Ava's is absolutely worth the drive from the burbs. We LOVE their Italian ice! They frequently change out their flavors and offer some really unique flavors you can't get other places. They're able to do that because they use all natural and organic fruit. They're not limited to some artificial, colored syrup from a bottle like other places. So what you get is a true fruit flavored experience. I love the walk up window concept - and while they can get busy as the weather gets nice, it is always run efficiently and well. The only downside? Having to choose a flavor. But they even offer a solution for that with their Italian ice flight! Do yourself a favor and grab some Ava's for a healthier, but really delicious treat! read more

Right off the 606, so this is a great stop on a hot day or if you are looking for a treat. I got the AVA - 2 scoops for $6. When we went they had 4 options - grape, lemon, strawberry and watermelon. I got lemon and strawberry. It was fine. Not super sweet, not amazing. Grab and go - no seating! read more

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Ava's Italian Ice is the perfect spot to visit if you want a cold treat while it is hot in the city. I pass this place all the time and I finally made a visit today. Thankfully they don't close until 9pm. I was glad to see that the Italian ice here is made with real fruit and free of gluten and dairy. Definitely up to standards if you want to indulge in a cold treat and still be healthy. I saw pictures online of the flight and it looks really cool. It seems like a great chance to try all different flavors. You could probably share it with about 3-4 people or 2 if you're up for the challenge. I picked the cherry flavor and my husband picked the strawberry flavor in the Ava size. It was nice to enjoy some Italian ice and take a walk around the area. It really helped to stay cool on a 93 degree weather day. My husband was saying at first he could not really taste the flavor, but after a few bites, once you get towards the bottom of the cup you can taste the flavor a lot more. I really liked mine and I even finished up my husband's cup. The service was good. The cashier seemed friendly when she took out order. We were the only ones in line so it didn't take long at all to receive our Italian ice. read more

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I got the strawberry freeze pop and the Ava's cup size (a double scoop) of blueberry and cantaloupe shaved ice. The blueberry shaved ice was truly amazing. It did not taste artificial, sweetness level was perfect, and it exactly what I needed on a hot summer day. The cantaloupe was also very good! Tasted like I was eating the fruit. The shaved ice texture was soft and fluffy and did not melt too quickly. The strawberry freeze pop was alright, I couldn't taste much strawberry but it was also refreshing to have that crunchy ice texture while walking on the 606 in the summer heat. If you are in need of a refreshing summer treat, this is the place to get it from. Unfortunately there is no seating or convenient place to eat it but it's easy to bring along for a stroll in the area. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Options - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here with a couple of friends to check it out. The staff were friendly and moved quickly. I got the Ava's size and the size was a good amount. I will say that the lemon flavor was not strong enough and the cherry tasted a bit off to me. There is no seating outside and it is grab and go! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - ava's size of lemon and Cherry - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came with two people so we ordered the flight - mango, strawberry, watermelon, and lemon. The Italian ice is refreshing and light but it wasn't sweet enough for me. If you have a sweet tooth, you're better off with ice cream but I'm still glad I tried this place! It's a walk up window so we ordered and then sat on a bench on the 606 trail. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Italian ice flight - strawberry, lemon, watermelon, mango - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Italian ice definitely is a craving in the summers. Ava's was pretty good. Everything is fresh fruit with no added preservatives. A small is just one flavor, but everything above that you can 2+ flavors. I got the strawberry and mango and it wasn't bad! The mango was real subtle and the strawberry you could taste more, but the fruit was so fresh that it tasted a bit watered down with the ice (it was NOT melted). No seating as it's a window/booth pop-up, but still good sized. Service was pretty standard. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. I'd come back, but not my first choice. 3.0/5. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Mango & Strawberry - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My Italian Ice looked better than it tasted. I got a Mango Italian Ice, it was very bland, no flavor at all. More expensive and smaller portions than other businesses selling Italian Ice. Just not worth it for me. read more

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The healthiest Italian ice in the city made with organic fruits. It is the perfect treat on a warm summer day. They offer the Italian ice flight, take home pints or a single/double scoop. They have classic flavors but I love trying their unique flavors - green grape, tamarind, etc. Don't drive by this place without stopping! No artificial sweeteners or colors. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very good, cute walk up window. Wouldn't let us taste before purchasing. I always need a taste. Nice mural. Good stop off 606.

