289 Hanover St

Boston, MA 02113 (617) 227-5709 (617) 227-5709 Visit Website

Galleria Umberto is open from 10:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and you should get there as early as you can — if you don’t, you risk missing out on both the arancini and the pizza. (I once waited in line for 20 minutes only to be cut as I approached the counter by a guy who was leading a pizza tour group of 25 hungry Europeans. They ordered the last of the arancini and the last of the pizza, and my afternoon was ruined. Don’t let this happen to you; get there early.) The arancini, or fried rice ball, is stuffed with beef and cheese and peas and is the best version of the thing I’ve eaten outside of Italy. The pizza is square-cut, typical of the sheet pan pizza of Sicily or so many Italian grandmothers, and it is topped with sauce and cheese only. The sauce is slightly sweet, and the cheese blisters slightly in the oven. I write about this place a lot; I do so for a reason. —TBD