Boston Herald

Aug 21, 2019 - FEAST OF ST. ANTHONY TURNS 100 THIS WEEKEND

August is feast season in the North End and this weekend is the biggest of them all — the feast of St. Anthony. It’s a time of celebration for locals and visitors alike, but this year is even more special as it is the 100th anniversary of the feast. The festivities begin Thursday with the feast of St. Lucia and then continue on to the feast of St. Anthony, Friday through Sunday. It’s a great late summer activity for families, so head into Boston one last time before the kids head back to school for lots of food and fun. Here are a few things to be sure to check out.

Caffe Pellicano mobile espresso bar - There will be a little vintage Italian Piaggio Ape vehicle at the feast serving gourmet coffee drinks during the daytime. At 6 p.m. each evening, it will head over to the Ducali beer garden (see below) to serve Aperol spritzes, canned rosé and prosecco.

Ducali pop-up beer garden - Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Ducali Pizzeria is getting into the festivities by hosting a pop-up beer garden at the corner of Causeway Street and North Washington Street all weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, Ducali’s sixth annual “Cin Cin Beer Garden Pop Up” will be open. Beer and pizza will be served alfresco in a cordoned off area in front of Filippo Ristorante. There will be picnic tables, high tops and lots of room to sip and mingle in the balmy August air. Admission to the beer garden is free and 21+.

Boston Magazine

Aug 24, 2018 - What To Eat & Drink This Weekend

Mobile Espresso and Biscotti - The Feast of St. Anthony takes over the historic North End this weekend, with blessings, processions, music, and of course, a ton of Italian food and drink. It’s also the debut of Caffe Pellicano Mobile Espresso Bar, the latest venture from Philip Frattaroli and his father, who own Ducali Pizzeria, Filippo, and Lucia Ristorante in the North End, and East Boston’s Cunard Tavern. The tiny, three-wheeled, vintage Piaggio Ape can navigate the neighborhood’s narrow streets, and will be around serving espresso drinks, cold brew, and homemade biscotti to festival goers. It will also set up during Ducali’s annual Cin Cin Beer Garden pop-up in front of Filippo Ristorante, to serve up negronis, canned rosé, and Prosecco alongside the traditional Budweiser and pizza. Check out the full Feast schedule at stanthonysfeast.com, and caffepellicano.com to stay connected with this year-round roving coffee mobile.

Caffe Pellicano will serve all manner of espresso beverages.

Eater Boston

AUG 21, 2018 - An Italian Mobile Espresso Bar Hits the Streets This Weekend

A Boston restaurateur adds a mobile arm to his operation this weekend. Philip Frattaroli of Ducali Pizzeria & Bar and Cunard Tavern will unveil his new Caffe Pellicano Mobile Espresso Bar at a festival in the North End near another of his family’s restaurants, Filippo Ristorante.

Caffe Pellicano tips its hat to the craft of Italian coffee in more ways than one. The truck is a vintage Piaggio Ape — a three-wheeled Italian truck — which Frattaroli had outfitted for the coffee operation.

“If you think about coffee culture in the U.S., it’s all based on the Italian system of cappuccino and espresso,” he said, and he wanted Caffe Pellicano to hark back to that same Italian heritage.

“In Italy these [vehicles] are very common, actually,” Frattaroli said. He always thought they were cool, and when he learned people were starting to make food trucks out of them, he found a company to modify one for Caffe Pellicano.

Espresso will anchor the menu, with other beverages including Americanos, macchiatos, lattes, cappuccinos, and cold brew for summer. There will also be a drink named after the operation and similar to an Arnold Palmer: The Pellicano will be made with lemonade and cold brew. The truck will also serve biscotti.

“It sounds crazy, but it’s really good,” Frattaroli said.

The truck will make its debut this weekend at a four-day festival to honor St. Anthony’s Feast, put on by Ducali. An outdoor beer garden will be set up in the North End near Causeway and North Washington streets, in front of Filippo Ristorante, with pizza, beer, and coffee available from Thursday, August 23, through Sunday, August 26.

For now, Caffe Pellicano will not join the regularly scheduled fleet of Boston food trucks but will instead be used for events and pop-ups associated with other Frattaroli restaurants.