We got a Flight of Mango, Strawberry, Pineapple, Peach According to their website, they use no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners. No dairy, nut free, and gluten free. So this is one of, if not the healthiest Italian ice you can find in the city. This is the least sweet Italian ice I've ever had. The fruit flavors are fresh and subtle. If you're a sweet tooth, you may think it's bland or not like it very much compared to other sweeter Italian ice shops. I have a sweet tooth but I liked the peach and strawberry flavors the most. Maybe those fruits happened to be the most ripe when making our Italian ice that day. I liked the texture, not too crunchy. You order at the window. No seating. No problem with service. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The flavors are natural and delicious. Visited on Sunday. It was my first time and I can notice the difference from other places. Overall, it was simply refreshing. Service was quick and easy. We got the kid size of blueberry and the "Ava" size portion of blood orange and strawberry. I definitely like the blood orange and blueberry the best. If in the area, check it out. Nice alternative to ice cream. read more

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Bucktown favorite for Italian Ice. I have passed by this place since moving to this neighborhood. Always wanting to try this place out...finally made my move today. 75° in November you gotta make your move. Location is right off Western, near the 606 with some street parking nearby. We walked our dog and decided to get Italian Ice for dessert later in the day. For flavors we got Grape, Strawberry, Apple Cinnamon and Pear. The flight was worth the $10. We got 4 servings in off the flight so good bang for our buck to have a healthier dessert. All the flavors were great but the Concord Grape was stand out. This Italian Ice place is delicious, fresh, and flavorful. Definitely will be back when the weather is consistently above 75°. read more

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There was basically no flavor. Maybe Italian Ice isn't supposed to really have much flavor? Only my 2nd or 3rd experience, but I thought last time (at a different place) there was a decent amount of flavor. I got 1 scoop of peach and I think 1 of lemon. I could barely find any flavor. I've definitely had sorbetto with plenty of flavor. Maybe Italian Ice is just bland...? Service was fine, the woman was nice. It's a window, so no real ambiance to speak of, which is perfectly fine. read more

Nice delicious Italian ice place right by 606 trail! Several flavors to try and they have rotating flavors. Definitely recommend grabbing few scoops and then walk along the 606! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Many flavors to choose from I chose the flight 4 flavors for $10 , Friendly people seee you soon again read more

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They are frequently closed when their listed business hours indicate they should be open! Today, 6:30 on a Monday, late August (not a holiday)--closed. Not the first time. I understand closing a few minutes early, but if it is still summer hours I thought they were open until 9, and if they do actually close at 7 now, closing 30 mins before that is disappointing. I love this place but it feels like I keep missing chances to get italian ice before the season is over. read more

