I have to say that people in the north eastern United States are lucky, in the sense that there is such a strong concentration of Italian and Sicilians, so you get a far more authentic version of Italian/Sicilian foods and dessert, like cannoli. Living in the south, it is hard to get something that really approximates what you would get in Italy or Sicily. I guess its a trade off, because in the South we have some of the best Latin American food.
Bova's is hands down the best. All their pastries and savory selections are the best. Also, fun fact, it's one of the very few places in Boston that's open 24/7
My family has been going to Bova’s my whole life! I have always told everyone it was so much better thanks Mike’s and Modern! Thanks for giving it the recognition it deserves!
Unfortunately I've never tried your pastry shop, I plan on hitting you folks up the next time I'm headed into Boston simply because you replied to your fans. That and I'm also a cannoli addict.
As a Floridian who can only get cannolis pre-packaged in Publix, I envy them SO MUCH. From just looking at the cannolis, my list is: 1. Bova’s 2. Modern 3. Mike’s
You found Bova's! Good job! I lived in Boston for over a decade and all the locals always told me that Bova's is where the good stuff is at--they know ;-) .....and! No tricky string on the box ;-)
Gotta love the enthusiasm and patriotic love for these dishes, many of which were invented in the cities they're being showcased in, being from Australia where no such innovation occurs it's amazing to watch
I’ve been to Boston twice, and thankfully on our 2nd trip, we were introduced to the decadent gloriousness of Bova’s and Mike’s Pastry. We had the most delicious Italian cookies of our entire lives at Bova’s, and, Mike’s Pastry truly had a magnificent Cannoli. We binged on so much food that weekend, we thought we were gonna die. Yes. It was worth it.
The production on this video was confusing. It was like they didn’t even get a permit to film at the first place. And the second place was just shot on cell phones. They didn’t even have the hosts mic’d so you could hear the whole bakery in the background. The last place is like a totally different video.
You have not done enough resech if you had you wold know the top 3 is Mikes, Modern, MARIA'S (bova's sometimes comes up). Maria's is by far the best, it's small, family run, and doesnt bother with the theatrics. watch it happen, always fresh, always good.
Maybe in your opinion, but they seemed to have put a lot of extensive research into this video. Maybe they found that Bova's is just more popular than Maria's. Maybe where you live Maria's is a hit but I think they were looking at the overall. :)
Maria closed her shop in 2019 when she retired. Her baking was better than Nova's!! She had authentic Italian pastries and cookies that were not available in other shops.
We tried Mike’s, Modern Pastry, and Maria’s. Like Bova’s, Maria’s is not on Hanover, but very close by. We tried a basic plain ricotta-filled one at Maria’s, a hazelnut filled in chocolate-dipped shell from Mike’s and pistachio dipped from Modern. All were delicious, but the plain one from Maria’s was the best for several reasons. #1: A manageable size. #2: Not too sweet. 3: Lowest price. 4. Most honest interpretation of a cannoli. If we could do it again, we would try the traditional one at each bakery for a true comparison of the combination of filling and shell. Sometimes simplest is best.
Personally I'm a 'wholly cannoli' girl. They are about half hour out of Boston in Worcester Massachusetts. I love the regular the pistachio and the turtle flavors. The cheesecakes cakes and cookies are to-die-for as well and the pizza is pretty incredible too!
8 year North End resident here: Before they closed, Maria's Pastry had the best cannoli in Boston. They closed in September 2019 so you guys should have gone when you filmed this.
Yes! I am from outside of Boston and made trips there each year to buy Maria's delicious treats! Her ricotta pie had been voted Best of Boston. There were several Italian items where Maria was the only one who made them in Boston. I miss her! 😿
When my parents first got married they spent some of their honeymoon in Boston. They went to Bovas almost every day while they were in Boston. Also, as DELICIOUS as the cannolis are (and they ABSOLUTELY are!) the chocolate bomb is the best thing sold there. I get it EVERY time I go! ❤️
As a native New Yorker from bensonhurst Brooklyn who has family in Brookline MA yet Boston ABSOLUTELY 💯 has the best cannolis also my favorite restaurant in the 🌎 union oyster house
Bovas hands down has everyone beat for bread and cookies. And with the more authentic feeling, feels like Italy/Italian bakery vibes. Mikes does have a really good Lobster Tail along with Modern respectably.
i just tried both Mike's Pastry and Bova's Cannoli , definitely Bova's Cannoli is best of best , too bad they don't have business like Mike's do which always have long line customs
It's been a while since my last visit to the North End. Locals take these places for granted. Weather permitting, I'm going to mask up and head to Salem St this weeend.
Modern and Bova's co-exist in my heart. Modern has the atmosphere and sheer variety of pastries. Sometimes you want to deck out a cannoli, you want a lobster tail, lady fingers, biscotti, tiramisu, or even order a custom cake. Modern has all of them. But if I want the best cannoli and also some food like an amazing sandwich or an arancini, I go to Bova's. Also, Bova's is open 24/7.
Went to BOVA'S last night, and OMG that Cannoli was amazing. The other ones are more known but not as good. So happy I went to Bova's for the Cannoli! Also Bova's is open 24/7!
I would go to bovas forsure over the rest of them but they all look good. They should do like a mini version, some of those look so big and maybe too sweet for me just sayyyyin!
Canollies are piped fresh cause you cannot keep them overnight. They crust however can be fried and stored in freezers to maintain quality. Also most shops start operation hours before opening, they also must be operating in shifts so things can be done on time and with quality.
You should have gone to Maria's. Mike's and Modern are for the tourists. Maria's is a legit Italian bakery. You can walk into Maria's and order in Italian. (They are from Campania.)
Bova's goes on the to-do list next time I'm in Beantown! (have had Modern and Mike's and I think they're about the same with Modern just a hair above... and less of a long line)
Okayyy I'm gonna give you guys a little inside scoop. RIGHT next to mikes pastry is cafe dello sport. They have some of the best classic CANNOLIS. You skip the lines the prices are right and its wonderful.
Rap This: Holy cannoli, its ravioli, with a side of roleys, served by a fony, to make an icecream coney, Eaten by someone cozy, And then you see Tony, You say hi to him cuz he's lonely And he’s looking a bit boney I dont know what else rhymes comment stuff that rhymes so I can add to this
I’ve only ever been to Mike’s becuase when our friends from canada came over, we were wandering around boston and my dad suggested we go to Mike’s, so we did. It was super fun. We walked around a lot of places. I miss them. I hope we can see them when the damn border opens back up.
This is old footage. It's not snowing at all where I'm located. Mike's pastry in the north end is good, but smaller shops usually have better canolis. There's a shop in the North End called Maria's pastry shop that serves good pastries and canolis.
