I have confirmed that a Rita's Water Ice is slated to open in the space previously used as Kwame Brown's campaign headquarters. The menu at Rita's is basically exclusively frozen desserts, which sets it apart from H Street's other businesses strongly identified with the sale of ice cream and water ice.
Sweets and Treats, which is located at 1360 H Street, is an ice cream shop that also deals in baked goods and custom cakes. It is open year round.
Philadelphia Water Ice, which is located at 1204 H Street, sells not only water ice, but a variety of other items. Among the offerings are: cheesesteaks, nachos, pizza, halfsmokes, hot dogs, shakes, funnel cakes, and that isn't even the whole menu. Philadelphia Water Ice is now also open year round, but only Fri, Sat, Sun 12pm-10pm in winter.
18 comments:
I love Rita's, but I think this will certainly take some business from Philadelphia water ice factory, to which I am loyal. But it is always better to have more options. And this healthy competition may inspire Philadelphia Water Ice to step their game up (not that there is anything wrong with it now), which can only benefit its patrons.
A somewhat realted topic. I have been going to A&M Market now and again for a sandwich since I sometimes work at home and there are not many mid-day options. They have alwyas been good, but I had been sticking to the standard tuna melt, swiss and cheese, whatever the specail is... I have vegetarian tendencies, but had avoided the veggie burger figuring it was some sort of frozen pattie. A few weeks back, I wasn't feeling the meat and ordered one. I was pleasently surprised to discover it was a fresh, homemade pattie! chopped veggies and a delish spice! I have been getting it ever since until today. Today I saw a reference to a vegetarian plate scribbled on the board. I asked the woman for it and she tried to talk it down. It surprised her when I ordered it. It surprised me when just a minute ago I bit into it. INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS - spicy lentils in a spinach wrap, lettuce, tomatoe, onion, yum! I had to share. I turned to this blog. Try it! (the little shop two doors east of SOVA).
Philadelphia Water Ice will be history after this. Wouldn't be surprised if Sweets & Treats has a hard time too.
Are we sure its not going to be Rita's Ice Water Lounge?
Welcome to the neighborhood. I look forward to you being right around the corner from me.
The more the merrier, but PLEASE, someone open up a coffee shop somewhere between 10th and 12th street on H.
Give me a place I can go everday within a block or two.
:)
Philadelphia water ice will be fine, that place has a lot of character with the walkup window and great cheesesteaks. Rita's will be a nice addition to H but I think both can coexist.
As far as sweets and treats, I have no idea how they will last. I had high hopes for this place, I envisioned something like Max's in glover park where they make their own flavors or something a bit more unique. The Hershey's ice cream selection they opted for is pretty vanilla (pun intended) and there never seems to be any customers in there. Maybe they can fall back on the baked goods.
Jesse, SOVA isn't much past 12th and they have some of the best coffee around and a very cozy and friendly place. Is that really too far?
I think Phila Ice will do fine. Phila water Ice is definitely better than Ritas. Ritas Ice melts too fast. The only thing they have on Phila Ice is they are a big Franchise as far as Water Ice NO COMPETITION. For Ritas to open 2 blocks away sounds like a little Jealousy to me. Ritas doesnt sell food and they have the best CHEESESTEAKS IN DC
Philly Water Ice is two blocks closer to me than rita's will be. Winner winner, chicken dinner.
Now that i have some idea of what there hours actually are, i may go there more often.
I hope Sweets and Treats survives. The Ice Cream is good and cheaper than most pints at the corner mkt. Their baked goods are excellent and she's happy to make small, special orders.
Give 'em a try if you've always wandered by--everyone needs some sweets on occasion!
yuck ! This is worse than a fast food place. Isn't H street ready for a Tangysweet or something less junk foody? I agree that the sweet shop nor Philadelphia water ice have nothing to fear.
I hope S&T survives, too. With all these places opening up we need more than the X2 so more people will come.
I heard that there was a meeting on H St. recently where the streetcars were discussed and there's still no decision on how to power them. At least we'll get those slick new buses when the great streets project is done.
We bought a sweet potato pie from sweets & treats and let me say it was GREAT! I usually mix two different flavors of ice cream when I go and love it..also, i was lucky enough to sample the bread pudding and it also was great..Please give them a try
my hope is that S&T and Phila Water Ice Survives . I think Phila Ice will be ok because of its Good Cheesesteaks we will see.
Is the food at Philadelphia Water Ice any good?
I've been tempted but haven't yet stepped down that path.
Let me put it like this CAMPY" they have the best REAl Philly Cheesesteak in Washington DC. You can read some previous BLOGS and you will read the same. There is no other. They will be open this winter on WEEKENDS ONLY for the 1st time in 5 years due to the demand. So stop by there. They also have chicken cheeseteak for all the NON- beef eaters. Also I heard that they were going to be selling VEGGIE cheesesteak this summer
wrote a very long post and blogger ate it. damn technical difficulties.
spoke to khadejah and she said she would expand winter hours at phila. water ice if she could find some reliable hired help (opening the store upstairs has added a lot to her workload). if anyone knows a reliable young person looking for a part time gig, i would definitely send him/her khadejah's way.
i think philly water ice, sweets and treats and rita's can all co-exist. i have heard great things about rita's and i welcome them to the neighborhood.
Why couldn't a reliable middle aged or reliable old person work for Philly water Ice.
found my soul
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