottom of the cup, LOVE the chunks of lemon rind and the watermelon seeds that remind you this is the real deal. LOVE sitting outside on a white plastic chair watching the passing drivers on Roosevelt Road drooling with envy. LOVE being able to share a fond memory from my childhood with my own kids thirty years later.
My flavor of choice - lemon, but check out the cantaloupe if you want something a little different. -
Review from Kate G.
Chicago, IL
6/22/2011
I have been getting Gina's lemonade (with a hulking scoop of lemon ice) since I was a toddler. My parents dubbed it "the best lemonade in the world" and to this day, it still goes by that name amongst us.
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Review from Mark W.
5/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
How have I not reviewed Gina's yet?!?! I love their ice. The best I've ever had. The perfect little bits of lemon... the sweetness of the cherry.... Maybe a coconut and lime combo?? sure, I've done it. Its all great. Gina is extremely friendly and would gladly take your picture to add to their wall. All around perfect summer day activity/experience for any person or group.
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Review from Laura O.
Seattle, WA
7/27/2006
A hole in the wall you don't want to miss!
GREAT italian ice!!Listed in: You scream, I scream, we all…
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Review from Victoria h.
Berwyn, IL
8/9/2010
This was my first try of Italian Ice. I swear! I really didn't know what to expect. It's hard for me to judge or rate since, once again, I've never had Italian ice before. Let me just tell you there was actual fruit in the ice. So I was happy. It did taste a little syrup-y, but not too bad.
Oh yeah and bring cash! -
Review from Johnny T.
Minooka, IL
6/29/2010
Has been a fixture in Berwyn for quite some time and while the town has changed (for the worse!), this place hasn't and thank god. Here were the prices:
Small $1.25
Medium $2.75
Large $3.75
Jumbo $6.50
The ice does taste homemade, not like its been dosed with a ton of sugar, like at Stella's in Lyons. The flavor distribution is equally flavorful from top to bottom, which you don't get at some ice places, and there's a lot of lemon pieces in the ice, not so much seeds. -
Review from Lindsey C.
Chicago, IL
5/26/2008
This is simply the best place to get Italian ice! I have been getting ice from here my whole life- which is only a chunk of the time the place has been around. Gina and her son always ask about my family "on the island" and this makes me feel right at home.
The watermelon is absolutely perfect! Not overly sweet and packed with chunks of real fruit. It is best to get it with a spoon and a straw to suck up the bit of juice at the end. The cantaloupe is also delicious, which is what my dad always gets.
Now if only Gina's had pistachio flavored ice ala Freddy's, I'd be in Italian ice heaven where I'd never have to pick one over the other. -
Review from Rampelle A.
Chicago, IL
7/21/2010
I used to go here as a kid 20 years ago. I'm glad they're still around! I have since moved on, but every now and then if I'm lucky enough to be in the area, I have to stop by. From my sporadic visits here and there, they have always been consistent. I never had a bad flavor there... maybe cantaloupe, but only because I don't like the fruit to begin with! haha!
go berwyn! -
Review from Marissa G.
Berwyn, IL
8/23/2010
This italian ice could cure the world of most anything.
Get lemon. Gobble those lemon chunks and rind. Feel your body relax and enter a state of bliss. Peruse the chaos of photos Gina and her family have plastered on their walls of their customers over the years. You might see your third grade baseball team smiling from the wall, a photo of your pregnant cousin from eight years ago, and even a twelve year old you,with frizzy hair and dweeby clothes.
Expect to rinse and repeat for the rest of your life!!!! It's that good. -
Review from Vanessa M.
Chicago, IL
6/24/2007
Some of the best Italian ice around. It definitely beats out Mario's, but that;s just my opinion. The ice is homemade and you can tell. The lemon is so freakin' good.
Why 4 stars? Every time I get it, I inevitably compare it to Freddy's -- and theirs is definitely the best. But still, if you're in the neighboorhood, try this place out. Fantastic ice. -
Review from Padme A.
Chicago, IL
10/7/2008
Great!
Simple.
The best Italian Ice I've had and the Owners are the coolest. Gina has been there 30 some years for good reason. I hope she gets 30 more! -
Review from jason w.
Oak Park, IL
5/5/2011
I went to Gina's for the first time in midsummer 2010. T'was love at first tasting and after I made 4 visits in two weeks the always happy guy behind the counter said "Look if you're going to be a regular let me introduce my self (Pat) and my mom (Gina)". After introducing myself he has not forgot my name and my family picture is now on the wall. I'm hooked on the watermelon.
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Review from brian s.
