Richie's Retail Slush & Food, Inc. — Restaurant in Everett

Located right on route 16, with cars whizzing by at 50mph just inches away from your double-parked car, Richie's is the place to go to in the Boston area for an Italian ice. And what is an Italian ice you might ask? Easy. It's a somewhat unnatural mixture of water, sugar (corn syrup actually I think), artificial fruit flavorings and colorings. It's mixed and then frozen via a lengthy churning process to create a smooth, tasty and refreshing treat.

And Richie's is pretty much a staple in that business where they've been at it since 1956 and have a national distribution setup to provide their product all over our nation. But in spite of that, this little shop is definitely worth a drive. It's not too far from downtown Boston and just past the CostCo in Everett when coming in from Boston, Somerville, Cambridge or even Medford. And while there's no real parking spots or even seating, I've made this place a regular destination of mine for the past year or so with the girlfriend; it's great on a nice, warm evening in the summer. Being a seasonal business, they close down in the autumn and winter but believe it or not, you can still find their stuff in a lot of convenient stores and even some supermarkets.

My all-time favorite flavor is lemon which I find simple yet very refreshing but I've had all kinds of others including watermelon, Arnold Palmer, grape, cherry and all kinds of others. My only gripped with this place is that they advertise a natural version of their treat on their site but don't actually have it fresh on site, only pre-packaged. At some point I'll have to try it out but I know that texture-wise it just won't be as smooth as their fresh stuff.

With that being said, the place is great and worth a visit, or two, or three. They are open pretty late on most weeknights and obviously even later on weekends as well. And new this year, they aren't cash only anymore and even take credit cards for amounts of $15 or more. The service is through a window with minimal interaction but most of the time...

Riches Slushy: The Coolest Spot in Everett (Literally)

Move over, basic ice cream shops—Riches Slushy is here to bless our taste buds and save us from Everett’s summer meltdowns. Since we landed in this town, this place has been our go-to for icy treats, creamy delights, and shockingly good hot food (because who knew slushy wizards also made killer buffalo chicken fries?!).

Riches Slushy itself? Legendary. It’s like someone bottled up happiness, froze it, and said, "Here, drink this and forget your problems." And the ice cream selection? So good it almost makes me emotional. Almost.

But the real plot twist? Their made-to-order hot food slaps harder than a heatwave in July. The buffalo chicken fries are a must—just be ready to wait (good things come to those who drool impatiently).

Bottom line: If you’re not stopping by Riches Slushy, you’re basically just letting summer win. And nobody wants that. 10/10, will...

Got a Chili Cheese Dog & Fried Ice Cream. 6 Bucks Each So The Total Came To 12.34. Really Reasonably Priced. *-Heads Up, If You Order Eather Of These:, It's A 15 Minute Wait Since They Both Have To Be Cooked. Amazing & They Have Nice , Clean Seating & Bring You Out Your Order When It's Done. Fried Ice Cream Is A Ball of Deep Freezed Vanilla IceCream Coated In Crushed Rice Krispies & Cinnamon Toast Krunch Cereal (I think, I'm not sure exactly what the coating is but that's what it taste like) Then They Deep Fried It To Make The Coating Crunchy. Served In A Deep Fried Tostada Like Crunchy Bowl Sprinkled In Cinnamon Sugar Topped With Hot Fudge, Whipped...