“One if by land, two if by sea, three if by cannolis.”

– My Cousin, Johnny… And a little bit of Henry W. Longfellow

If you are looking for the best cannoli in Boston, look no further. After this food-venture, we are making our way to becoming cannoli snobs! When I think of Boston, I recall ALL the delicious food! Those foods include lobster, clam chowder, Boston cream pie (donuts), and cannoli! Between wandering Boston Commons, trekking The Freedom Trail, and pretending to be smart enough to be students at MIT and Harvard, you are bound to work up an appetite.

I spent a long weekend in Boston with some cousins visiting family. Food was undeniably a large part of our itinerary. But right now, we will explore the best cannoli in Boston.

A Little Warning Before the Best Cannoli in Boston

Before I dive too deep, I need to preface this post by warning you 3 essential things: 

• 1) We are ambitious eaters
• 2) We are not practical people
• 3) We are foodies who prefer savory and salty over sweet

Fun Cannoli Facts!  

• The word “cannoli” is plural. 
  • A friend pointed out my mistake- Thanks, Matt. 
  • If you are eating one or referring to one, then it is cannolo.
    • Seriously, who says “cannolo”?
      • I bet Matt does… 
• Did you ever wonder about the shape of cannoli? 
  • Cannoli were meant to look phallic! 
    • I know- shocking, but kind of not at the same time. 
  • Cannoli were created during Carnevale and were meant to be a lewd and funny fertility symbol. 
  • Really makes you question the size of these things… Doesn’t it? 

The Best Cannoli in Boston: Ground Rules

Why are there rules to judging the best cannoli in Boston? Because we needed some semblance of structure. We are ambitious, not altogether absurd. The goal was to give each location a fair chance. 

To make it an honest and equal judgment, we ordered the same types of cannoli at every location. I also wanted to try at least two varieties. It seemed like a safe decision in case we didn’t like one over the other. So, the judging orders were:

• Plain ricotta cheese with chocolate chips and powdered sugar 
• Plain ricotta cheese with pistachios and powdered sugar 

We ordered the cannoli from each bakery and then took them to the square by Paul Revere’s House. We wanted to enjoy them the same day. 1-2 bites of each sample were had before moving on to the next. We could not eat a full one- that would ruin our palates. It would be way too much sugar for us. After our initial bites, we would continue to sample to draw conclusions. 

The Best Cannoli in Boston

There are A LOT of cannoli options in Boston. After some research, we narrowed our list to the 3 most popular spots: Mike’s Pastry, Modern Pastry, and Bova’s. Incidentally, these three are all near each other and along the Freedom Trail in the North End. The cannoli are not an official stop along the Freedom Trail, but it made the walk more exciting! The North End is along the last half of the tour.

Mike’s Pastry

Website: Mike’s Pastry

Mike’s Pastry started in 1946. Their Hanover Street location remains their storefront, but they have opened more locations thanks to their rising popularity. Mike’s Pastry has over 4 stars on over 4,800 reviews on Google! Their North End store is currently open 8am-10pm.

Our Thoughts

You may notice Mike’s is the largest store of the three contenders. Their line was also the longest. We started with the line outside. Once you get inside, the line divides into multiple short queues. Mike’s Pastry sells a variety of other desserts, like lobster tails, pies, and cookies. They are cash only, and the prices for the cannoli are not listed as you wait in line. During our visit, the cannoli were $6.50 a piece. The cannoli were filled to order, which is always a good sign of fresh cannoli. If cannoli are assembled in advance, they start to sog the pastry as they sit in the fridge. Filling to order helps cannoli maintain that delightful crunch.

What distinguishes Mike’s cannoli is their size. They were by far the biggest. We were actually overwhelmed by the size. The pastry shell was also the thickest, which helped make it crunchy.

Although delicious, the ricotta-to-pastry ratio was not my favorite. The size was too much for me to enjoy. We all agreed these cannoli were too sweet for our palates. If I were to return to Mike’s, I would opt out of the powdered sugar they sprinkle right before they wrap the box.

Because we ordered altogether too many cannoli, we had to eat them the next day. On day 2, Mike’s were still crunchy. Somehow, we all thought the sweetness died down enough to be enjoyable. If you want cannoli to eat 12 hours later, then Mike’s Pastry is a solid choice.

