18 and Under: Carmen’s Italian Ice

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Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe, home to 94 different Italian ices and custards, is a great place to enjoy a delicious treat any hot summer afternoon. Carmen’s is located about six minutes away from Rockville Town Square, on Nelson street.

When you walk inside the store you immediately see many different colors and a large board with all of the ice and custard flavors for the day. If you plan to eat your frozen treat on location, you will turn the corner and see a plethora of toppings in containers along the wall and you can add as much you want to your dessert for an extra $1.50.

There are plenty of tables along with a “bar” table that has pink green and yellow stools. During my visit, they were not the cleanest of tables, but not dirty enough to ruin my experience.

One of the downsides of Carmen’s was the Italian ice. Although there were many choices, they did not have much flavor. “The blue raspberry Italian ice was not that flavorful; it tasted like water and ice,” Carmen’s customer Emilia Webb said. I agreed with this, as I sampled the strawberry malt ice and the horchata ice that also had minimal flavor.

Although I was a bit disappointed by the Italian ice, I was on cloud nine while enjoying their custard.

Their “Mokaccino” flavor custard was marvelous. My best description of the flavor would be an extremely smooth mix of coffee and chocolate ice cream that had been kissed by an angel.

Their pomegranate custard was also pleasing. It was more tart than sweet, but it was also very smooth and flavorful.

Their basic flavors are enjoyable too.

“Their chocolate and vanilla custard is wonderful. It has a lot of rich flavor,” Webb said.

One special feature of Carmen’s is their creative and extensive menu. Besides their 94 different ices and custards, they have milkshakes, smoothies, other specialty drinks and some menu items that are large enough to share with a group.

Carmen’s Italian Ice is a great place for you and any friend to fill your ice cream cravings this summer.