Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Vecchitto's Italian Ice

    4.6 (98 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Vecchitto's Italian Ice Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Vecchitto's Italian Ice

    Recommended Reviews - Vecchitto's Italian Ice

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Lemon + raspberry

    Great spot for Italian ice! We got the smallest size and there was plenty in that. easy parking in the front + great Italian ice.

    Store front
    Jenni F.

    What a treasure in Middletown! The range of flavors offered by this family owned business is staggering! I had mango and it was mouthwateringly delicious. My husband went for coconut and was equally satisfied. The old-fashioned and intimate space with immaculately clean. Prices were very reasonable for what you got. The best part of all, we were actually served by the owner themselves! They were friendly and wonderful ambassadors for Middletown.

    Coconut Italian ice
    Tina D.

    How did I not know this place existed?? Amazing Italian ice. A small is only $2.50. The gentleman working there was very nice. The only issue is the parking, it's a tight squeeze getting in and out of that little lot. Besides that Vecchitto's is quite a gem.

    The Front
    Jason P.

    I've seen the stellar reviews, and the less than stellar reviews, of Vecchitto's Italian Ice ("VII"). I spent most of my childhood in Ohio and I have no long time allegiance to VII that would make me susceptible to a concept I like to call "Restaurant Blinder Syndrome." This syndrome leads to things like unjustifiably overvaluing your childhood pizza place, or your favorite Mexican restaurant in college. Unaffected by RBS, I'm here to say that for the past several years, I've enjoyed the once a summer experience of getting good Italian Ice at VII. Being unbiased, I have to acknowledge the validity of the points raised in some less stellar reviews. To be kind, the atmosphere of VII is not a selling point. Parking is frequently challenging, both because there aren't many spots, and some customers inexplicably make odd choices for how to position their cars in the limited space of the unconventional front lot. The Italian Ice is served in ridiculously flimsy small paper cups (in fairness to VII, I think this practice is common for Italian Ice places), and if you don't eat fast on a hot day, that little sucker will start dripping in no time. Service can be somewhat lacking in cheeriness. And if you don't have cash, you're not walking out with Italian Ice. But sometimes, there is value in the experience leading up to the food. The parking and lines stink on Wooster Street, but I have fond memories of weathering those twin storms with friends and family before getting great New Haven style pizza. I've waited in long lines in Lockhart for world class Texas BBQ, and I have pride in that. I loyally get my pie from the small front room of a factory in East Hartford with similarly awful parking, and I always enjoy the experience. I'm not saying that the quality of VII's Italian Ice is on par with New Haven pizza, Texas BBQ or even East Hartford pie, but for me, it's well above average. In addition, more often than not, when I get it, I'm driving back from the CT shore area on a hot day and VII's Italian Ice hits just the spot. Most recently, I bought one of two available combo flavors - blue raspberry and watermelon. It looked great, had a smooth meltable texture, tasted good and was exactly what I needed on a super hot day. Four Stars.

    What flavors are available today?
    Matthew L.

