John's Water Ice

The most famous water ice in Philly, and I get the hype!! But honestly medium was too much for me, get small next time! I got half and half, chocolate and mango water ice, and it was so good! Mango was so creamy and not too sweet, while chocolate was a bit too sweet and watery. Would stick to mango and piña colada next time!! The line was long, but moves fast! No seating inside, and pay in cash/venmo only.

We came on a hot Saturday afternoon, and there was a decent line. Took about 15 minutes for us to get our ice. Cash only of course!We got one medium sized, half mango and half cherry. It was our first time having water ice, and the texture was really unique. It was a creamier slushy, not too brain-freezingly cold, and overall was really refreshing on a hot day. The flavors themselves were very potent, but also very artificial. I would honestly have liked it more if they had just toned down the flavoring by 25%.Overall, will definitely be back!

Absolutely love this place. Water ice was cheap and so refreshing! I got the cherry ice and it's so addicting on a hot weather.

Great treat after any meal. Since it's ice it's not too much or too sweet. Recommended combo: pineapple and lemon.

Good. The ice is shaved fine. Get lemon ice with vanilla ice cream. Cash or venmo. good good good

This place is so cute! And it's been around since 1945. Water ice was so refreshing today since it was 95 F. Prices are reasonable and flavors are fresh. The pineapple tasted more like dole whip than artificial pineapple which I appreciate. They take cash or Venmo, so just come prepared. There is an ATM outside as well

Tasty and refreshing! Water ice is like slush for New Englanders familiar with snow. I got the Medium size ($3.50) which was enough to share amongst 2 people. I saw you can get 2 flavors so I opted for Lemon and Pineapple. One star docked for the wait. On a hot sunny day, it was a bit challenging to wait for almost 30 minutes. When I got to the front of the line, I saw there were only 2 people scooping up the water ice from a freezer. The people serving the water ice also had to collect money. Perhaps they should have more staff to speed up wait times. It melts fast, so I advise eating it right after you get it in your hands!

Very refreshing on a hot day with quick service and a casual walk-up spot. While the flavors weren't quite to my taste, it's a great spot for kids and anyone looking for fun, classic water ice flavors.

My second time here today. My husband and son's first time. I liked the Paloma flavor- you can see grapefruit bits and lime zest. The pineapple and lemon flavors were really refreshing. My guys LOVED it here as they really love water ice and claimed it's the best yet. The texture makes the water ice much enjoyable. Hope to be back again soon!

The line is half way down the block on a weekend summer evening! Thats how you know it's going to be good, right? This is a unique concoction that you must experience for yourself when you're in the Italian Market area of Philly! We tried the Gelati which is a combination that starts off on the bottom with water ice then ice cream and topped off with water ice. The water ice is unique in and of itself but then combined with ice cream it's just amazing! There is no seating so not going to get much ambiance here but it's still a must try as the experience is just what you need!