The Italian Kitchen

A rare treat, had em from when I was a kid. Best Finger food ever. Chewy fried dough with either anchovies, Ricotta or Sugar. Plain for the boring…
So tasty and fresh. Something EVERYONE should try. Its not for all, but if you want to try the Sicilian version of fried dough, the best ever in your life, try Peter’s crispelli’s…

Seriously this place has been around FOREVER, and it is because it is amazing. The Messina’s are local legends, you want authentic Italian rice balls and crispellis, this is where you go. Period.

Crispellis are amazing. Rice balls are amazing. The owners are amazing. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and it is always amazing.

Got the anchovy crispellis 2 years ago, and was not impressed. The oil was dripping out of every bite into it, and there was just a small piece of anchovy, they skimped on the fish. It was like eating a dough ball with nothing in it. This place is not as good as it use to be, plus they are only open on the weekend, we had to go back twice, from NH to get the crispelli. Not worth the trip.

Had lunch here.
Nice to find a place that has fresh handmade/​homemade food.
It’s a little pricey, but high quality and definitely worth the effort.
Too bad they don’t deliver though.

Not much to say BUT … BEST CRISPELLIS AND RICE BALLS ever, hands down !
If you have never had a crispelli, you need to go and try one; you will not be dissatisfied !!

A triple bypass with a side order of cholesterol? Yes, please!
This place has been on Common St, across from Tripoli, since Christ was a cowboy, for very good reason… nobody does what they do and they do it well.
Nothing like seeing that paper bag with the grease stain, knowing it’s warm and hearing the granulated sugar slide around the bag. Yummy!
The rice balls are incredible, too.

My first time having a Crispelli and that shit is bombayyyy! Lol. U know it’s legit when the place been there for 50 years with only 3 things on a menu. Ill be back again. Cheap fast and easy. But better than your favorite hooker!

Absolutely awesome. Nothing like a fresh hot cheese crispelli. Savory, light and delicious. My wife got the anchovy one and she loved it. Rice balls are crispy outside and moist inside. Perfect!

Crispelli’s are great! Conversation with the owner fantastic too. This place is a gem but its not a typical restaurant so don’t go in if your looking for a regular meal. All they have are rice balls and crispelli’s but they do them right.

Great place to be and experience some tratitional Italian specialties. I did enjoy and i will visit agail soon!

I haven’t eaten anything from here since the early 2000s… everything is deep fried, but I loved it. They have such a small menu… Anchovi Crispelli, Plain, Sugar, Cheeseball and rice ball. That’s it. And some cans of soda. I think they’re only open Thursday-​Sunday nights only.
I used to love the cheese, sugar and rice balls when I was younger, and at times, the anchovi

Absolutely fabulous! Everything tasted just as I remembered… thanks for the stroll down memory lane… and I do remember you as a redhead…

Rice balls and crispelli… that’s all you’ll get here and it’s all you’ll need. Other places attempt to make rice balls: Borelli’s in Methuen (fair), The Green Barn in Salem (great but now closed), McKinnon’s in Salem (dreadful)…The Italian Kitchen has them all beat by a mile.
Their working hours are odd almost as if they are an exclusive club. I never can seem to remember the hours and drive down when they are closed. A friend always brings me the cheese crispellis during the Feast in Sep so I generally only get to enjoy them once a year.
If you can remember their hours and are in the area The Italian Kitchen is worth a special trip. Lots of Unilocalers comment that Tripoli’s is right across the street. Tripoli’s pizza is a great; but, if you want excellent Italian pastry head on over to Fisichelli’s on Union street. There you’ll find the best canoli on the planet.

This place is full of memories… I only get here once every ten years or so and it never changes. I finally had to introduce my husband to rice balls and crispellis, so we stopped in after picking up a few cannolis from Tripolis across the street. Pack your cash, grab some napkins, and prepare to be super-​wowed for super cheap. Oh dear sweet rice ball, how I have missed you! With sauce! The hubs is a convert. Reluctant and doubting at first — he is a rice ball fan. The crispelli was delicious… I’m a cheese gal, I just can’t bring myself to stomach the anchovies.
The service is great. Very personable. Witty and entertaining. If you’ve never had a rice ball or a crispelli — get your tush to The Italian Kitchen. Doubt no more… if my husband can finish my rice ball while I step away for a minute, you’ll love them too!

If you wanna look like an outsider, go into the Italian Kitchen and order some ricotta crispelli’s and some anchovy crispelli’s. Those of us who have been going all our lives call ‘em cheese and fish.
I started with the sugar as a toddler, graduated to the plain and then the cheese. Took me til my mid-20’s to gain a taste for the fish. It’s the only time I’m getting near an anchovy.
That said, I am guaranteed to get crispelli’s on labor day weekend while I’m there for the Feast of the Three Saints. Aside from that it’s catch as catch can between me getting to Lawrence and them being open.
Prices are right. They have the rice balls prepped and drop them in the oil when you order, but the crispelli’s will be made in front of your eyes. Unless you go for the Feast but then they sell so fast they haven’t been sitting for long!
As stated cash only but seriously you can get a dozen crispelli and a rice ball for under $ 20. Do it.

Shhh, don’t tell anyone. This place is a secret.
Whenever I go visit my brother in Lawrence, I stop in for the worlds best crispelli and arancini. They only do these 2 things, and they do them well.

The first time I discovered Crispelli’s, it was at the feast maybe around 1999 or so. So good warm and fresh. It is tough to get them as the schedule they are open is on Thursday-​Saturdays. I enjoy the cheese and the sugar crispelli’s

As a child, there was no bigger treat than a bag of mixed crispellis being brought home.
I’m not sure if anyone likes the anchovies version but the plain and cheese varieties are amazing. The man behind the counter is tremendously friendly and talked to my family while we waited for our order last time.
I can’t wait to introduce my daughter to them when she is older.

We stumbled over this place when we checked out Tripoli bakery and are glad we did. Yeah, they only do two things, crispellis and arancini, but they do them well.
The owner is a character. He’ll tell you all about his family, how they immigrated from Italy, and how the business started in the 1950s. That’s right — they only make two things, but have been in business for over 50 years.
We got anchovie crispellis and and split a aranchini because it was the 4^th of the July and they only had 1 left. Yum. This isn’t diet food, both are deep fried, but they don’t taste greasy and the oil must be fresh, because they didn’t have that gross old oil taste.
We went back today. It was sweltering hot in there, I don’t know how the employees could stand it. Fortunately, this is mostly a take out place. I think the owner could tell everyone waiting on their orders were wilting, so he put on Christmas music to «make us think of colder times.» Like I said, the guy is a character.