    Vecchitto's Italian Ice is a gourmet Italian Ice shop that opened in Middletown, CT in 1930. It was founded by Italian immigrant Gaetano Vecchitto. He originally opened the location in the 1920s as a grocery store. He and his wife Giovanina lived in an adjoining apartment with their 11 children. Gaetano began making orange and lemon flavored Italian ices in the grocery store in an old-fashioned ice cream maker. When their popularity took off, he closed down the store and reopened as an Italian Ice shop. He had his oldest son Joe peddle the ice through the streets of Middletown on a horse-drawn wagon for several years. Joe earned the nicknames "Joe Lemon Ice" and "Joe Slush". Eventually he would be joined by brothers Columbo (Cal), Chris and Guy. The sons took over the business after Gaetano retired. A second location opened in Old Lyme down the street from Sound View Beach in 1946. Both locations are still open today (from Memorial Day to Labor Day) and are still operated by the Vecchitto family. In addition to over a dozen Italian Ice flavors, they also make Gelato. My family and I recently visited the original Vecchitto's while in Middletown. We were visiting a children's museum and heard that there was a great old Italian Ice shop nearby. We stopped by afterwards and ordered a cup of Lemon-Lime and a cup of Watermelon. It was so ridiculously good that we devoured the cups in the parking lot. We went back inside to order a cup of Blue Raspberry for the road. When the employee saw us again, he said, "Was there something wrong with the ice?!" He laughed very hard when we told him that we ate it already and wanted some more. A week later, we found ourselves in the shoreline area near Old Lyme. We remembered that there was a second location nearby so we stopped for some Italian Ice. This time we ordered cups of Mango/Watermelon and Pineapple. Once again, we were not disappointed. We think that Vecchitto's is probably the best Italian Ice we've ever tasted. We will look forward to tasting their ice every summer!

    a hand holding three ice cream cones
    Elisa F.

    This review is definitely biased as I've been coming here since my teens when my best friend introduced me - her family used to come all the time! I still remember the first time I tried Vecchito's and it hits the same every year when we visit! This is not your typical Italian ice, it's very creamy and doesn't need a spoon. Their lemon flavor is their best flavor and oh so classic! I switched it up and tried Blue Raspberry this trip but didn't think it was very good, it tasted more like bubblegum which isn't a fave. No real blue razz flavor at all. Their combo flavors are also top notch!

    Watermelon Italian ice
    L M.

    Tasty little treat after lunch! The watermelon Italian ice was full of juicy flavor. And my friend just raved about her affogato -- espresso with vanilla cream. It's worth taking the short walk from Middletown's Main St. to visit this tiny take-out spot. You won't regret it!

    See all

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jack V.

    Jack V.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rob C.
    0
    26
    6

    8 months ago

    A long time staple in Middletown CT. A place you want to return to. If you like Italian ice, you will love Vecchitto's

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jenni F.
    221
    255
    683

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jack V.

    Jack V.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jason P.
    342
    1216
    8256

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of L M.
    3
    79
    254

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Angel R.
    11
    79
    60

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of E D.
    1
    2
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    A Middletown summertime staple. Can never go wrong with any flavor! So happy Vecchitto's remains as good as it once was!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anne F.
    56
    16
    2

    3 years ago

    Fun stop in the summer for authentic Italian Ice or Gelato. A fun stop with your family in the summer.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 15
    Thanks 0
    Love this 14
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jack V.

    Jack V.

    Thank you!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jade A.
    440
    224
    1366

    11 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Vecchitto's Italian Ice

    Review Highlights - Vecchitto's Italian Ice

    Different days bring different flavors, you must try them all, lemon, watermelon, lime, almond, banana, chocolate, cherry....

    Mentioned in 15 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Noci Gelato

    Noci Gelato

    4.5(46 reviews)
    10.4 mi

    Noci is a beautifully decorated, narrow gelato gem in Old Wethersfield. It is all small batch and…read moreyou can taste the freshness. The often unique flavors are always loaded with mixins, offering incredible and satisfying textural contrast to the ultra smooth and creamy gelato itself. Recently I have tasted biscoff crumble, blueberry white chocolate, deconstructed blueberry crumble, and espresso mocha crunch. Each was delicious, but if I were to call out a specific highlight at this moment, I might say the blueberry white chocolate. I appreciated that the white chocolate was in the form of large shards mixed in and not simply a flavor added to the base. That often leads to a subtlety that renders it nearly, if not entirely, undetectable. Their lemon basil sorbetto was also delicious and extremely bright/refreshing. I like to order a waffle cone on top as well, which I love versus facing the rush of leaking all over your hand when acting as the vessel. Service is always friendly and they're happy to let you taste before ordering. Plenty of outdoor seating is available when the weather cooperates! Inside there isn't any place to eat, so just keep that in mind. This is a wonderful spot I would highly recommend.

