Mario's Italian Lemonade

Location: 1068 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60612

A Quick Word:
Once the weather warms up, Chicagoans start flocking towards the Little Italy establishment known as Mario's Italian Lemonade.  This small frozen lemonade stand is only open for a few months each year, but attracts hundreds of customers each day.  At first, they started with only a few flavors, but have now expanded to at least a dozen different types of frozen lemonade.  And, the best part about this stand is the price.  For a less than $2.00, you can get the prefect dessert that will quench both your sweet tooth and thirst on a hot summer day.  The only reason I couldn't give it a perfect rating is because some of the flavors have a little too much rind in them... giving a little too much bitterness in the aftertaste.  So I thought a 4-mile rating would be fair.

What We Ate:

Honey Dew Italian Ice

This was the first time I had seen honey dew on the menu.  In fact, you could tell it was a newer flavor because it was written on a cardboard box and taped to the wall.  Anyway, the honey dew ice was a little more on the bitter side with the amount of rind present in the ice.  But, as their other flavors, fruit is the main ingredient and fruit is what you taste.  The have also found the perfect consistency... not too frozen, but just enough to allow both spoon and straw eating.  Overall, I prefer the other flavors, but it was still good to try this new one.

Watermelon Italian Ice

One of their more popular flavors is watermelon.  So, my friend decided on trying it.  I find it to be the most refreshing because it reminds me more of a watered down watermelon.  The color and flavor are perfect... just imagine eating watermelon without having to worry about seeds or even those white seeds in the seedless version.  And at $1.50, this makes for a great summer dessert.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- The small size is a perfect amount for one person.  Anything larger is a little too much.
- If you want the italian ice to be a little sweeter, allow it to melt and drink it more like a cold juice rather than eating it like an ice.

DON'T:
- Parking around the area is awful.  Be aware not to drive unless someone is prepared to wait in the car.
- Don't park in the Al's across the street.  They watch those cars carefully and you don't want to be towed.

The Lemonade Stand

How far would I walk for this food?