An amazing new Italian ice place! I saw it open recently and finally got a chance to swing by. Came here after work to cool down and loved it. I got a flight which comes in 4 flavors for $10 (total!!) and shared it with a friend. Coconut - my favorite flavor. Can definitely taste the coconut. Less of an ice texture so very smooth. 8.7/10 Green grape - a pleasant surprise! I love grape and enjoyed how well this captured the taste. If it wasn't for coconut I would've ate all of this. 8.4/10 Strawberry - nothing special! Did taste like strawberry. Could've been a stronger taste. Always a default for me but might switch it up to try something else. 7/10 Dragonfruit - was disappointed with the flavor. I tried to give it so many chances, but just couldn't really taste it. I guess that's what df is?? I do not see myself getting this again 4/10 Overall portions and taste was great!! Will be coming here more often in this summer time for sure! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Green grape, strawberry, dragonfruit, coconut - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious!!! Natural and the most refreshing on a hot summers day! Looking forward to trying their refresher drinks! Definitely will be back throughout the summer! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Lemon, strawberry, mango, coconut scoops! - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My favorite in Chicago, Always a great selection of flavors and friendly staff. I love it! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Coconut - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Have been coming here since they opened (2015/2016-ish?). Named after the couple's daughter. It started out with just them working and over the years they've had friends work and hired staff. Happy to see their business flourish and allow them the freedom to spend more time with their daughter. Service and italian ice (II for short) is wonderful! Let me start off that I was never a huge II fan. BUT, it grew on me because of this place. This II joint uses more natural ingredients (no syrup flavoring and uses organic fruits). Is it a flavor pow in your mouth? Not exactly-compared to other II spots. But do I want a flavor pow from a bunch of fake, bad for you syrup? NO. Dial back the fake stuff and getting your body accustomed to the healthier options is part of the reason for this. This seems to be a healthier treat option over ice cream, hits the spot on a hot day and does have some stand out flavors in my book. We usually get the flights to sample multiple so we have tried nearly all flavors if not all. We were in the area for daycare for a couple years so we went often and have been out of the area for awhile. But, we still like coming here when we have a hankering for II. We like to bring out-of-towners here rather than Mario's which tastes a little fake to me and never been too much of a fan. When we first tried we were like it's good, but it grows on you especially if you're trying to have a healthier treat or it's super hot and ice cream melts too quickly. With Italian ice, it just turns into a cold drink in a cup instead of a melty ice cream mess on your hand or the ground. If we take it home we like to get every little bit out so we use straws to get that remaining juice left. yum! Don't knock it until you try it. (Simply drinking from a flight tray doesn't work). We would usually take to the local park for the kids to play and sit and eat, take home or eat right there if we're dying to eat it. It would be nice to have a couple benches there to sit down and eat if you want. They also used to have a punch card (10th flight free or something like that), but I think that they have gained enough notoriety that that has stopped. Bring back please! I like tart flavors (fyi) so this list might not appeal to all taste preferences. Here's my top flavors: hands down the classic lemon Italian ice is the best and pretty consistent flavor (all other patrons that we've brought have agreed this is the best), tamarind, coconut (very good and I'm generally not a coconut lover), lime, plum are also top flavors for me but varies by taste preferences. Future flavor suggestions: I don't recall if they have had pomegranate, but if not this might be a good flavor to add. I love passionfruit so wld be super excited to see that. Or kumquat for another tangy flavor. read more

Great walk up Italian ice window. This place doesn't use artificial colors which is always amazing and something pretty unique. I got a watermelon and a coconut flavor both were great. Not overly sweet and very true flavors. I really liked that they didn't taste like a candy version but really the actual fruits. Service was nice and very speedy. From the time we ordered to the time we got out treats was about 2 minutes. Perfect summer treat! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Mural next to the walk up window - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you are visiting Ava's--and you absolutely should--you'll have a hard time deciding which flavor you want. Do yourself a favor and just order a flight for $10... you get to try four flavors and it's more than enough for two people to share. This is one of those rare desserts that feels decadently delicious and genuinely healthy at the same time. All of the flavors are great, you can't go wrong here. The only downside is I didn't see anywhere to sit and enjoy your Italian ice, it appears to be a to-go only operation. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Flight of Blood Orange, Pineapple, Lime, and Grapefruit - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This stuff has the texture of magic sand! But most flavors taste great! Coconut is delicious and has little coconut bits in it Lemon is super bitter lemon Mango not as sweet a mango but good Cherry I prefer the regular style of Italian icy Not bad overall, and different than most icy places read more

Refreshing without being fattening. What more can you ask for. Italian ice is Not syrup flavored ice shavings. There's real fruit in these babies. It's a pure clean taste because there's no cream. Just fruit bits and juice on the ice shaving. We had the flight for $8 a great deal considering the amount you get. We had mango raspberry Granny Smith apples and grapefruit. All tasted true to their real fruit flavor. Perfect this summer night. Tip the flavors Really Come out when they're slightly melted. It's almost a different experience. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ava's Italian ice was so refreshing, and I didn't feel guilty having 4 large scoops of it at all (flight of 4 flavors were $10). I overheard a couple mentioning that this was their 10 day streak coming to Ava's and I understand why! First of all, if you love overly sweetened Italian ice, this may not be the place for you. We shared the flight of 4: lime, orange, cherry, and blueberry. The scoops were all pretty generous, and more than enough between the 2 of us. The line was good, but a little too tart for me. The orange was delicious and very refreshing on a 90 degree day. The blueberry and cherry flavors were good, and both were very subtle. Overall, a very refreshing and delicious treat to cool off on summer days without feeling heavy and guilty! read more

