If you go to Boston, don’t be a fool. Make sure you go to Mike’s Pastry up in Little Italy at the North End of Boston.
This bakery literally DEFINES the neighborhood. Local Bostonians know all about this family-owned Italian bakery so you won’t get lost looking for it. If you don’t live in Boston, you can buy their amazing pastries online too!
Walk in to the store and you’re greeted by display cases FULL of colorful marzipan and shelves full of biscotti!
Mike’s specialties include: Traditional Italian pastries (cannoli’s!), Biscotti, Cakes, Cookies, Torrone’s, Gelati, Marzipan, Cookies, you name it! Here’s a preview of JUST a few of the cookies available:
| Raspberry Macaroons |
| Apricot Macaroons |
| Green Cherry Macaroons |
| Plain Cherry Macaroons |
| Green Nut Macaroons |
| Red Nut Macaroons |
| Assorted Petit-fours |
| Chocolate Rainbow |
| Raspberry Linzer |
| Pistachio Butter Cookie |
| Pink Dipped Butter Cookie |
| Green Dipped Butter Cookie |
| White Dipped Butter Cookie |
| Yellow Dipped Butter Cookie |
| White Chocolate Florentine |
| Cinnamon Crumb Cookie |
| Amaretto Cookie |
| Peanutbutter Tartlet |
| Pistachio Nut Macaroon |
| Golden Venezia Fingers |
| Chocolate Chip Cookie |
| Chocolate Florentine |
You get the idea! Check out the shelves of goodies.
Every single pastry is made fresh on the Mike’s Pastry premises, they even hand select everything from fruits, to sugar, to the cinnamon sticks. Now, time to tempt your taste buds.
Chocolate Covered Ricotta Stuffed Cannoli $3.50 apiece
My description: A freshly fried cannoli shell is coated in dark chocolate, then stuffed with whipped sweet ricotta cheese and its sides dipped in semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.
Tastiness: A. I have never been a huge fan of cheese in my desserts and I was almost afraid the shell would be soggy or greasy, but holy moly this is the best cannoli I have ever tasted. The ricotta was fluffy and lightly sweet, while the shell was firm, crunchy, and (as crazy as this sounds) – refreshing! The chocolate coating was thick and indulgent, not too bitter, yet not too sweet, and complimented the cold creamy cheese as if they were an old married couple.
Words cannot describe how indulgent this dessert tasted, but the richness became a little overwhelming after a while. I think it’s perfect for sharing. After sharing this one, Nick went back to buy himself another one.
I brought home a box of treats just for me…and finished it within 4 hours of purchase with dinner stuffed in somewhere in between those hours.
Let’s start from the middle…
Plain Almond Biscotti
Also comes in dark almond nut biscotti, chocolate-dipped, and plain anise flavored biscotti. I got the plain because original flavors tell you leaps and bounds about the quality of ingredients.
Tastiness: A. I’m not biased, I swear. Not everything at Mike’s was amazing (see below), but this almond biscotti was incredible. You can literally smell the freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon in this cookie from several feet away. It’s not the best looking biscotti I’ve seen, but it was stuffed with whole roasted almonds and it was so crunchy you definitely need a hot chocolate or coffee for this dunker. Next time, I’m going for a dark almond nut biscotti, but this was amazing.
Chocolate Covered Crucanti Macaroons
My description: A crunchy cookie composed of layers upon layers of sliced almonds held together by a sticky sweet almond paste and dipped in dark chocolate, then sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Tastiness: A (+)? Life changing is all I can say. The dark chocolate coating was a perfect match to the crunchy outer layer of the cookie, yet if you eat from the bottom, there was a soft “give” to it from the almond paste. The layers of almond were densely packed and ultra fun to eat if you like pulling apart your food bit-by-bit to see what it’s made of. My only complaint is that the sticky almond paste was definitely a little bit too sweet. I had intended to eat half and save the other half for the next day, but once I started…I devoured it ALL.
Vanilla Florentine (Cookie)
My description: Two freshly baked Florentine cookies sandwiching a thick creamy layer of vanilla (the left-most pastry)
Tastiness: B-. The Florentine was FAR too sickly sweet and was so crunchy it was hard to enjoy the actual flavors of the Florentine itself. Additionally, the vanilla coating didn’t add anything to the overall flavor profile of the cookie…I had to force myself to finish it because it was just way too sweet. I feel my teeth begging for mercy.
***
RATINGS:
Taste: 4.5/5 (The Florentine killed the experience, but I want to go back for other pastries!!)
