Mike’s Pastry

In search of the best cannoli in North End, I went to Mike’s Pastry, Bova’s Bakery, and Modern Pastry. In the end, Mike’s seemed overhyped. It’s about $ 4 for the biggest cannoli out of the three; however the cannolis are sitting pre-​filled unlike at Modern Pastry where they are filled to order. Also, the shell has a bitter aftertaste, which is likely from frying with old oil.

Woah woah woah woah.
The DEBATE of the century… Mike’s or Modern. Which one stands on top?
I say Modern Pastry. My problem with Mike, and his pastries, is how sweet it is. I thought Modern was able to provide a better balance of flavors. Otherwise, the two is pretty much identical.
Please, don’t drive yourself crazy over which one is better… and don’t wait in line for two hours trying to get it either.

Just one example will suffice:
Their pre-​stuffed canolis are a soggy embarrassment. No self-​respecting Italian pastry shop will sell you canolis that are not stuffed when you get there. Check out Modern Pastry (#1 in Boston) and Café Paradiso for canolis (and other pastries) done right! And if you ask Mike’s to stuff some canolis fresh for you, they tell you «They were just done» — all 50 of them! Riiiight!
Mike’s is good enough for the tour buses that Mike’s has a deal with to stop there in the North End, with tourists from Des Moines and Bakersfield, but not good enough for discerning Bostonians! Yuk!

omg!!!
there cannolis are the best things i have ever eaten
also the hot coco is outstanding!

I was in Boston as a little kid and I fondly remember having a huge cannoli from Mike’s — literally the size of my forearm.
Since that day I’ve always described Mike’s as «that place with the cannolis the size of your arm.» Unfortunately nobody knows what I’m talking about. The cannolis aren’t that big, I just had smaller arms as a 5 year old.
3 stars for not keeping up with inflation
…the cannolis are probably 3 stars too

Mike’s Pastry is a tourist staple in the North End. I’ve been a few times now and its been crazy busy each time. The place is packed with people but you usually don’t have to wait too long and the employees are very relaxed and efficient.
Cannoli’s aren’t ever my favorite dessert but Mike’s has a huge variety and most of them are good. I’ve also tried their gelato, but personally, I wouldn’t get it again. Last time I went I got the Florentine cannoli which has become my favorite and was recommended by the girl at the counter. Definitely stop by at least once if you get the chance, but there’s plenty of other great bakeries in the area.

This review is for the tiramisu. I had a tiramisu craving so I had to do a taste test between Modern and Mikes. Modern’s wins by a land slide.
Mikes has too much crème and not enough cake. It also doesn’t have much of a liquor flavor.
The raspberry sandwich was meh. I cried inside.

Cannoli review:
I like the filling here better than modern’s. So smooth and creamy with the right balance of sweet. If you are in the area, i recommend the classic chocolate chip dipped or pistachio cannoli. Once before I ordered a neapolitan cannoli and it was overwhelmingly sweet. Stay away from this one if you do not have a super sweet tooth.
The to-​go 12 cannoli kit is awesome. I got it before and the cannolis just taste better because they look so small and cute :)
I’ll be back, Mikes!

like the cannoli there! They are my favorite place for cannoli.
Very crowd on weekends, had to wait though.

Mike’s Pastry is a Boston North End icon. The pastries and cannolis are great, but the place also suffers from being overhyped and generally tourist trap-​y. In the summer, the lines can stretch out the door and around the block. The inside is always a mad house, with people squeezing around the line to get to a counter or to look at the bakery selection, and a fairly disorganized ordering system (also cash only). The ambiance definitely takes a hit from this, and I generally take my cannolis to go because I don’t want to sit in a crowded and loud environment.
That being said, the pastries themselves are delicious. They have over a dozen different flavors of cannoli, ranging from $ 3.50 to $ 5 each. My favorite is the amaretto cannoli, which has a creamy ricotta filling and a delicious flavoring of amaretto liquor. I’ve also tried their cream puffs and lobster tails (which are huge!) but in general I stick to their cannolis.

Holy cannoli! Mike’s Pastry has… A LOT of different types of cannolis to try! I came in here and you can definitely tell that this place is well-​known. It is one of the popular places that people venture out to at the North End in Little Italy.
Yes this has cakes, cookies, pies, and etc. but seeing the massive amounts of cannolis made me want to try a few. I was able to get a taste of a couple, with my favorite being the pistachio. The pistachio flavor is more with the nuts that are on top of it but it adds a nice touch. Other ones that I enjoyed having were the Florentine, Hazelnut, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Caramel! I shared these with a few people, so we were able to try multiple flavors.
I also got a bite of the lobster tail which had delicious cream filling as well!
There is a very small area that you can find a place to sit if you are lucky. Most people are just standing, looking at the menu, paying, and/​or eating a cannoli in here. Do yourself a favor and be ready to take it to go and find a good spot outside (maybe at the park) to enjoy your sweets!
FYI: Cash only!

