Amidst the bustling and charming streets of the North End, you can hear whispers of how delicious the cannoli are there. But where exactly can they be found? Several tourist directories, and even a few locals, will direct you to Mike's Pastry Shop. A popular destination filled to the brim with cannoli in every flavor you can possibly imagine, Mike's is usually teeming with hungry tourists ready to try them all. However, a select few may also let you in on the secret of Maria's, a hole-in-the-wall pastry shop just down the road. Based on looks alone, they could not be more different. But each one makes a mean set of cannoli in its own right. So, which one truly wins? Read on to find out.
Walking into Mike's on a weekend evening is like walking into Macy's in New York's Harold Square during Christmas season. With treats of all kinds lining every shelf, and barely enough space to squeeze into the herd of visitors migrating towards the counter, Mike's can be both exciting and incredibly overwhelming. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy packs of tourists, waiting in line at Mike's was not my ideal scenario. But I held my breath in the name of good dessert and awaited my cannoli patiently. I resisted the unconventional flavors like peanut butter and caramel and went for the more traditional ricotta cheese filling. After finding a nice spot around Haymarket (and as far away from the crowds as I could get), I dug in. The cannoli was pretty large, but the ricotta did not have the sweetness or the freshness I had hoped for. The crust seemed a bit soggy, probably because the pastry had been sitting on the shelf for too long. Even worse, it didn't have the kind of crispy flakiness that cannoli should, and, after all the hype, I was heartily disappointed by the result. I headed to Maria's, searching for a more satisfying treat.
And, boy, did I find it. Before going to Maria's, a friend had told me, "There's just something about the vibe of this small Italian family happily chatting to each other as they squeeze fresh ricotta into your cannoli shell." She couldn't have been more correct. Without all the touristy buzz, the atmosphere of Maria's felt infinitely more spacious, despite being about only half the size of Mike's. Here, the options for cannoli are fewer, with only three fillings available - ricotta cheese, vanilla or chocolate cream. I ordered the ricotta and watched as they filled a fresh, crunchy shell with the cheese right in front of my eyes - yes! It was perfect. While smaller than the cannoli at Mike's, Maria's was also a dollar cheaper and a lot less of a headache to get my hands on, so I was perfectly happy. I could tell it was going to be good before even biting into it, and, thankfully, I was not disappointed in the slightest. The cheese was sweet, fresh and creamy, but the real superstar was the shell: perfectly crisp and flaky, with a light, buttery taste. All I could think about was going back for more. It was a clear win.
So what's the moral of the story for this week? Most of the time, being the most famous, busy or publicized eatery doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. But you already knew that right? If not, take the extra time to seek out the hidden gems - in my experience, they have never let me down.
Susie Church is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Susannah.Church@tufts.edu.