Originality: 5/5 (Classic Italian, a spin on the classic, American, a spin on American, oh my gosh…they have everything you may want…at least upon the 1st visit)
Plating: N/A
Value: 5/5 (Well worth every dime)
Service: 4/5 (Despite the jam-packed store, Mike’s staff does a great job of getting to their customers as quickly and as politely as possible!)
Overall – If I lived in Boston, I’d be feeding on Mike’s and…be 400 pounds. Don’t spend your money at the Quincy market bakeries – those pastries are smaller, more expensive, not as fresh, and probably not as delicious as what you’ll find at Mike’s.
And click here if you’re a Yelper.
Or Click here if you’d like to order yourself some Cannoli’s!
To be quite honest, I’m an Italian Bostonian who’s a little let down by Mike’s pastry. It just seems so overrated to me and I don’t know why. And I hate that, if you don’t specially ask for the ricotta creme, they’ve been known to slip in some fake pudding stuff.
That Chocolate Cannoli looks AMAZING. I’m no where near Boston, unfortunately
.
Oh, cannolis are a tricky thing. On the one hand, if the shell has been sitting for longer than a day or the cream cheese-y filling is the wrong level of sweetness, they’re a total bust. But when they’re right, they’re RIGHT. Definitely agree that they are something better off shared, though!
http://brunettewalksintoabar.wordpress.com
I agree with Evan! Go down the street to Modern Pastry. They fill the cannaolis fresh for you and they are so much better! My friends used to live in the North End and we would ALWAYS go there!
omg are those french macaroons in the display case?!
My sister used to live in Rhode Island and I think they went to Boston JUST for Mike’s Cannolis?! I had my first (and only) Cannoli in Boston and I don’t think any other ones will compare!
wooo!!! amazing place!!!! those marzipan are sooo cute!
Michelle – those cannoli’s look amazing! I am not a huge fan, but my husband and daughter would go nuts in a place like that.
If ever we go to Boston, that would be one of our stops!
Oh you are so lucky! I have been to boston and obviously I am a “fool” . I didn’t know there is such an amazing place that I would die for….. I love that Chocolate Covered Ricotta Stuffed Cannoli , and kinda thinking of how to make them myself!!
Wow that all looks amazing, Michelle! Allergen city for me, but i can appreciate foodgasm, no doubt.
thx for telling me my old commmenting system would glitch up on you…well, I had to get Emily the Blog Fairy involved due to some drama, but i think we’re all good….just 17 panic attacks later
Everything looks AMAZING, yum!! Especially the macaroons.
This post is killing me! It all looks so good!!
Omg those desserts look AMAZING!! I would love to try that cannoli.. now I need to get to Boston to try them!
hooooly yum!!!!!!!!
Everything looks delicious!!! I LOVE canolli. But you are right–it’s so rich!!
<3 jess
xoxo
HOLY CRAP i’m seriously insanely glad that this is not anywhere near me. these baked goods are like the ultra ultra uuuuuuuuuultra temptation in my book and i would be there at 5am when they open (if they even open that early)
Ahh, I love Mike’s! I used to go when I’d visit Harrison during college. One time, we got cannolis and ate them for breakfast. Okay, we tried, but they were too intense.
Mike’s is insane! Actually, I’ve never had my own pastry from there. I’ve just had a bite of someone else’s pastry, but never my own. I guess I’m not the biggest Italian pastry fan. And, I hate lines! You should see that place in the summer! But, I would eat a bowl of pasta from the North End any day of the week. Are you liking Boston?
Um hello biscotti?!! hehe it looks yummy! I have not made it to Boston in my life yet.. but now that I’m on the East Coast I hope to. Reminds me though.. a friend and I are going to NYC this weekend and she is hoping to find some cannolis in little Italy. This post got me excited! Love the blog!
If you end up going back, I have to make a pitch for my favorite… don’t know the name but it involves, be still my beating heart, marzipan; apricot jam; and crumbled pistachios. No words!
Oh my goodness–this would be right up my full-blooded Italian alley! haha. I am going to be in Boston in a month, so I will add this to my list of to-do’s! You always share such great restaurants–love it!
I’ve never been to Mike’s [hanging my head in shame] even though I live in Boston! Those photos of the pastries sure have me craving a cannoli right about now…
HAHA omg mich you were literally steps away from my apt!! I live on the same st that mike’s is on! I can’t believe u might move here, congratssss on getting into tufts, so amazing!!! PLZ keep me updated
xo