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Mike’s Pastry

October 27, 2009 by Jennifer Che 21 Comments

Cannolis

As I have mentioned time and time again, I love going to the North End in Boston. If we are hosting visitors from out of town, inevitably we will take them to the North End.  For example, this past weekend, we took the in-laws, who were visiting from California, to Prezza and Mamma Maria (on separate days!!) to try some of the best Italian food in the North End.

Of course, we never order dessert when we dine in the North End.

If you have ever been to the North End, you know there are three places that will have a HUGE line in front, without fail.  Pizzeria Regina’s, Giacomo’s, and Mike’s Pastry.

MIke's Pastry

This Italian bakery, situated right in the heart of the North End on Hanover Street, is definitely the most well known pastry shop in the North End.  They are especially known for their cannolis, a deep fried pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta cheese.

They also make a wide variety of Italian cookies, pies, cakes, and gorgeous marzipan.

It is always super crowded, and often there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the line.  Well, from what I can gather, there really is no exact system.  There are several people working the counter, so technically there should be several lines.  However, sometimes it just looks like a big crowd inside with one long line snaking out the door.  Many in line are tourists, and thus have no idea what is going on.

Mike's Pastry

The best thing to do is to find the shortest “line” if you can find one.  If it’s really hard to figure out what’s going on, just keep walking in (if there’s room inside), and find your way up to the counter so you can order.  The “line” (mob) moves pretty quickly.  Anyway, you may be so overwhelmed by all the choices that you might just prefer that the line take a little while so you can figure out what you want to order.  🙂

I always get a few cannolis – my favorite is the plain one, although I agree with Bryan that the chocolate covered ones keep a bit longer.  The cannolis get soggy within a few days, so it’s best to eat them as soon as possible.  Nothing beats a fresh cannoli with a crunchy exterior and a beautiful creamy center. Yum.

Mike's Pastry

I also like getting the ricotta pie, which has a filling that resembles that of the cannoli, but less creamy and less sweet.  Really nice in a different sort of way.

It’s an age old debate whether Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry (just down the street on Hanover) makes better cannolis.  Modern pastry fills their cannolis on the spot, whereas Mike’s Pastry pre-fills them.  This supposedly means that the ones at Modern are more fresh.

I’ve had cannolis from both places (although not side by side), and I like them both.  I don’t think I have ever noticed Mike’s cannolis being any less “fresh,” but then I do devour the cannoli soon after purchasing, so they taste pretty fresh to me.  Some say that the cannolis at Mike’s tend to be sweeter, with a filling that’s denser, smoother, and creamier compared to the more textured, less sweet filling from Modern’s cannolis.

Ricotta Pie

From personal experience, I have found that the cannolis from Mike’s Pastry keep longer.  The shells seem to stay relatively crunchy for at least one whole day (overnight), whereas the Modern Pastry cannolis get soggy in less than 24 hours.  This could be because the Modern shells are smaller, lighter, and more delicate than the heftier, cookie-like shells from Mike’s.

Both are delicious, and I think you can’t go wrong going to either one.  In fact, you really can’t go wrong just by visiting the North End while you are in Boston.  It’s such a vibrant neighborhood, the food is fantastic, and the cannolis are unbeatable.

Mike’s Pastry
The North End
300 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113
Mike's Pastry on Urbanspoon

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Boston, Dessert, Italian, North End Tagged With: Italian, Restaurant

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Comments

  1. Lindsey says

    October 27, 2009 at 10:24 am

    I loved this place when I visited Boston! People were lined up out the door and down the sidewalk! Cannolis are by far my favorite Italian treat 🙂 Thanks for this post!

    Reply
  2. Z Farls says

    October 27, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Maybe the coolest thing about my Dad is he gets Free Mikes Pastries. Very underated and he brings them home alot because he works close.

    Im a chocolate mocha guy and or a canoli here and there. I like how you left room for Modern which is very solid and often less crowded. We got a few other places for whoopie pies and such but anything in that area is mostly GOLD! good post

    Reply
  3. Hungry Dog says

    October 27, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    Somehow, I’ve gone through my life without eating a single cannoli! And now I really want to go to Boston to try Mike’s! They really look incredible.