If you are EVER in Boston, this is a MUST. See the capitalizations?
I had the chance visit my friend this past year and she told me about this place that has a crazy good cannoli. Being the tourist I am, I went for it and yup, she was right.
At first glance, it can be pretty overwhelming with the number of selections and what not. Almost everyone inside knows what their doing so you have to somewhat force yourself to the front of the counter. Once you get the golden ticket to the counter, I would suggest ordering at least two because you’ll most likely regret your decision if you pick one, trust me. I personally really liked the chocolate chip and the pistachio, but have your pick.
tl;dr — Stuff your face with a cannoli or two!

Mike’s is decent. It’s certainly far from the best cannoli in town however. It’s a tourist trap (if you hadn’t picked that up from the other thousands of reviews), but it’s one of the few tourist traps where you won’t walk away disappointed.
Warning: The lines will be long. So very, very, very, very long. Don’t come here if you want a quick bite. They are also cash only, so be prepared. Coming here reminds me a fair bit of hitting a bar. It’s a free-​for-​all to get to the counter, and if you order slowly they’ll probably just move to the next person and ignore you until you (somehow) manage to get their attention again.
Cannoli-​wise, I found them to be pretty soggy. If you get lucky and get a fresh batch, they are quite good, however they pre-​make so many, and cannoli get soggy pretty quickly if not eaten, so my recommendation is to order what you see being carried out to the counter. So, oddly enough the best time to get cannoli is when they are the busiest, if you have the time.
Ambiance-​wise, if you are seen carrying a box around prominently, you’re probably a tourist because visiting Mike’s is as much a part of the Boston experience as the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, or catching a Sox game.
All in all, Mike’s is good, just not as good as the omnipresent boxes would suggest.

Came here on a Friday afternoon around 2pm. There were about 3 groups of people in front of me and all tables were taken, so had to leave and enjoyed my delicious Oreo cannoli in the cold and windy weather on the street. It was all good and worth it though.
Note it’s CASH ONLY!

cannoli heaven!!! there are two locations, one by Harvard and this location in Little Italy. I prefer this location. The staff were super friendly and even recommended me to get the hazelnut cannoli and it was so good! Each cannoli is four bucks and worth every penny!

Good lord.
The first thing you see, is the fire code hazard. There are literally a hundred people crammed into this pastry shop waiting for their turn to get a cannoli or other goodies. They have a Cannoli «menu» on the wall up high so you can semi make up your mind by time you reach the counter, otherwise you cannot see past the hordes of people to decide. If you cannot make up your mind when you get there, do me a favor and order the Florentine. By FAR the best of the best in my opinion. We came here 2 days in a row, first night we ordered like 6 Cannolis, all different flavors (including Florentine)…the 2^nd night we ordered all Florentines because they are that good.
Please remember when you come here, they are CASH ONLY. I’d hate for you to wait 20 minutes to order just to realize you have no cash.
If you are in Boston, come here immediately.

Oh hey, I don’t even like cannolis. Well, here we are…
Spent the weekend in Boston, and when we were walking the freedom trail we kept seeing people with Mike’s Pastry boxes (good advertisement). If you follow the trail down Hanover far enough, it’ll be there waiting for you in all of its glorious fluorescent lighting.
Came in around 5pm-​ish. There is a plethora of baked goods here, but they have all the flavors of cannoli lined up on the wall, and boy is it overwhelming. It was quite crowded but within minutes we were greeted by a smiling face behind the counter. We ordered the mint chocolate chip, the chocolate ricotta, the Florentine, and the pistachio. Woof, the only caveat is that these cannolis are anywhere between $ 4-​$ 5 each.
Florentine: My favorite one, probably because it is the fattiest. The cannoli shell is buttery, toffee-​like, and the perfect balance of crunchy and soft. I couldn’t stop eating it.
Mint Chocolate Chip: Yum, not overly minty.
Chocolate Ricotta: Second favorite. I love how even though these cannolis are huge and filled to the brim, the cream isn’t overly sweet.
Pistachio: Nutty, me like.
The woman behind the counter was super sweet and asked us where we were visiting from. I like nice people.
Would recommend!

