Thanks to the flocks of Italian immigrants that came to New York City in the 20th century, the city is awash with pasticcerias where tourists and natives alike can sample all sorts of pastries. But no Italian confection is as famed as this cream-filled creation, which had its own holiday on Thursday, June 16.
We've rounded up a few classic spots where you can get them, as well as a few bakeries that are doing fresh takes on the common cannoli we know and love.
►Caffe Napoli, 191 Hester St., Little Italy
This cafe offers the traditional cannoli, as well as the chocolate shell cannoli with vanilla stuffing on one side and chocolate stuffing on the other side. They have a few other variations that may tempt you to skip dinner altogether and just go for an all-dessert meal.
► Caffe Palermo, 148 Mulberry St., Little Italy
This cafe will be extending cannoli appreciation throughout the weekend, with their own "Cannoli King" "Baby John" DeLutro, who will be serving up his original recipe cannoli in addition to chocolate, peanut butter and amaretto cream flavors.
►Bucca di Bepo, 1540 Broadway, Times Square
This Italian chain restaurant offers two kinds of a cannoli. There's a traditional chocolate chip version that comes with a drizzling of chocolate sauce. And then there's the savory take. Try their bucannoli: meatballs and rosa sauce stuffed into their bucannoli shell, which is more bread-like than the traditional cannoli shell.
► Stuffed Artisan Cannoli, online only until September
If you'd like to stock up on artisanal cannolis so that every day for the next week can be your own personal Cannoli Day, check out Stuffed Artisan Cannoli. They offer an arsenal of seasonal flavors like pumpkin pie in the fall, and peaches and cream in the summer. There are also several alcohol-infused stuffing creams like salted margarita, Creamsicle, limoncello, mimosa, rum raisin and spiked banana split. While the business does do a pop-up shop in September at San Gennaro Feast, you can order online throughout the summer season. The minimum order is five dozen (at $20 per dozen) and you can order a day or two in advance. Delivery is available throughout New York and New Jersey.
If you'd prefer the original recipes, give these longstanding establishments a go:
► Veniero's, 342 11th St., East Village
Veniero's has been in NYC since 1894 and continues to offer fresh traditional cannolis for purists who enjoy well-established pasticcerias. They also have cannoli kits so that you can take the deliciousness with you and fill the cannolis right when you're ready to devour them.
► Madonia Brother's Bakery, 2348 Arthur Ave., Belmont
Though Little Italy may be well known among Manhattanites and tourists, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx offers some great cannolis, too. Madonia's is just one of them and instead of pre-stuffing their shells and putting them on display, they fill them when they are sold.
