T. Cavallaro & Sons

The Age newspaper once said that if Tony Soprano lived in Melbourne he would get his Cannoli from T. Cavallaro & Sons, I have to say i can see why. As a child growing up in the North West I had my fair share of Cannoli and continental cakes and I have to say I was never a big fan of the slightly soggy cannoli shell filled with sickly sweet custard, this is saying something as I am quite the sweet tooth.
So fast forward 15 years and here I am in Footscray and I thought I would roll the Cannoli dice again and WOW what an awesome surprise it was. Freshly filled in store with beautiful ricotta filling I fell in love with the crispy shell and delicious filling. Since then I have to say I have had a bit of an ongoing love affair with the family at T. Cavallaro who are always amazingly friendly, have yummy new biscuits to try and ice chocolates/​coffees to have in their small shop. I adore it here, it makes me feel like I am sitting in an italian loungeroom having a chat and a snack.
It really is a tiny bit of italy in the food bowl that is Footscray :)

I found out about T. Cavallaro from Feast magazine — my favourite foodie read — where it was nominated as the best cannoli in Melbourne… and I would have to concur. The custard variety is good, but I just cannot go past the ricotta filling. Be sure to eat them fairly fresh as the crisp pastry will soften by the end of they day. But if you get to that point without having eaten them, you clearly have something wrong with you.
I also have to add that I once went completely out of my way for some famed cannoli in NYC. It was pretty fucking good, but T. Cavallaro has it beat in my books.

There are about a million Vietnamese bakeries in Footscray and I’m sure they’re all great, but this little Italian gem is definitely my favourite around the area. The shop has been there for over 50 years, has newspaper clippings on display, and even has a documentary that has been made about them playing in the background!
There are a bunch of Italian sweets and treats to choose from, including a variety of different flavoured biscotti. The real highlight though is the cannoli. Try both the traditional and the ricotta — you won’t be disappointed.
I can’t say it’s the best place to dine in. There aren’t that many seats in the tiny store, but the staff will do everything they can to accommodate for you. I foolishly went in with a group of 6 and they practically rearranged the whole store! A warning though — the cannoli will cost you 60 cents more to dine in than take away! The coffee isn’t necessarily anything to write home about though.

A little island of Italiano on this very «Viet» block. I’m mad about the stretch of shops on Hopkins Street between Leeds and Moore: Pork buns from To’s, bahn mi from Nhulan, phở from Phở Thu The. These are things that Footscray dreams are made of.
In the midst of all this sits Cavallaro; a fabulously traditional Italian stalwart. The bakery is one of the last vestiges of the «old» inner west, which used to be dominated by Italian, Greek, and Balkan immigrants.
Cavallaro and Sons serves up some seriously good cannoli: As good as any I’ve had in Italy and in various «Soprano’s style» Italian enclaves in New York. Their amaretto biscuits are just the thing to complement the rich black European style espressos on offer.
Cavallaro and Sons is family business which has been trading in Footscray for several generations now. It’s this kind of independent, classic, atmospheric establishment that makes Melbourne a special place.

Forget Lygon street. These guys do cannoli and traditional Italian desserts like none other.
A sweet little shop that that boasts that old school décor, and warm Italian hospitality.
There are a select few (small) tables for you to sit at and have your espresso with a delicious biscotti whilst you read a paper; or you may just want to sit back and watch the steady stream of clientele come in for their cannoli fix and pick up their pre-​ordered desserts.
Which ever way you choose to enjoy this place, you will walk out with tantalised taste buds and surprisingly relaxed.
Heads up, the coffee here is pretty good too.
Note: this is an old school cash only establishment.

Best (only?) Canoli in Footscray. This store is a relic of Footscray’s Italian past and is probably one of the longest operating business in the area. They make a range of sweets and pastries, sell coffee and coffee making paraphernalia and also do wedding cakes made of canolis.