    Reply
  4. Penny says

    October 27, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    I’m going to vote for Modern but I also like Maria’s I’m hoping to do a taste off. Send three friends off to each of the bakeries and meet at a table in the park to taste test the cannolis as they were handed off by the bakeries.

    Reply
  5. Joyful Melody says

    October 27, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    I lived in Boston for seven years, and have been down here in GA for 2 years. I have to say, good cannoli is hard to find down here. It has me tempted to try my hand at making my own…Reading this has me practically drooling, though. I miss the North End, and I miss Mike’s!

    Reply
  6. Katy says

    October 27, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    I check foodgawker obsessively and I was so excited to see your post! I live in Boston and am a student at Berklee and I must say that Mike’s is one of the best things I’ve discovered on the East Coast! I love it!

    Reply
  7. alecho says

    October 27, 2009 at 10:38 pm

    OOoooh! I remember this place!!! I went there several times when i was living in Boston. Good old days!!

    Reply
  8. NMOS says

    October 28, 2009 at 12:25 am

    Those desserts look crazy good. My favorite cannoli so far is the one stuffed with pistachios. One of my coworkers just recently made some fresh cannolis using marscapone cheese and whipped cream. Delicious.

    Reply
  9. Pam says

    October 28, 2009 at 7:55 am

    OMG…your post looks so good and AMAZING!

    Enjoy!

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    October 28, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    modern pasty is where its at. mikes is a tourist place and completely overrated

    Reply
  11. Spryte says

    October 28, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    I LOVE Mike’s Pastry!!! But I live in Pittsburgh now. =(

    Reply
  12. Lindsey@pickyeatings says

    October 29, 2009 at 9:22 am

    I love Mike’s. Back when we were first dating, my husband and I would walk up to the North End, grab some cannolis, and then sit down in the Fanueil Hall area to eat them. And we too take every out of towner there when they come visit.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    October 29, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    Sorry, Modern is where it’s at. Less sweet and not pre filled. Never buy a prefilled canoli, eat promptly and do not refrigerate. That goes for sfogliatelle too: buy at Modern and not refrigerated–trust me- I’ve always followed these rules–and I’m 83!

    Reply
  14. Sonya says

    October 30, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    I have fond memories of the North End too. Sadly, due to the weather, I had to move away. Mamma Maria’s was our fave place too! I once got a big box of goodies from Mike’s Pastry, one of each of their desserts. On the same street there was a place that sold whole ricotta pies. Oh my goodness they were sinfully good. Sigh.

    Reply
  15. Sonya says

    October 30, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    I have fond memories of the North End too. Sadly, due to the weather, I had to move away. Mamma Maria’s was our fave place too! I once got a big box of goodies from Mike’s Pastry, one of each of their desserts. On the same street there was a place that sold whole ricotta pies. Oh my goodness they were sinfully good. Sigh.

    Reply
  16. Sonya says

    October 30, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    I have fond memories of the North End too. Sadly, due to the weather, I had to move away. Mamma Maria’s was our fave place too! I once got a big box of goodies from Mike’s Pastry, one of each of their desserts. On the same street there was a place that sold whole ricotta pies. Oh my goodness they were sinfully good. Sigh.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    November 27, 2009 at 8:53 pm

    Mike’s pastry is just for keeping tourists out of Maria’s and Modern.

    Reply
  18. Ingrid says

    March 25, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    Have you tried Maria’s? I personally prefer their crust and Modern’s ricotta filling over Mike’s. The only good one that I enjoyed at Mike’s was their Florentine cannolo.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Che says

      March 26, 2015 at 11:05 am

      Thanks for the rec! I’ve heard so much about Maria’s that I really need to try it. I think it’s often closed when I get there, which is why it’s been harder to get for me!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Boston: Mike’s Pastry (Harvard Square) | Insomnia Food says:
    April 2, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    […] cannoli, go to its store at Harvard Square. Don’t go to the one at North End. (Here is a blog I found about the North End Mike’s Pastry if anyone is interested.) I promise, you will have […]

    Reply
  2. Granny Meets Mike 當啊婆遇上馬克的西西里島甜品:卡諾里 – GRANNY EATS says:
    May 2, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    […] cannoli, go to its store at Harvard Square. Don’t go to the one at North End. (Here is a blog I found about the North End Mike’s Pastry if anyone is interested.) I promise, you will have […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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