Boston, aka Beantown, is home to one of the most enduring Little Italy's in the United States. The neighborhood is called the North End and it’s one of the city's most visited areas. It’s home to historic sites, like Paul Revere’s house, and dozens of restaurants, shops, old-school delis, coffee houses, and of course, pastry shops.
The North End is home to three pastry shops: Modern Pastry, Bova’s Bakery, and Mike’s Pastry. We have included Caffee Vittoria, which is more of a coffee shop, on the list as well because of the quality of the pastries it serves. Each of these establishments have existed for nearly 100 years. They often have lines around the block, especially on weekends, and some offer nationwide shipping to satisfy cravings hundreds of miles away – if this doesn’t make it obvious, these four businesses are the city’s best Italian pastry shops.
Here are the four Italian pastry shops to try on your next trip to Boston.
Modern Pastry
Modern Pastry is one of the North End’s oldest family-owned, intergenerational bakeries. Founded in 1930 by the Picariello family, the cash-only, no-frills bakery is located on Hanover Street, the neighborhood’s main street. It sells everything from multi-tiered cakes, torrone, and macaroons, to Italian butter cookies, cheesecakes, and cannoli. The bakery also has a small underground restaurant that serves brunch, pub-style food, and a variety of beers and cocktails. Modern Pastry has an additional location in Medford, MA.
Bova’s Bakery
(Photo Credit: Asia London Palomba)
Located on Salem Street, Bova’s Bakery is arguably the neighborhood’s most unique bakery for one reason – it’s open 24 hours a week, 7 days a week. While the bakery is bustling after dinner hours with clients looking for a sweet touch to their meal, it really comes alive past midnight. It’s a definitive favorite among late-night revelers looking to snack on something sweet or savory. The bakery, which opened in 1932, sells everything from fruit pies, sfogliatella, and pizzelle to homemade Italian bread, subs, and calzones.
Caffé Vittoria
Established in 1929, Caffé Vittoria, located on Hanover Street, claims to be Boston’s first Italian cafe. The charming cash-only cafe, which boasts an old-school coffee machine, prides itself on serving traditional Italian pastries like biscotti, ricotta pie, sfogliatella, gelato, and more. They are also known for their various coffees, which come iced or cold, and can be flavored with hazelnut, vanilla, caramel, and cherry syrups. While it's primarily known as a coffee shop, Caffé Vittoria also sells a selection of Italian liqueurs and signature cocktails, such as the “Caffé Vittoria,” coffee spiked with Kahlua, Brandy, and tiramisu liqueur.
Mike’s Pastry
Mike’s Pastry is arguably the most famous bakery in Boston. Founded in 1946 on Hanover Street by Michael Mercogliano, the family-run bakery is particularly known for its cannoli. At Mike’s, you can find any flavor stuffed into any kind of shell you want. There are limoncello, strawberry, Oreo, and Nutella ricotta fillings that can be piped into regular, chocolate-covered, or Florentine shells. The bakery has additional locations in other Massachusetts cities like Cambridge and Somerville.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura,The Christian Science Monitor and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.