Having spent some of my childhood in Sicily, I was intrigued by the concept of a truck specializing in Sicilian cuisine. More specifically, arancini or “riceballs,” which are small balls of arborio rice (used to make risotto), traditionally filled with meat and peas, then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried until golden. The name “arancini” literally means “little orange” which likely refers to its appearance resembling the small fruit, as you can see in this photo:

As an arancini fan, I felt it necessary to order The Classico, which was the aforementioned traditional riceball filled with a meat sauce, mozzarella, and peas. I was surprised how quickly my order came up. These are the perfect food truck item because it might actually be preferable to fry them up ahead of time so they have time to cool a bit and not burn your customers’ mouths with molten filling. The Little Sicilian truck had the timing down superbly because my arancini were of perfect temperature, crispy on the outside and chewy and warm on the inside. The cheese was melted perfectly and blended with the meat sauce.

Next I tried the “Pizzaball” which is filled with mozzarella, provolone, and pizza sauce. Deceptively simple, I expected to like the Classico better, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this one was my favorite. So gooey and cheesy in the middle, the sauce is completely integrated into the cheese. It was heavenly and perfectly seasoned. I could have eaten more.

This brings me to the only downside I found to this cart, the portions and the pricing. They sell the arancini in pairs, at two riceballs for $10 or four for $19. For a snack, the portion might be okay, but for lunch I felt like I needed at least three to be full; four was too many. If there had been an option for three, this would be ideal. However, I find that $5 a pop is still a bit steep. They do have a combo deal where you get a 20 oz. soda for free with the purchase of four riceballs, which is nice (especially considering the Philly soda tax). This might be a splurge truck for me, since I don’t normally spend $10+ at a truck and still leave hungry. I do think the quality is there and they do have a product people will be willing to splurge on, so I’m sure this is not really a problem for them.

The truck also offers personal size pizzas with various toppings including a Margherita, buffalo chicken, white pizza with spinach, and eggplant parm to name a few. They recently began serving buffalo wings as well. To round out the menu, Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannoli are also offered.

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Location: Various locations around the area. They are fairly active on social media.

Pay:  Credit or Cash

Delivery: They cater events

Cuisine: Arancini, pizza, buffalo wings, Italian desserts

What I tried: Pizzaball and The Classico

Email: thelittlesicilian@gmail.com

Phone: (609) 240-7590

Website: https://www.thelittlesicilian.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLittleSicilian

Twitter: @littlesicilian1

Instagram: @thelittlesicilian