We stopped into Mike’s for some connolis during a family trip to Boston. The place gets PACKED. The lines move decently quickly though. There was a group of about 8 of us and we got about 6 different connolis to sample. They were pretty awesome. They also have other pastries and baked goods but the connolis are definitely the star of the show!
They only take cash so be prepared!

«LISTEN my children, and you shall hear.
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-​five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.»
— «Paul Revere’s Ride», Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Our visit to Boston brought us to follow the historic Freedom Trail (2.5 miles) that traces the start of the American Revolution. Within the tour of Boston’s North End, we literally walked in American History with stops at Paul Revere’s house, the Old North Church (where THOSE alert lanterns were hung), Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Bunker Hill Monument and the U.S.S. Constitution. Our guides were dressed in traditional late 18^th century garb, represented various historic characters and citizens of Boston and had us all mesmerized with their involvement in the revolt against Britain. Ah, but, all that walking and attention to history had our stomaches growling for more of Boston’s culinary offerings.
Since we were in the North End, our friends suggested we try Mike’s Pastry which is another pastry shop noted for their cannoli and other Italian baked specialties. Because we were shivering from the cold, the thought of having a caffé mocha or espresso macchiato with a pastry was very appealing. As we walked toward Mike’s, there was a line out the door. everyone seemed to be waiting to get the same treat (espresso + cannoli). The line moved rather quickly as visions of cannoli danced in my brain… what should I get? There were shelves full of various flavored cannoli such as espresso, mint-​chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, chocolate and … We chose chocolate chip cannoli! I dare not say whose cannoli tasted better. There is a «food war» among the 3 bakeries (Mike’s, Maria’s and Modern). Mike’s certainly offers more flavors, I think there were 18 flavors. But, our stay wasn’t long enough for us to try the cannoli at the third bakery for comparison.
I knocked off a star mainly because the seemingly long wait (I hear that long lines are ever present, year-​round) to get in to order and lack of seating. Just understand that when you bite into a cannoli, be ready to «catch» some filling from the opposite side!
#511

When everyone told me that Mike’s Pastry has the best cannoli in Boston, I was skeptical. So I read up on the various debates about which cannoli shop is the best and eventually decided to try three different places: Modern Pastry, Maria’s, and Mike’s, all within twenty four hours.
My fellow judge and I started at Mike’s and got the amaretti cannoli. I wasn’t sure I liked cannoli before that moment, but that first bite made me a believer (or a Belieber?). The shell was crunchy, but not hard to bite into, and the filling was flavorful and sweet, but not too sweet.
After polishing off our cannoli at Mike’s, we headed across the street to Modern Pastry Shop. I stand by the fact that we should have gotten the ricotta filling to make this a fair competition, but we ordered a vanilla custard cannoli, which they filled fresh for us with a very yellow custard. Within the first bite I knew that this was no Mike’s. The shell was really hard and the custard filling was overly sweet.
After resisting temptation to go back to Mike’s, we went to bed in preparation for the nect day… more cannoli! We stopped into Maria’s Pastry and ordered yet another vanilla custard cannoli (still think we should have done ricotta, but E la vita!). The color of the custard was much lighter than at Modern Pastry Shop and a more manageable level of sweetness. The shell was harder than Mike’s, but softer than Modern’s, leading us to place Maria’s in second place in the cannoli competition.
But before we could give our final scores, we had to go back to Mike’s to make absolutely sure that it was just as good as we remembered. We pushed our way intp the world’s least organized line (it’s a stampede in there) and eventually got a hazelnut cannoli. Besides all of the powdered sugar doused all over it, it was perfection. An A++ of cannoli. Unfortunately, the line (if you can call it a line) is so insanely disorganized at Mike’s that I’m taking a ‘+’ off the final score.
Final scores were as follows:
Mike’s Pastry: A+
Maria’s Pastry: A–
Modern Pastry: B

