About Joe's Italian Ice

When Pennsylvania native Mike Abeyta moved to the West Coast, he noticed that something he loved was absent from the culinary landscape: Philadelphia-style italian ice. To rectify this geographical oversight, he opened Joe's Italian Ice. Today, the ice shop's red, white, and green awning serves as an oasis of refreshment amid sun-baked parking lots throughout Arizona and California. Inside, more than 50 flavors are made on-site with real fruit, ranging from lemon, chocolate, and passion fruit to weirder variations that boast names like "Dangerberry" and "Smurf Poison."

Joe's isn't a one-trick pony, though; the shops also specialize in a soft-serve ice cream that's found in only a few places back east. The Pennsylvania dairy that ships the ice cream to Joe's cooks it at ultra-high temperatures to give it a markedly creamier texture and sweeter finish. Joe's frozen wares can also serve as the base for shakes and sundaes and overly whimsical skyscrapers topped with candy or fruit.