The 20 Best Spots To Grab A Cannoli In NYC

Don't write Italy off as just pasta, pizza, and good coffee. The Mediterranean island has a long history as a food-lovers destination, but those pursuing "la dolce vita" shouldn't overlook all the luxurious desserts on offer. Think tiramisu, biscotti, and of course, cannoli. Cannoli, delectable Sicilian treats, are crisp-fried pastry tubes filled with sweet, creamy ricotta. The BBC writes that cannoli have an ancient and surprisingly risqué history. One story suggests that the phallic shape was specifically created (by nuns, no less) to celebrate fertility. Some convents in Scilly still produce cannoli, bringing credibility to this theory.

Outside of Italy, perhaps one of the best places to sample cannoli is NYC, where over 2.6 million Italian-Americans have made their home. Immigrants helped to shape the city and its food culture, with the first wave of Italian immigrants arriving in the 1840s, while a further four million arrived between 1880 – 1920. From the struggle of those early years, food legends were born. Countless bakeries and restaurants from Little Italy in Manhattan to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx have brought a slice of sunny Italy to the bustling streets of NYC, along with the wafting scent of sweet cannoli.

Cerasella may have only opened in 2020, but the husband and wife team that runs the caffetteria (coffee shop) has already begun to make a name for themselves in the neighborhood. The caffetteria has two locations: One is in Long Island, a quaint and cozy affair; the other is in Astoria, which operates as pickup only. According to reviews, the desserts are lovingly and traditionally packed to take home in a guantiera (a half-Neopolitan, half-Italian term for a tray covered in a wrap, per Vesuvio Live), just like you'd find in Italy.

That's not the only thing the caffetteria does authentically. Culinary Backstreets quotes Caterina, the co-owner, saying that over 80% of their produce is imported from Italy. The offerings are simple — crunchy pastry shells filled with the traditional sheep's milk ricotta — but the cannoli are filled on the spot to guarantee freshness.

Artuso Pastry Shop is a true example of an immigrant success story. It all began in 1930 when an 11-year-old Vincent Artuso Sr. left sunny Reggio di Calabria for NYC. Vincent started work as a dishwasher, slowly working his way up the ranks before transitioning to a pastry chef. After service in World War II, he returned to NYC and decided to follow his passion for pastry, purchasing the shop where it all began. Since that day in 1946, the shop has tripled in size, and the adjacent street was officially renamed Vincent F Artuso Sr. Way in recognition of his contribution to the Bronx.

The family continues to run the business, accumulating honors such as an excellent rating for nine years straight in the Zagat Survey, Inc. Magazine's Inner City 100 award and an induction into the Westchester County Hall of Fame for Family Business Success. In addition to cannoli flats, cannoli layer cake, and cannoli tart, Artuso's also has a factory that produces cannoli for stores such as Whole Foods Market (via Inc. Magazine).

Owner and Founder of Gianpiero Bakery, Michael Della Polla, started making a living in 1978 by working across bakeries in NYC. During this time, Michael noticed that many bakeries used extra sugar and preservatives in their baked goods, which was far from how he remembered his mother's baking back in Italy. With this in mind and wanting to emulate the Italian baking he fondly remembered, he founded Gianpiero alongside his wife, Anna Della Polla, in 1995. Today, the Astoria-based bakery prides itself on baking fresh bread and pastries from scratch with all-natural ingredients.

Reviewers consistently highlight the cannoli; Gianpiero serves chocolate cannoli and classic cannoli, both crisp and filled with fresh, creamy ricotta studded with tiny chocolate chips or fresh cherries. They're everything they should be and more.

If you thought that all the best Italian bakeries in the Bronx are situated along Arthur Avenue, think again. The family-owned Zeppieri & Sons Italian Bakery in Pelham Bay has been winning over locals for over half a century. Carmine Zeppieri was the patriarch of the family who spearheaded the operation. In 1968, he began working as a bread maker, and now, years later, Zeppieri & Sons is a fully-fledged Italian bakery that provides all the sweet treats you could imagine.

