My girlfriend and I stay in Bushwick/Williamsburg once or twice a month with friends because we love the area and being in the city.
I don't remember how the topic came up but long story short, we were trying to figure out who has the best cannoli in Brooklyn and surrounding areas (within maybe 30 min on the metro). The only ones we've ever had were Circo's and pretty much every place in Little Italy. Gino's is just incredible.
We're staying this weekend and we want to get a few different ones just for fun to declare the ultimate champion. Yea, we're weird. To save us time and money, I figured it'd be smarter to have some places in mind ahead of time. Final notes - being filled to order is a huge plus, ricotta-base only.
Bonus points if you also include who has the best sfogliatella. That's completely off-topic but it's my favorite pastry. (Might as well kill two birds with one stone if I'm going to these places anyway, right?)
Anyways, let's hear it and thanks in advance!
Prices are reasonable and the coffee is great too.
Listen to this man, he knows his cannolis.
Out of the way, but great cannolis.
Link - ( New Window )
Link - ( New Window )
Great place. I haven't been to Arthur Ave for a while, but I'm getting the itch.
Honestly I highly recommend the Little Italy (Arthur Avenue) section for a trip. The food is outstanding. Much better than Little Italy in Manhattan plus it is very close to the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens so you literally could do a day trip to one of the sites, then head over to Arthur Ave and select from a number of great restaurants and finish the evening at one of the cafe's.
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all for the answers -definitely made it easy for me I appreciate it! The only downside is now I'm drooling at work.
Honestly I highly recommend the Little Italy (Arthur Avenue) section for a trip. The food is outstanding. Much better than Little Italy in Manhattan plus it is very close to the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens so you literally could do a day trip to one of the sites, then head over to Arthur Ave and select from a number of great restaurants and finish the evening at one of the cafe's.
Your post definitely stuck out to me. I've heard from so many people that section of the Bronx is the real Little Italy. Not just in New York, but all of the U.S. I've been wanting to go there for a while so maybe this weekend is just the time to do it. Definitely gonna try to go there and huge thanks for the botanical gardens tip, my girlfriend loves that stuff.
The market in the Bronx is definitely worth a visit, especially if you couple it with some other sightseeing.
But if you are in Brooklyn, it's worth repeating - don't sleep on Villabate. The sfogliatelle there are almost as good as the cannolis.
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/06/18/ciao-bella-the-prettiest-pastries-this-side-of-palermo-are-sold-on-18th-avenue/ - ( New Window )
The market in the Bronx is definitely worth a visit, especially if you couple it with some other sightseeing.
But if you are in Brooklyn, it's worth repeating - don't sleep on Villabate. The sfogliatelle there are almost as good as the cannolis. https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/06/18/ciao-bella-the-prettiest-pastries-this-side-of-palermo-are-sold-on-18th-avenue/ - ( New Window )
Will 100% try to go there! While reading the article I saw "Emanuele launched Villabate in 1979 with his father Angelo." My name is Angelo, IT'S A SIGN....
Ferrara strikes gold with their biscotti. Perfect combination of crunchy and chewy.
The sad thing is, like a lot of NYC, the old school places are dying out. In part because of high rents, and also due to going second or third generation and either not having the family to keep the business going or the family not being interested. There was another great cannoli shop down in Bensonhurst that closed down a few years ago when the first generation decided they had enough and the second wanted no part of the business. Sadly they couldn't find anyone to take the operation over and away it went.
Villabate reminds me of a lot of those older places, the family is up and down in there, and to balance life a bit they shut the whole thing down for a vacation here and there.
The other cool, old school thing they do is the marzipan figurines. Didn't even know what these were until a Jersey co-worker asked me if I had ever heard of the place and I told him about my cannoli problem.
I have to hit up these old school joints before they're all gone and we're wall to wall Panera Bread and Panda Express.
https://www.vogue.com/article/art-of-sicilian-marzipan-endures-in-bensonhurst-at-easter - ( New Window )
There is no Little Italy downtown antmore, hasn't been for years. Very sad. My father was from that neighborhood and I spent alot of time there growing up and as a young adult. My Uncle worked at Taormina Ristorante for years. Now it's just a pathetic tourist trap. The only real store left is DiPalo's.