Modern Pastry

Website: Modern Pastry

Modern Pastry was established in 1930 on Hanover Street. They also have a location in Medford. Modern has over 4.5 stars on over 1,800 reviews on Google. Their original store in North End is open Sunday-Thursday from 7am-10pm and Friday-Saturday from 7am-12am.

Our Thoughts

We walked up to find a line out the door, but this line moved quickly. They sells many other desserts like cakes, cookies, lobster tails, and more. They are a cash-only establishment. Modern was the only place that listed their prices on their boards. We all appreciated the listing. When going to a cash-only store, you want to know how much to have on hand. They are also the only place that offers 2 different sizes. We opted for the small size. The small size felt more appropriate for sharing. Modern Pastry also has a takeaway option where you can fill the cannoli later. Modern assembles their cannoli after you order them, allowing the perfect crunch. At the time, the small size was $3.25 a piece.

This was my preferred ratio of ricotta to pastry. The small size was perfect to enjoy and ideal for sharing. The cannoli were sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Overall, I thought this was a solid choice for both varieties: the plain ricotta with chocolate chip cannoli and the ricotta with pistachio cannoli.

Bova’s Bakery

Website: Bova’s Bakery

Bova’s Bakery has been in North End since 1926. They have over 4.7 stars on over 3,200 reviews on Google. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! A 24/7 establishment- that is impressive!

Our Thoughts

Bova’s had a bit of a wait, but it was not nearly as long as the other two contenders. The bakery sells a plethora of sweets AND savory. We saw loaves of bread, sandwiches, pizzas, arancini, donuts, cream puffs, rice krispie treats, lobster tails, and much more. Bova’s was also cash-only. Prices were not consistently listed. We could see the prices for some foods, but not anything we were buying at the time. The cannoli prices were not listed anywhere.

As opposed to the others, these cannoli were not filled to order. They sat on trays, ready to pack into their takeaway bags and boxes. However, it seems like the turnover of fresh cannoli was pretty frequent. It was fortuitous that we were standing in line at Bova’s in time for a new tray of plain ricotta with chocolate chips cannoli. They did not offer different sizes, but the one size was more traditional and reasonable. Their traditional ricotta with chocolate chips cannoli were $5 a piece.

I liked the ricotta-to-pastry ratio for Bova’s Bakery. We all preferred their cannoli made with ricotta and chocolate chips over the other two contenders. The overall product was not too sweet. However, I do not recommend their pistachio cannoli. First, the cream was very bright green. In general, I find over-coloring food unnecessary. Next, the cream had an intense almond extract flavor. None of us could finish the pistachio one. I tried two or three bites, but the flavor never settled with me.

Not-Related to Cannoli…

For fun, we wanted to sample their Boston cream donut. We loved their traditional cannoli with chocolate chips so much. We figured it would be fun to try something else. The donuts were disappointing to us- $6 for an ok donut. However, I brought a donut home to my husband, and he devoured it! While standing in line inside, we all mentioned how the pizza smelled good. I could be persuaded to sample some of their savory items.

Lessons Learned from the Best Cannoli in Boston

The biggest lesson we learned is that we are not a sweets family. We prefer salty and savory. With that in mind, I would return to this food-venture for the pistachio cannoli. Perhaps we should have considered ordering coffee to help cut the sweetness of each cannoli. As much as the sweetness overwhelmed me, I craved cannoli a few days after our Boston-food-venture!

A Controversial Opinion

SOME of us, really only one of the three, preferred all the cannoli the day after. Since we had so many to eat and only three of us, we were sampling them for days! They were slightly softer by morning. Also, they were all somehow less sweet. I definitely prefer them fresh and crunchy. However, I liked having cannoli with my morning coffee.

And The Best Cannoli in Boston Are…

• Category- Ricotta cheese with chocolate chips
  • Bova’s Bakery
    • Note- It is possible we got lucky that a fresh batch came out when we were ready to order. These cannoli were sitting on trays and not filled to order like the other two contenders. I am curious how much I would like Bovas if we got cannoli at the end of the tray when they have been sitting out for a while. 
• Category- Ricotta cheese with pistachio
  • Modern Pastry
    • Bonus points for allowing us to order the smaller size. 
    • If we only had time to stand in one line, I would order a variety of small cannoli from Modern. 

What’s Next?

Now that I have recovered from my sugar rush, my fomo wants to try the lobster tails on our next visit! We saw several people ordering them and heard them commenting on their deliciousness. They all looked REALLY yummy and definitely shareable. They were huge!

Until next time, Boston!