Cash-​only cannolis, just like those at Modern Pastry.
Unfortunately, I bestow the cannoli crown on Modern Pastry.
As many have mentioned, Mike’s has a wonderful variety of flavors, including hazelnut, pecan caramel, amaretto, espresso, strawberry, limoncello, Oreo, and more. My boyfriend adores the cookies & cream flavor, so Oreo was our obvious choice. Like Mitchell’s Ice Cream in SF, there are multiple servers behind the counter who can help people with their orders. We walked up to the chaotic counter, paid our $ 4 in cash money, and sat down to eat our Oreo-​fied cannoli.
The Oreo topping paired well with the Oreo cream, though we think Modern Pastry pulls off a lighter, fluffier filling. Albeit, we ordered a plain ricotta filling at Modern Pastry versus the Oreo-​laden filling at Mike’s, so that may have affected the density of the cream. But the stark difference between the two cannoli vendors is the cannoli shell. Mike’s makes their cannolis in advance and keeps them in chilled display counters, and pre-​made cannoli shells, which have been softened by cream and firmed by cold, lose some of that delectable crunch belonging to deep-​fried pastry dough.
As Jack R. put it, Modern Pastry wins for the quality of their cannoli. Mike’s wins for the variety of their fillings.
Modern Pastry over Mike’s, though I hear that Maria’s Pastry Shop is the place to be?! Bookmarked.

This place is good! Not wait in a long line good, but still good if it’s a regular line. It’s not the best bakery I’ve been to but it definitely hits the spot.
I went the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was pretty empty and then I come to hear people sometimes wait 30+minutes. That’s insane. Luckily I walked up to the counter, ordered a chocolate mousse cannoli, and sat down and enjoyed it on a blustery day.
The cannoli was great and I love all the various types. I was also eyeing the sweet-​looking cheesecake but I needed to limit the indulgences. My boyfriend though the place had a prison-​like aesthetic with the white tiled walls. there were only a few tables to sit at. Clearly this isn’t the place to go for ambiance and a relaxing place to have a pastry while sipping on some coffee. More of a take it and go place. And I guess they are famous enough to get away with cash only, so be prepared!

hey… don’t hurt me because this review is similar to what I gave Modern but hey we did try this place out the same day and it has the same introduction on how it happen.
My friend wanted to try this place out and Mike’s because both this pastry shop is nearby each other and they are at WAR lol food war… pastry WAR at one another. I may be making this up but I am sure a lot of customers would argue which is a better spot.
I thought of this GREAT idea that the only way to know which is better is to order at both the place and try both of it the same day to see which taste better.
Result: we end up enjoying Modern better and the reason behind it is because the flavor at modern taste better. The cannoli itself was more crispy as well because you know why it stayed crispy… well they didn’t fill in the cannoli until you order it. for Mike’s…the major flaw is everything is already filled… and it can get soggy quick. I know ppl buy these pastry so quick and they fill it in when it gets low so they are just making sure they are stocking it up… and trying to get the line to go quicker, but I dislike when something that should have a crunch loses that crunch.
but yay to more varieties… they did have a lot to choose from.

There are quite a few Italian bakeries in the North End and they all have their own specialties. I think that for Mike’s, it’s got to be their insane canolis. I mean, how many different and amazingly awesome ways are there to put these tasty treats together?
I was going to have just one, but when I got to the counter and there were two amazing looking pistachio canolis on the tray, how could I say no? And then I was going to wait and eat them at the hotel but there was a wait for the T and then there was more waiting and before you knew it, my two pistachio canolis were gone like they’d been beamed into space.
Light and creamy and slightly sweet center, crunchy and delicious crusty shell plus the smooth taste of the crushed pistachios, it was amazing.
Yes, they do other flavors. Chocolate, hazelnut, at least a dozen others. But for me, it was pistachio.
Cash only.

I know Mikes Pastry is famous for their Cannoli and yes they are amazing!!!
But for every dough lover on this planet … The brownies are a must!!! I’m not joking … Best brownies I ever had!!!
My favorite is the pecan caramel one … First pastry in my life that I couldn’t finish in one try (chocolate overload!!!)

While walking The Freedom Trail, we decided to make a short deviation to Mike’s Pastry! This place was packed! There are display cases of pastries, but with a ton of people in the way, it’s a bit hard to see what’s in there! They do have pictures of the different types of cannolis high on the wall, however, so that was helpful! Service is fast and efficient considering how many people are packed into a small space. They even have a neat string contraption that hangs from the ceiling to make tying and packing boxes super fast!
I decided to try the Chocolate Covered Cannoli filled with rich ricotta-​cream filling. Both ends of the cannoli are dipped in chocolate, and the top is dusted with powder sugar. The size and richness was definitely too much for me to eat in one sitting, so I’m glad that I split it with someone! I also got the Pistachio Nut Macaroon – really yummy! I should’ve bought more!
Mike’s Pastry is located in a nice area to walk around, so pick up some pastries and enjoy the sights along the cobblestone streets.

