Phone: 03 9687 4638
Could this be Melbourne’s best cannoli? Well…I’d have to say it comes pretty close, if not nails the title quite squarely.
T.Cavallaro & Sons have been dolling out these little tubes of custardy goodness for many years. And they aren’t on display getting all soggy like in most other shops. You sidle up to the counter and place your order – vanilla, chocolate, vanilla and chocolate, or traditional ricotta. The staff then whip out back and pipe your cannoli fresh. That’s right – on demand cannoli.
The pastry – oh my – the pastry. It is crisp, crunchy and bubbled from the boiling oil, but more of a surprise is the taste of marsala. Mmm. And the crema pasticcera (custard) piped into the cylinders is divinely and wickedly sweet. Some poor sod has stood over a hot pot of milk, egg, sugar and flour and stirred this baby till it thickened.
One can also purchase the equally good Brutti ma buoni – which literally transaltes as the “ugly but good” cookie. Yes, they may not be pretty, but these Italian chocolate and nut meringue cookies are crisp on the outside and gloriously chewy, nutty and sweet on the inside. The perfect treat with a good cup of espresso.
Hi Mellie,
If you like Cannoli you should try the O’Hea’s bakery and deli at 203 O’Hea street in Coburg. Their Ricotta Cannoli are wonderful. Bloody good baked cheesecake too.
Hi anon – thanks for the tip. I go absolutely weak at the knees for a good baked ricotta cheesecake, so I’ll definitely make a trip that way soon.
As a local, can endorse the thumbs up for O’Hea’s bakery. Do a good line in breads too.
Thanks lord sedgwick – is the bread of the artisan variety (ie. sourdoughy etc.)?
Most is Italian fare – or should that be ‘farinaceous’? :0) – but fresh as, crusty as … enough to trap this gluten intolerant lad into putting up with the side effects of his few guilty moments of breadly pleasure.
BTW, try as they might, no one has come up with a gluten free bread that is within coo-ee of the real thing. *Sighs!*
However gluten free bread does make for good bread crumbs – either the soft for stuffing or the dry for coating variety.
Oh…I hear your pain lord sedgwick. Gluten intolerance is a pain in the glutes
, so to speak.
There are not many things I have found gluten free bread to be good for, and unfortunately none of them are culinary (ahem…door stop).
Cavallaro pasticceria in footscray, I know it well have been going there for years, so have my parents, my parents parents etc etc. They are truly the best , supposedly using the same cannoli reciepe for the last 50 or so years. I have been to O’Hea’s bakery too and they are fairly good too, but sorry to say no match really for the Cavallaro’s cannoli though!
Hey anon – glad to hear those cannoli have been enjoyed by your family for many years. Yes, there is a sense of history and nostalgia to the place, which seriously, makes them taste that whole lot better
As The Age Cheap Eats say of T.Cavallaro & Sons if Tony Soprano were in town this is where he’d be buyin his canoli…..O’hea’s for canoli are you sure? should’n't it be guiness? but this is Melbourne afterall.hehehe
Cavallaro Cannoli are definitely the best by far! I have even travelled to Italy in search of better but to no avail. My parents and in-laws have been going to Cavallaros for over 30 years. Perfect with an espresso on a cold winter’s morning…or in fact, anytime!
The best Cannoli I have ever had, both standard custard and ricotta (Sicilian) are from Pino’s Pasticceria in Adelaide, SA (Shop 1, 403 Grange Road, Seaton). We are talking about 147 year old traditional family recipes with an active family pasticceria still operating back in Sicily.
Thanks latest bunch of anons!
Anon #3 – uh huh, Tony Soprano would be mighty pleased with these cannoli!
Anon #4 – yup, they are absolutely perfect anytime
Who needs an excuse to eat such good cannoli?!
Anon #5 – thanks for the tip. Next time I’m in Adelaide I’ll check it out. Or can you send me some by post?!?
Mellie!, (Anon#5 here)
Yep, if you’d like? I’m not joking either.
It is common for people here in SA to send “Sfogliatelle” (& in case you are wondering what they are see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sfogliatella)
- via air freight to Western Australia (to their family) from this same very store.
That says something about the quality of their work.
Cavallaro’s cannoli, i have been eating them since i was a kid, they are fantastic!
Hey anon #6 – ooh, I wrote this post a while ago, but I am now hankering anew for one!
[...] time we visited was for a post-shopping pick-me-up coffee and cannoli (we already know how much I love a good cannoli). The coffee provided the required hit of caffeine with a decent crema, and the [...]
I cannot do Cavallaro Cannoli the justice it deserves. They are the absolute best I have ever had and now being three generations in the family the recipe ,the name ,the shop, the technique passed down from generation to generation, has not changed and cannot be beaten as they have mastered the unique taste in there cannoli , I have eaten them for the last 35+ years and cannot eat any other type when it comes to perfection it has to be Cavallaro. If ANYONE thinks they have eaten the best Cannoli it has to be only from this small shop in Footscray as other shops don’t even come close.