    I want to love this place, and the gelato is delicious. However, I have gone several times for a…read morespecific flavor (they post them daily on Instagram) only for the flavor to be "sold out." I totally get if I weee rolling in late, but to advertise daily flavors and then be sold out mid-day is poor planning and organization. This last time they were out of four flavors- replaced with generic chocolate and vanilla. Get your systems figured out or don't advertise daily flavors.

    Photos
    Noci Gelato - Bread box with decor and baked goods

    Bread box with decor and baked goods

    Noci Gelato - Outside

    Outside

    Noci Gelato - Flavors for Porch Fest

    See all

    Flavors for Porch Fest

    Main St Gelato

    Main St Gelato

    5.0(5 reviews)
    47.8 mi

    I'm a fan of ice cream, gelato, and Italian icees. This…read moreplace answers all of my cravings! Located going down a hill, parking at it is non existing. You either have to park in the lower lot, or stop in when walking the shops. Some of the flavors are unique. Lately I'm stuck on Ube, which I was told is Phillipino eggplant. It has a slight chocolate taste to me. Again, there's so many flavors there that you can't get or find at any local ice cream stand or shop. Best part is they're open all year round, so this isn't seasonal. They do have a freezer unit that has many products and flavors that they carry, in 1 pint containers to take home. They have what was a store front window display area where you can sit and enjoy, while overlooking traffic going by. If you're going to eat at any of the area restaurants, don't eat dessert there, but instead come here. You won't be disappointed.

    While in town for a few days we visited Main St. Gelato and were so pleased. They had a huge…read moreselection of flavors and had one of the owners was telling us how he had recently started working to add diffrent spirts to his flavors. While we were there someone came in asking for a bourbon flavor which unfortunately he was out of but I did get the Kahlua flavor which I would absolutely recommend. We went pretty late on a Wednesday so there was plenty of parking and seating but I understand from my parents, who have gone many times, that it can get pretty busy. So plan accordingly.

    Photos
    Main St Gelato
    Main St Gelato
    Main St Gelato

    See all

    Mozzicato -De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop - Bakery

    Mozzicato -De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop

    3.3(200 reviews)
    12.3 miSouth End
    $$

    Mozzicato's is a true Hartford staple. Mozzicato - De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop on Franklin…read moreAvenue sets a standard that most spots just can't touch. While the pastries are classic and exactly what you'd expect from a high-caliber Italian bakery, the real gem is the Italian ice located in the cafe. Good lord, the flavors and quality are on a different level--this isn't that Rita's or DQ garbage. The chocolate and strawberry combination is specifically incredible, honestly better than Godiva chocolate-covered strawberries. It provides that deep, rich profile and authentic taste that defines their Itallian vibe. One professional tip for anyone stopping by: bring cash. The cafe doesn't accept cards, and you don't want to be the one standing there empty-handed when you're that close to the best Italian ice on the planet

    Omg this place is to die for! We were in town and were told to try this place and I'm so glad we…read morewent. This place is so busy which speaks to how bomb their bakery items are. I think we were being greedy and ordered the pizza bread, stuffed croissant and carrot cake. The pizza bread, the cake and stuffed croissant was bomb! The cake was moist and the frosting was not too sweet. The service is to die for as the staff are friendly and helpful with all your questions. I can't wait to go back to eat this again. lol

    Photos
    Mozzicato -De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop - Chocolate cannoli

    Chocolate cannoli

    Mozzicato -De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop - Menu

    Menu

    Mozzicato -De Pasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop - Make your mouth water arancini, Cantonese, strombolis- the kind you have to talk yourself out of buying because you already have lunch plans

    See all

    Make your mouth water arancini, Cantonese, strombolis- the kind you have to talk yourself out of buying because you already have lunch plans

    Vecchitto's Italian Ice - icecream - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...