So you can create your own cannoli! I was torn between the florentine and pecan caramel and well, usual me would have bought both but I have since learnt from my mistake at Levain bakery in NYC where I took home 4 GIANT cookies which at least will keep. Cannoli will not survive a flight and this would mean I would have to eat whatever I buy.
Have you seen these babies? They are ginormous.
Anyway I digress, so with a indecisive look on my face, the lovely girl behind the counter just commented, why don’t you get the Florentine she’ll and fill it with the pecan caramel ricotta filling? My face was one of wonderment and happiness. Best service! Amazing combo. Delicious. Happiness. Best suggestion. Ok now off to the famous lobster roll… Who says you have to have your meal before dessert…

Qu’on se le dise…
Être le spectateur de ce flow de touristes et de leur boîte «Mike’s Pasty» à chaque coin de rue de la ville de Boston est un signe avant coureur que vous aussi, vous allez céder aux pâtisseries de Mike.
Oui mais sachez-​le, les «cannoli» sont crémeuses, mais vraiment très crémeuses. A tel point que ça peut vite en devenir écoeurant.
Mais rassurez vous amis diabétique, le magasin vaut quand même le détour.
J’attire notamment votre attention sur toutes les bobines de fils qui surplombent le magasin et que les employés manient avec une facilité déconcertante.
Peut être même mieux que Peter Parker! Allez savoir…

O canoli é gigante ao ponto de você não dar conta. O lugar e simples mas você é super bem atendido. O local também não tem wi-​fi, o que conta contra. A dica é comprar e levar pra casa.

Conheci o Mike’s Pastry através da indicação de uma amiga. Já andando pela vizinhaça, notei diversas pessoas com a famosa caixa da doceria. No dia em que eu fui a fila não estava absurda, mas acredito realmente que seja usual ter que entrar na fila logo na porta do estabelecimento. No entanto, não se assuste com a fila, ela anda rápido. A doceria tem diversos tipos de doces, então a escolha fica difícil. O carro chefe do local são os cannolis. Eu pedi o de manteiga de amendoim e estava muito bom! Acredito que o local seja um grande catalizador de turistas. Numa próxima visita a Boston, eu com certeza voltaria ao Mike’s Pastry para experimentar um outro doce da casa. Para uma primeira visita a Boston ou caso você ainda não conheça, o Mike’s Pastry é uma boa opção.

Vimos una gran cola en la calle y decidimos entrar, no tenían ni nguna opinión de Trip Advisor en la puerta ni de ningún otro sitio, pero qué maravilla! Pedimos los cannolis típicos, de «ricotta» y de «yellow cream»…no tengo palabras, estaban buenísmos, no dejen de ir a Boston sin entrar en este sitio: «two thumbs up»!

Si vous êtes fan de canolli vous serez heureux. Mais attention à bien choisir votre parfum. Nous avons essayé le limoncello: parfait. Mais l’endroit est aussi un lieu d’innovation, adaptant le classique au goût américain. Le canolli florentine est horrible. Celui au peanut butter est vraiment délicieux.
J’ai aussi essayé un sfogliatelle: passez votre chemin. Une pâte épaisse, dure, une crème à la cannelle (!) à l’intérieur. Pas bon du tout.
Si vous commandez un café, vous serez déçus. Ça n’est pas ici que le bon café italien règne (plutôt le jus de chaussette américain).
Mais pour les canolli, ça vaut vraiment le coup. Et ça explique la queue devant le café, qui né s’arrête jamais mais qui est très vite servie.

Auf Anraten von Freunden bin ich bei meinem Boston-​Aufenthalt zu Mike’s Pastry, ohne wirklich zu wissen, was mich dort erwartet.
Der Laden ist nicht unbedingt groß, aber es gibt eine wirklich große Auswahl von italienischem Gebäck und allerlei Köstlichkeiten zu günstigen Preisen. Ich kann nicht alles bewerten obwohl es durch die Bank köstlich aussieht -, hatte mir nur ein Cannolo mit Schokostückchen geholt. Sehr gehaltvoll, was man auch nicht anders erwarten könnte, und absolut köstlich. Die Teigtasche war keineswegs fetttriefend und die leckere Ricotta-​Füllung cremig und ein purer Genuss. Wer also in Boston essen geht, was ja nicht unbedingt günstig ist, sollte vielleicht auf das Dessert verzichten und sich stattdessen hier was gönnen und dann am Hafen oder an einem anderen gemütlichen Plätzchen genießen.
Hier komme ich wieder hin!