Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

• gradeGrade B
• inspection score24 pts
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMarch 19, 2026 →
• address1317 East 17 Street, Brooklyn 11230
• cuisineFrozen Desserts
• phone7186849764

Is Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard clean?

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is currently Grade B from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on March 19, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 19, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Mechanical or natural ventilation not provided, inadequate, improperly installed, in disrepair or fails to prevent and control excessive build-up of grease, heat, steam condensation, vapors, odors, smoke or fumes.
• 🗑️garbage situation out of pocket
  Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
• 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcritical
  Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.
• ⚠️Allergen or intolerance notice not translated into common language when required

When was Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard last inspected?

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has 2 inspections on record going back to July 10, 2025, averaging 30 points.

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard vs Midwood

Midwood runs 74% clean across 85 tracked restaurants — 58 clean, 8 mid, 12 cooked.

Against the 85 spots Cooked tracks in Midwood, this one comes out cleaner than 17% of them.

Other spots in Midwood

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• ⏳ Danny’S Pizzeria
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• ? Danny's X Pizzeria Corp
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• A Pescada
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• A Morning Grace Cafe
  clean · June 27, 2025
• ⏳ Schnitzi
  cooked · December 14, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Midwood →

How New York grades restaurants

New York City health inspectors score violations in points, and lower is better: 0–13 points earns an A, 14–27 a B, and 28 or more a C. Every restaurant is inspected at least once a year, and the letter has to be posted in the window. A restaurant that scores 14 or more on the first inspection of a cycle does not get a letter right away — it stays “Grade Pending” until a re-inspection settles it, which is why some spots here show an hourglass instead of a letter. Cooked only ever shows a letter the city actually posted; we never infer one from a score.

Read the New York ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) via NYC Open Data. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated March 19, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

check your own block 📸

Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.