And now with Tom taking over the business one day , I hope he can still read the old little recipe book from his grandfather using the old scales to measure the quantities that has made Cavallaro the best Pastery shop possibly in the world. Good luck guys wishing them every success
I love Cavallaro’s Cannoli and every other cakes they make. Everyone should try their continental cakes, with just the right amount of alcohol in every bight! You can’t go wrong with Cavallaro & Sons. I’ve been eating their goodies for over 30 yrs and have never been disappointed. No other store compares. Good on you Cavallaro & Sons! It’s good to still find traditional quality shops.
I to love crostoli and cannoli, my company makes a dessertpowder from Belgian chocolate, when mixed with water and either cream, yoghurt or ricotta you get the most fantastic deesert cream that can be used in cannoli, tiramisu, semi fredo and just plain old chocolate mousse. so now you can impress you friend and make it yourself.
We have won many awards for quality,,, its all on the website,,, Ciao Peter
As a “cannoliaholic” and someone who has tried both the local product and cannoli on their home turf (in fact I have recently travelled Sicily in search of the “ultimate” cannoli), all I can say is that the Cavallaro cannoli are definitely not only comparable but also the best in Melbourne for flavour and value.
The pastry is always crisp and fresh, the filling is not too sweet but a delicate melding of flavours – especially in the ricotta version.
What makes these so good is not only the flavour, but the history behind the making of the sweet. The fact that they are still made according to the artisan tradition of pastry making that is uniquely Sicilian. The family patriarch worked as a pastry cook on one of the Aeolian islands off Sicily’s coast and has passed on his skill to his sons who continue to make the product traditionally according to the original recipe.
Modern decor, and fast production methods may have their place in the 21st century, but there is something warm, inviting and comforting in these troubled times about stepping into a place that has essentially remained the same since its inception. Cavallaro’s has seen generations of Italo Australians walk through its doors from near and far, and continues to be the mecca for those of us seeking a true “cannoli experience.”
Thanks for your comment Carmel. I yearn for authentic cannoli experiences often
Yearn no more dear mellie – Leave the yearning behind and take the cannoli at Cavallaros. Especially the ricotta ones.
There are cannoli and CANNOLI!….
You cannot compare Cavallaro CANNOLI with similar product made in Australia….The Cavallaro family makes this pastry with art and passion from 3 generations…If they intended to make a lot of money, instead of a small shop in Footscray, by now they would operate from a large factory…
Their originality is in their tradition of doing things by hand…Thanks Tony, thanks Tom and Sarah…Keep it this way….!
Hail Sicily, the king of the Sweet making kingdom! I recently returned from another trip or dare I say pilgrimage to the land of my ancestors and am still reeling from the visual and sensual experience. From the chocolate in Modica to the granita di mandorla (almond is particularly amazing) in Palazzolo Acreide and the endless array of pastry and gelati and sweets the recipes for which go back centuries. And the cannoli, well, all I can say is as if the pastry variety were not enough, there was even cannoli gelati. Long live the cannoli and power to all who can make it come alive!
cannoli!! did you say……. CANNOLI!…. I’ve tried just about every dolci store in Victoria, and some in NSW, from the mass produced, to the quiet little corner store, to mamma’s kitchen style and let me tell you, NO-ONE does it better than Cavallaro, Cavallaro ‘IS’ the best, period. If you don’t believe me go and try one, you will never want anyone else’s cannoli…….. Long Live T.Cavallaro & Sons Pasticceria…
Cavallaro Cannoli are THE BEST in Melbourne! No one else comes even close
heyyy the best cannoli in the australia!!!!!cavallaro and son’s…the best!!!!!!!i love you
There is only one way to make real Cannoli and thats with real and fresh ingredients hand made. Anything else is a copy. When you by the real thing it may cost a little more and you may have to wait a little bit for it but there is no substute for quality. The Cavallaro family is also top quality and deserve all the praise for thier dedication to thier Footscray buisness for more than 50 years!!
Here in Sydney – compared with Melbourne – we are starving to death. Every time i come to Melbourne i head straight for the Victoria Markets for a Bratwurst that has been known to bring tears to a man’s eyes, and then seek out a pasticceria. Please some of you restaurants and cafes think about opening branches in Sydney as an act of benevolence and philanthropy. Seafood is hell to buy here – the fish markets are almost inaccessible and there are very few decent outlets elsewhere. Meat and fish are overpriced. We travel whole suburbs for decent coffee and halway across Sydney for what in Melbourne would be third rate pastries. We don’t even talk about the bread, just hang our heads in shame and sorrow.
No-one really knows what is wrong. Poor values and ulcultivated taste fed by excorbitant rents and cartels. Who really knows.
Please send us a lifeboat – we are drowning in a sea of bad food. Help!