Oak Park, IL
5/31/2007
Gina's is the crown jewel of Berwyn.
A true neighborhood gem with absolutely phenomenal italian ice. The ice is homemade and you can find chunks of fruit in your ice, good good good. -
Review from J H.
Chicago, IL
10/1/2007
Oh man, I used to come to this place as a kid after softball games and always loved it but on a recent trip it had to have been the worst italian ice I've ever had.
I'm hoping it was just an off day but there was _no_ flavor in the lemon ice. My friend got watermelon and lime and the only thing you could taste in those flavors was sickeningly sweet artificial syrups. No good, no good at all.
Staff there was quite friendly and I've got fond memories so 2-stars - but i wouldn't recommend it and I won't be going back. -
Review from Rosalinda F.
Berwyn, IL
11/29/2010
No Flavor, tried the lemon and two other flavors.
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Review from Stella S.
Oak Park, IL
6/22/2008
Open for 31 years this is the best homemade italian ice you'll find anywhere. I dream about this place during the winter and it's one of my favorite parts of summer - I frequently ride my bike here to get some italian ice.
My fiance and I went here also on our first date (our first date lasted over 13 hours - I guess that was a good sign...we are still together 3 years later!), and he got the watermelon and I got the lemon. We decided to mix the two together and it was heaven. Now we always get half watermelon and half lemon. There are pieces of real fruit in the italian ice. Simply superb!
The owners and staff are so friendly and service is always quick. One gentleman who works there went out of his way when I asked for a napkin to give me a wet paper towel since he anticipated that my hands were sticky.
If you are starting to salivate (as I now am), go get some Italian Ice from Gina's NOW!
:) -
Review from Meredith R.
IL
1/7/2007
Best Italian ice. definitly try the other flavors, like watermelon. Get several flavors in one cup- perfect in the summer. And its homemade and NOT a chain (always a plus in my book!)
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Review from Jacqueline A.
Mount Prospect, IL
3/15/2008
The best Italian Ice and for a good price! I've been coming here for years and haven't found better Italian Ice. It's homemade and I love the different flavors - not too sweet. The watermelon, pina colada, cantelope stick in my mind - I can't wait until they open again!
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Review from Anpan W.
Chicago, IL
12/9/2008
The best italian ice you will find anywhere in Chicagoland! Their ice has a thicker sorbet like consistency than that found at Mario's on Taylor. The cantaloupe and lemon flavors are amazing.
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Review from Colonel M.
Chicago, IL
7/7/2010
Horrible!!! Semi flavored ice slush... Not Italian ice at all... Ferro's on north west corner of 31st and the Ryan has this place beat without even trying!!!! overpriced for the quality!
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Review from Annie S.
Oak Park, IL
5/3/2006
Gina's has the best italian ice ever. Every summer I love going there and getting the lemon flavor, it is sooo delicious. They have alot of differnt kinds like pina colada, watermelon, chocolate, etc. They also have an assortment of ice cream too. You have to check it out!
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Review from John A.
Oak Park, IL
6/4/2007
The very best Italian Ice in the Chicago land area! I am a complete convert after grwoing up with Mario's on Taylor....truly worth the trip!
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Review from Ray N.
4/10/2009
Can't beat it for the price, let alone flavor. Just be forewarned of seeds in your ices, especially if you get lemon or watermelon flavors.
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Review from Natalie H.
Berwyn, IL
5/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
love it love it love it...I have been going there my whole life, every winter i look forward to an end so i can get back to Gina's!!!! my family gets the Jumbo Lemon Ice! $6.50 and worth every penny!!!! Go get yours
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Review from Ryan A.
Berwyn, IL
4/26/2009
Always delicious and refreshing, great service, and really, really inexpensive. It's always good to shop local business, and with great tasting treats like Gina's, it's easy!
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Review from Ren H.
Chicago, IL
10/13/2005 1 photo
This is a good place to stop for a quick ice cream fix.. the staff is super friendly and their italian ice is homemade and soo flavorfull and delicious! They are cheap too!
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Review from Vicki B.
Chicago, IL
5/20/2011
Gina's is great!! Can't wait to go back for the awesome Italian Ice. Check them out you won't be disappointed....
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Review from Rick M.
Chicago, IL
8/15/2007
Been getting Italian Ice from Gina's since they were on 39th(Pershing) and Harlem. I was about maybe 4 or 5 years old when my Grandma started taking me here. I still go to Gina's every summer to the one on Roosevelt. I love their Italian Ice. Best in the Chicagoland. definitely better than Mario's. I think people only like Mario's because it is on Taylor St.
