You say Sicily and you say cannoli (and cassata, arancine, rotisserie, great wines…). In Palermo, the sweet symbol of the local pastry shop is an institution: choosing the best is not an easy task, so we have collected ten safe addresses where you can find a Sicilian cannoli made to perfection.
The best Sicilian cannoli in Palermo
Accardi
Classic pastry bar which has made its all-hours offering its great strength. Among baked tarts, biscuits, Viennese and almond pastries, the cannoli stands out for the goodness of the external pastry and the softness of the fresh and delicious ricotta cream. Not to be missed.
Accardi – via Gaetano Amoroso, 1 – facebook.com/accardipasticceria/?locale=it_IT
Alba
Historic neighborhood meeting place with a large group of loyal customers who come here to stock up on sweet and savory delicacies. Renowned for its arancini with butter and meat, in the sweet sector it has its say with cassatine and cannoli made as tradition dictates. You’re on the safe side with both the classic version and without candied fruit.
Alba – piazza Don Bosco, 7 c – facebook.com/pasticceriaalba/?locale=it_IT
Spinnato
The pedestrian area of via Belmonte is among the most popular in the historic center of the city. Here, right in the middle of the tree-lined street, lies the outdoor area of the Antico Caffè, ideal for a cappuccino or a cocktail, a book or a newspaper. Every creation is worth tasting, but the cannoli is the king of the pastry shop: crumbly, very creamy, rich in flavor and perfectly balanced.
Spinnato – Piazza Castelnuovo, 16 – facebook.com/spinnato1860/?locale=it_IT
Hat
Salvatore Cappello, born in 1956, is always on the front line, assisted by his wife and son Giovanni. The finesse and taste of home-made desserts highlight talent and mastery of the technique. The mignons and single portions are elegant, but it is the ricotta desserts that are the most successful, starting with the cannoli, which are well made and balanced.
Cappello – via Colonna Rotta, 68 – facebook.com/pasticceriacappello/?locale=it_IT
The secrets of the cloister
The tranquility of the cloister and the atmosphere of the “apothecary” offer a highly evocative atmosphere to this wonderful place, housed within the fourteenth-century Monastery of Santa Caterina di Alessandria (and until 2014 home to the cloistered Dominican nuns). The sweet shop was born in 2017 on the initiative of a cooperative of young people and thanks to the recovery of the recipe books by the researcher and historian Maria Oliveri. There is all the best of traditional and conventual Sicilian pastries: the cannoli is a work of art.
The Secrets of the Cloister – Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria – facebook.com/ISegretidelChiostro.17?locale=it_IT
Pasticceria Oscar since 1965
The Di Gaetano pastry shop is one of the most beloved places in the city and rightly so. The production, entrusted to the pastry chef Giovanni Catalano, ranges across numerous fronts always with excellent results. The sweet and savory counter, full from early morning, includes croissants, brioches, donuts, arancini, pizzette, iris and calzones. The cannolo is not out of place, classic and impeccable.
Pasticceria Oscar since 1965 – via Mariano Migliaccio, 39 – instagram.com/pasticceriaoscar1965/
Costa
This old-time place remains faithful to a traditional pastry line, preserving the original wood and marble furnishings and a service in white jacket and bow tie. In the historic location and in the beautiful one of Quattro Canti (in via Maqueda 174) the counters are a riot of delicacies in many flavors and shapes, starting with fresh pastries and continuing with cupboard sweets and biscuits. The cannoli are among the flagships of the house.
Costa – via Gabriele D’Annunzio, 15 – facebook.com/pasticceriacostapalermo?locale=it_IT
Champagne
Carmelo Sciampagna, together with his sisters Lorena and Giannagiorgia, is among the greatest protagonists of the Sicilian confectionery scene. The modern environment, with attention to every detail, is in perfect harmony with his creations which are always of great elegance and balance, the result of a masterly technique. The yeasts are impeccable, but the cannoli is no different: fresh, crunchy and creamy, it will make you fall in love at the first bite.
Sciampagna – via Riccardo Wagner, 10 – facebook.com/SciampagnaPasticceria/?locale=it_IT
Golden Bar
A nice bar that knows how to make customers happy with all the traditional preparations: granita, zuppa inglese, pieces of rosticceria and of course cannoli. Mountains of cannoli with a fragrant shell and filled with sweet ricotta cream, enriched with chocolate chips. Everything here speaks Sicilian: for a taste of typical products, this is definitely the right place.
Golden Bar – Piazza Papa Giovanni Paolo II, 38 – facebook.com/Goldenbarpalermo?locale=it_IT
Alfa
This is the kingdom of the Cipolla family who for some time has made a leap forward in terms of quality and variety of the offer. We stop in the morning for the traditional breakfast based on good croissants, krapfen, slices of Savoy cake and the legendary cannoli with ricotta; unmissable.
Alfa – via Valdemone, 30 – facebook.com/p/Alfa-Pasticceria-100063483582754/
GB Matranga dal 1964
In almost sixty years of activity, the brand has preserved, promoted and innovated the tastes of one of the most “in” residential neighborhoods of the city. Fragrant croissants, crescents of puff pastry filled with custard (in summer with mulberry jam), ricotta parcels, fragrant coffees and frothy cappuccinos. The cannoli are textbook.
GB Matranga since 1964 – via Giuseppe Sciuti, 60 – facebook.com/matrangasciuti?locale=it_IT
Except Apricot
Delicious, attractive and varied is the offer of this activity which over the years has maintained its place in the hearts of the people of Palermo. Pastry shop, cafeteria, ice cream shop, snack bar, gastronomy… in short, all-round completeness. The ricotta cannoli with chocolate chips are a must: bonus for the candied peels, really high quality.
Salvo Albicocco – viale Strasburgo, 121 – facebook.com/Salvoalbicoccopasticceria/?locale=it_IT
Bar Galatea
A short distance from the golden beaches of Mondello, the famous Lo Monaco place is a reference for a large clientele, both residential and seaside. Bar and pastry shop, it works with selected raw materials and guarantees a good assortment of sweets and leavened products in the morning, the result of long processes with mother yeast. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the cannoli will convince everyone.
Bar Galatea – via Galatea, 57 – facebook.com/bargalatea57/?locale=it_IT