The white chocolate cannoli with chocolate cannoli cream is a stand-out, but also be sure to keep an eye out for delicately shaped marzipan cannoli, available on special occasions. Zeppieri and Sons are open every day of the year (including Christmas and New Year), 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

Are you looking for an affordable restaurant that's recognized by the prestigious Michelin Guide? You've found it. Norma, a Sicilian restaurant showcasing simple home cooking, was opened by Executive Chef Salvatore Fraterrigo in 2016. Since then, it's expanded to a second location in Hell's Kitchen. The success, says Fraterrigo, is rooted in his passion for food inherited from his mother and grandmother. A self-taught chef with years of experience working in Italian restaurants across Manhattan, Fraterrigo feels that the traditional Sicilian dishes served at Norma make him "proud to represent my land," according to La Voce di New York.

Norma features a small cannoli stuffed with sheep milk ricotta and covered in pistachio on their dessert menu, which we highly recommend. Sheep's milk ricotta, the traditional ingredient in Sicilian cannoli, is rare even within Italian bakeries and shows that Norma knows what it's doing.

Gino's Pastry Shop has been a popular spot in the Bronx for over 60 years, and the bakery's cannoli are famous all over the tri-state area. Most notably, the shop's owner Jerome earned the nickname "The Cannoli King" after Gino's Pastry Shop appeared in actor Chazz Palminteri's autobiographical musical and film, "The Bronx Tale." According to New York Post, it's Palminteri's favorite place for dessert. "You never tasted a cannoli and cappuccino like this," he said.

Jerome is known for his community spirit, too. Edible Bronx writes that he petitioned to restore funding for the Bronx Zoo through cannoli. Per the article, Jerome still uses the same recipes his father and namesake, Gino Raguso, lovingly wrote over 60 years ago. We recommend you sample a classic cannoli or cannoli donut over a cappuccino, just like Palminteri.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of lavish pastries on display behind the counter of the Fortunato Brothers in Brooklyn. Founded by three entrepreneurial brothers in 1976, the bakery has since become a landmark of Williamsburg. You'll find classic cannoli displayed alongside half-and-half white and dark chocolate cannoli. Next, pistachio chocolate cannoli encrusted with nuts, filled with pistachio cream, and drizzled with chocolate. Finally, Fortunato Brothers offer the ultimate luxury, a chocolate pastry shell encrusted with sweet hazelnuts, filled with rich cream, and topped with fresh strawberries. We recommend sampling one of each flavor...for science, of course. Oh, and did we mention the Nutella cannoli shots? The innovation and passion for their craft put this family business on the map.

17-year-old Rocco Generoso Sr. was one of many Italian migrants that arrived in NYC in the 1950s. Seeking a new life, he set down his roots and found work as a dishwasher at a local business known as Zema's Bakery. Joe Zema, the owner of the time, took Rocco under his wing and taught him all there was to know about baking until years later, in 1974, Rocco bought the bakery that he had grown to call home. Pasticceria Rocco is now run by his children and has two locations: Brooklyn and Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

The shop features chocolate-covered cannoli dripping with chocolate chips, classic pistachio studded cannoli, miniature versions of each, and cannoli cake. The cannoli is no disappointment — crunchy shells and fresh ricotta.

Egidio Pastry Shop is a historic landmark; it claims to be the oldest pastry shop in the Italian hotspot of Arthur Avenue, dating back to 1912. Don Pasquale Egidio, the shop's namesake, came to NYC in 1909 along with the first wave of Italian immigrants and set up the pastry shop short after. It's no longer a family business, but the current owner says that she maintains Egidio's original recipes, which are over 100 years old.

While everyone agrees that you can't visit the Bronx without a cannoli from Egidio's, one artist became so inspired after a visit to the bakery that she painted the scene, later featured on the cover of The New Yorker. We recommend trying one of each miniature variety — the white chocolate-coated shell is quite delicious.

This classic haunt in Little Italy (not to be confused with Ferrara's) is a popular spot with locals and tourists alike. La Bella Ferrara was established in 1970 by Sicilian-born Frank and Nick Angileri, right in the heart of Little Italy on Mulberry street. One of the current owners, Joseph Sferrazza, says things have changed a little since those times. Talking to The Wall Street Journal, he said, "You have to evolve, or you die," referencing that La Bella Ferrara doesn't just serve classic and chocolate cannoli. The bakery has expanded its selection and now offers a mouth-watering variety of red velvet cannoli, chocolate-peanut butter cannoli, and mint cannoli, among others.

The bakery has even started a cannoli bar at the Time Out Market that offers nine flavors of mini cannolis, including tiramisu and chocolate mousse, per Time Out.