Rita's of Springfield set to celebrate spring; Sicilian street food truck prepares to open

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

This week in Springfield-area food news: A local spot celebrates spring with free treats, Sicilian street food is on its way to the Ozarks and there's another place in Springfield to get tacos.

Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard, 2100 W. Republic Road, will be offering free 6-ounce Italian ices to customers from noon to 9 p.m. March 19 in honor of the first day of spring.
Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard, 2100 W. Republic Road, will be offering free 6-ounce Italian ices to customers from noon to 9 p.m. March 19 in honor of the first day of spring.

Celebrate the first day of spring with a treat

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is celebrating the first day of spring with free 6-ounce Italian ices on March 19. Customers can choose from classic flavors or limited time Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Ice.

Rita's of Springfield, 2100 W. Republic Road, will be open from noon to 9 p.m. and participating in the promotion.

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Food truck will bring Sicilian street food to Springfield

Italian Kitchen, a "culinary haven" run by Torino native Chef Alessandro De Luca, is adding a food truck to its repertoire.

Bedda Matri, which is Sicilian phrase similar to "Wow!" or "Holy cow!" according to its website, will offer Sicilian street food such as arancini (fried rice balls), cipollina (puff pastry filled with onions, tomato sauce, ham and provolone) and mozzarella in carrozza (a deep fried mozzarella cheese sandwich). De Luca is bringing the food to the Ozarks as a way to celebrate his ancestors.

De Luca anticipates the food truck will be up and running by April 1.

I Love Tacos Taqueria has food trucks at 4339 W. Chestnut Expressway and 1600 E. Chestnut Expressway, as well as a brick-and-mortar location at 2724 E. Chestnut Expressway.
I Love Tacos Taqueria has food trucks at 4339 W. Chestnut Expressway and 1600 E. Chestnut Expressway, as well as a brick-and-mortar location at 2724 E. Chestnut Expressway.

There's another place to get tacos on Chestnut Expressway

I Love Tacos Taqueria has established a new spot. While the location may change in the future, for now a trailer or truck will be at 1600 E. Chestnut Expressway from 10:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to a Facebook post.

I Love Tacos also has two permanent locations: A trailer near the Flying J, 4939 W. Chestnut Expressway, and a restaurant at 2724 E. Chestnut Expressway.

Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Rita's offers free Italian ices; new food truck coming to Springfield