We’ve scoured Montreal trattorias, coffee shops, pastry shops and even grocery stores to scope out the best cannoli in Montreal. Hey, when you’re obsessed, you’re obsessed! Our criteria: thin, crispy fried shell with a distinct crackle and nice bubbling, stuffed with smooth, vanilla-kissed ricotta and cream filling that holds its shape without being stiff. Are you with us?
Try to ignore the beguiling rows of cakes and pots of homemade spumoni in the fridge and freezers and make your way to the back of this Little Italy pastry shop, where next to the bomboloni, babas, sfogliatelle and fruit tarts live trays full of cannoli shells. They’re filled upon demand so you can be guaranteed crispy crunchiness, and the filling, enhanced with a whisper of cinnamon and flecked with teenie-tiny chocolate chips, is an airy, fluffy dream.
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Where to Find the Best Zeppole Di San Giuseppe in Montreal
A spinoff of the Little Italy original, which was sold in the 1980s to the Caldarone family, this Saint-Leonard business owned by Giuseppina Alati and her husband Henri Padulo has nearly 40 years under its belt serving stellar cannolis. The difference with Alati-Caserta’s is a slightly thicker shell, for more of a crunch than a crackle: the key is to keep them out of the fridge so they never have a chance to soften in the humidity. They’re filled on-demand for ultimate freshness, even if you order two dozen (which you should).
Whether you order cannoli as dessert after a wine-fuelled feast at Pizzeria Bottega two doors down or as a snack at this more casual caffe, the Covone family know how to source a mean cannolo. With a crackling shell without any overly fried flavour, the filling is enhanced with a touch of orange zest, the perfect foil to small dark chocolate chips. They’re so good they’re worth saving some room for after that killer cacciocavalo pizza.
The beautifully bubbly shells of the cannoli at this homey Saint-Michel bakery explain why some claim they’re the best in town. The traditional vanilla gets points for lovely fluffy filling, but so do the pistachio ones; it’s hard not to go off-piste and try those too. While you’re there, order a sandwich to-go, treat yourself to some sugar-dusted zeppole (if you’re in season), and add some cannoncini to your order: they’re similar to cannoli but smaller and made with puff pastry. Addictive.
This impressive bakery on Jean-Talon displays its fondant work and decoration skills on the daily, having serviced the community with everything from wedding to birthday to baptism cakes since 1979. Alongside their more highly polished work, though, there are a few casual classics that are worth the detour, including their traditional Sicilian cannoli. The dough is slightly thicker than the average, giving it more of a crack than a crumble, an effect achieved by mixing masala wine in the dough. It also gives them a toasty flavour we crave again and again.
From super-stuffed mortadella sandwiches to pistachio-cream filled croissants to giandudja-filled bomboloni to yummy caffe latte, there are so many reasons to go to Coca d’Oro. And the cannoli are one too. The straight-up classic vanilla cannoli will satisfy your crackle cravings and nearly float away with their very light, cream-heavy filling; and if you like things nutty, get the pistachio ones, with each end generously loaded with crunchy chopped roasted nuts.
After the braised beef on creamy polenta or a satisfying plate of pasta (the rapini mafalde, maybe?) at this Monkland Village mainstay, make sure you try a couple of their cannoli. They’re half the usual length so, you know, practically bite-sized! The filling is thick and ricotta-forward in a truly luscious way. We would expect no less from this place.
Pass the pink doors at this Ville Saint-Laurent emporium of Italian sweetness and dive right in. You’ll be tempted to espouse TikTok trends and order yourself a classically-decorated buttercream cake complete with piped ruffles and rosettes, we just know it, but before you do, get a taste of their cannoli. The super thin and crisp shell has great bubbling and a toasted flavour, and the touch of orange zest in the fluffy cream is beautiful.
It’s a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Little Italy’s stretch of St. Lawrence Boulevard, and it beckons us every time we go shopping at nearby Jean-Talon Market. The bombolone tend to steal the spotlight, as do the custard-filled cornette, and the little tartlets are a delight, but don’t sleep on the cannoli. They’re Sicilian style, with a thick, hearty shell that fights back against your bite, and a filling that’s so creamy it’s dreamy. Pair whatever you choose with a perfect espresso if you eat it on the spot.
Thin, dark and toast shell. Smooth, silky filling overflowing from the ends. You may head to this counter in Jean-Talon Market for the gelato, the affogato or the Nutella-stuffed biscuits, but the cannoli should be on your radar too. The tiny bite-sized ones are extra cute, but wherever the format you choose, the wonderful general textural contrast and proportions of the Mr. Biscotti cannoli put them near the top of our favourites list.
Dining and Cooking