Is Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry better?

It's a genuine debate. Mike's is more famous and has more variety. Modern's shells are crunchier and the filling is lighter. Many North End locals prefer Modern. The best move: buy one from each.

How long is the line at Mike's Pastry?

Weekday mornings: 0-5 minutes. Weekday evenings: 10-15 minutes. Weekend afternoons: 20-30+ minutes. The line moves fast because the staff is efficient.

How much are cannoli at Mike's Pastry?

Standard cannoli are $5-6 each. Specialty flavors may be slightly more. A family of 4 will spend $20-30 on cannoli and possibly a lobster tail or cookies.

Can you eat cannoli at Mike's Pastry?

There's limited seating inside, but most people take their boxes and walk. Christopher Columbus Park (5 min walk toward the harbor) is the best spot to sit and eat.

Mike's Pastry

Name: Mike's Pastry
Address: 300 Hanover Street, Boston, MA, 02113, US
Telephone: (617) 742-3050
Rating: 4.4

Rating

4.4(28,000)

Family of 4

$20-$30 (cannoli are $5-6 each, cookies $2-4)

Duration

15-30 minutes

Best Ages

All ages

About

Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street in Boston's North End is an institution. Since 1946, it's been serving some of the most famous cannoli in America from a shop that's perpetually crowded, perpetually hectic, and perpetually worth it. The white bakery boxes tied with string have become as much a Boston symbol as the Green Monster.

The experience: you enter, you stare at the enormous display case, you choose from 20+ cannoli varieties (classic ricotta, chocolate chip, pistachio, Oreo, peanut butter, lemon, and more), and the staff fills your shells with fresh cream right in front of you. Kids love choosing their flavor and watching the assembly. The cannoli are large — easily big enough for two small children to share — and the ricotta filling is sweet, creamy, and cold.

The elephant in the room: Modern Pastry, located literally across Hanover Street, is widely considered superior by North End residents. Modern's shells are crunchier, their filling is lighter and less sweet, and the line is consistently shorter. Boston food blogs have been debating Mike's vs. Modern for decades with no resolution. The parent move is to buy one from each and let the family decide.

The North End context is important. Mike's sits in the middle of Boston's Italian neighborhood, and a cannoli stop should be part of a larger North End visit. Walk Hanover Street, stop for pizza at Regina Pizzeria (the original location, 3 minutes away), browse the Italian delis and grocers, and finish at Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront.

The whole neighborhood is walkable, vibrant, and kid-friendly.

Age Suitability

Infants (0-1)Toddlers (1-3)Little Kids (4-6)Big Kids (7-9)Tweens (10-12)Teens (13-17)

Parent Logistics

Setting

Indoor & Outdoor

Rainy Day

Great option!

Plan Your Visit

Best Time to Visit

Weekday mornings before 10 AM or after 8 PM; avoid weekend afternoons

Wait Times

5-30 minutes depending on time; weekend afternoons can be 30+ min

Nearby Food

["Modern Pastry across the street (the rival cannoli shop — try both)","Regina Pizzeria on Thacher Street (the original location, best pizza in Boston, 3 min walk)","Neptune Oyster for a sit-down meal (2 blocks, excellent but pricey and not specifically kid-friendly)"]

Why Kids Love It

Mike's Pastry is the most famous bakery in Boston, and the cannoli are the star. The display case runs the full length of the shop with dozens of cannoli varieties — chocolate chip, pistachio, Oreo, peanut butter, Nutella — and cookies, cakes, and pastries piled in towers. For kids, the visual spectacle of choosing from the case is half the experience.

The cannoli themselves are massive — filled to order with fresh ricotta cream — and come in the iconic blue-and-white Mike's box that has become a Boston symbol. Watching the staff fill the shells right in front of you and then biting into a cannoli still cold from the case is a food moment kids remember.

The honest take: Modern Pastry, directly across Hanover Street, is widely considered to have better cannoli by North End locals. The shells are crunchier, the filling is lighter, and the line is reliably shorter. Boston families have fierce opinions about this. The compromise: buy one from each and do a side-by-side comparison. Both are $5-6 per cannoli. Both are excellent. You win either way.

Pro Tips from Parents

Know your order before you reach the counter — the staff moves fast and there's no time for deliberation
The lobster tail pastry is the sleeper hit — less famous than the cannoli but arguably better
Modern Pastry across the street has shorter lines and many locals prefer their cannoli (crunchier shells, lighter filling)
Walk your cannoli to the Christopher Columbus Park waterfront (5 min walk) to eat with harbor views
Go on a weekday morning before 10 AM for near-zero wait times — weekend afternoons are madness

What to Bring

Cash (faster, though cards accepted)
Wet wipes (cannoli filling gets everywhere)
An appetite

Cost Info

Estimated Cost (Family of 4)

$20-$30 (cannoli are $5-6 each, cookies $2-4)

Tips to Save

["Skip the line at Mike's and go to Modern Pastry across the street — locals say it's better and the line is shorter","One cannoli is enormous — sharing between two kids is reasonable","Cash speeds up the process at the counter, though cards are accepted","Buy a box of assorted cookies for the family instead of individual cannoli — better value and more variety"]