I love this place so much I could cry. Legit my favorite italian ice place in the world. The flavors are SO FRESH SO REAL AND SO GOOD. You can't taste anything artificial in here at all. It's too good to be true, honestly. Quality ingredients, made fresh everyday, no preservatives. Just wow. Would come here everyday. Why don't I? read more

I tried Coconut and lemon. Good consistency, flavor. Good portions for the price. Fast service. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Coconut and lemon - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We got the flight of 4 flavors: watermelon, orange. coconut, and lemon. I didn't care for the watermelon--too sweet. The orange & the coconut were good, but also bordered on too sweet for my taste. The lemon was perfect! It was a perfect balance of tart & sweet, kind of how I remember Johnnie's from when I was a kid. I know from now on what flavor to get! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Flight of 4 - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After going for a nice run on The 606 this was the best place to go for refreshing Italian Ice!! The staff are very welcoming and nice! Definitely a great place to go!! They have great options of flavors too!!!! read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Peach - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ava's is such a treat to have in the neighborhood! The service is fast and friendly. There is always a wide range of flavors available to appease any taste buds. My personal favorite is Strawberry! I will be anxiously awaiting their return this Spring! read more

The Italian ice here is so good and a must for walking the 606 trail on a hot summer day. I've tried the lemon, mango, strawberry, and tamarind flavors. My favorite is the strawberry. The flavors all taste very natural and authentic. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Mango flavor - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great Italian ice for a summer's day. Very soft texture, light and refreshing. All flavors are made in house. There is a free flight of ice on your tenth purchase. The larger the size the more flavors you can have in a cup. read more

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Came here a week and little more for some dessert. It was a Friday night. I love tart and refreshing. My sister friend hear about this place and we decide to go. There were a special when we got there. Four flavor for $5. And the scoop is a good size. Got cherry, lemon, strawberry and green grape. The flavor changes so keep an eye on the menu. I like this place and would come back. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Good ass Italian ice. Fresh fruit. So natural. Love it. They give you free "flight" (four flavors in a container) for 10 stamps for every purchase. To all the lovers of syrup who dislike sugary Italian ice, do what you do cause you're not tasting real goodness. Best Italian ice. read more

Yum yum yum! So fresh, delicious and family owned. The flavors change daily, the flight is the only way to do it, and definitely more than enough to share with 2 maybe 3 people. What a treat for a hot summer day! Did I mention no sugar added and way healthier than ice cream read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Lemon, avaberry(combo of 4 berries), pear, and tamarind - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love Ava's because the flavors are delicious and no sugar added! Healthiest option available. Price point is great, when I get a large, I eat about 1/2 and save the rest for after dinner. This is a great local business that deserves our support. read more

Delicious fresh and healthy! They use fresh organic fruit. Great stop for ices off the 606. Enjoy! read more

In terms of neighborhood gems, you can't beat this one. Family owned and operated. Vegan, healthy desert options. Also very affordable. Whenever anyone comes to stay with us from out of town during the summer we always take them here. My favorite flavors are the grapefruit and green grape, but every flavor is great. read more

Ava's Italian Ice - Partially eaten flight of blueberry, pink lemonade, coconut, and summer treat :) - Shaved Ice Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What an awesome spot! Bf and I were on the way home but craving something during a hot humid day, and I remember seeing the cute Instagrams of this Italian ice joint so I immediately googled and made the detour. We didn't get their famous flight, just shared the regular sized one with three flavors. We got pineapple, lemon, and guava. The pineapple tastes like dole whip, omg it was so good. Lemon was ok, just a tad bit sour for me. I could see all the lemon zest tho, so the ingredients are legit. The guava also had a rough texture; I originally didn't like it but it grew on me. The flavors change daily; I recommend asking what's good as the employees prob know. Place is only open from May-Oct. Will def be making stops again later this summer! read more