Mike's Pastry

North End, Boston · Bakery · $

Mike's Pastry has been on Hanover Street since 1946 - long enough to become an institution regardless of merit. The merit is genuinely there: cannoli filled to order the moment you reach the counter, handed over in the iconic blue-and-white box tied with string. Cash only. The line moves faster than it looks. Get the ricotta, get the chocolate chip, argue about which one is better. That's the whole experience.