T. Cavallaro & Sons — Restaurant in Melbourne

One of the few Italian shops in Footscray, its located along a row of Asian outlets and have been there since 1956 (according to the article in the shop). Cozy and friendly (just how you'd imagine Italians to be), the shop can sit about 8-10 pax at most but if it's full you can opt for take away. The shelves are lined with coffee roasters and there are a few books where they have been featured in which was enclosed behind a glass display.

T. Cavallaro & Sons offers the best Canoli I've had so far. There is a choice of either Vanilla, Vanilla & Chocolate or Ricotta. I had the ricotta filling and it was amazing. The fresh ricotta coupled with the crispy Canoli pastry was absolutely delicious.

My wife had the vanilla + chocolate filling and she said it was just as good. We even had the chance to meet with Tony (grandson of the founder I think) and he was super friendly and warm. He was going on about how beautiful Sicily is and how my wife and I should plan a trip there, but not before returning to his shop to get pointers from him on where to go :)

Tony also let us sample some gluten free almond biscuits which were not like most of the biscuits you'd expect. It was less crunchy but had a soft texture to it which tasted wonderful. It wasn't on the display so you may need to ask the staff about it.

They also serve a good cup of coffee as well as hot chocolate (I had neither but my wife and friends were enjoying theirs). Would definitely return here the next time we're in Melbourne, and recommend for their delicious pastries and warm...

@tcavallarosons 📍Footscray

✔️ Vanilla Chocolate Cannoli ⭐️ Ricotta Cannoli

T. Cavallaro & Sons is a family owned and operated Italian pasticceria located on Hopkins Street, Footscray. It has been open since 1956 when Tommaso Cavallaro migrated to Melbourne, now an institution passed on through 4 generations. 🇮🇹

You walk in and it instantly gives you old school charm. The small store is full of Sicilian treats, all secret Cavallaro family recipes. You have biscotti, Viennese shortbreads, crostoli, cookies, amaretti, bigne, tarts, sfogliatelle - you name it.

Their most favourite treat of all though, their cannoli. Some say the best in Melbourne. You won’t see them in the counter, as they are made fresh to order. They also have gluten free options!

Vanilla, Chocolate or Mixed Custard is the most classic, personally they are never sweet enough for me (anywhere) so my favourite is the Ricotta. Simply delicious, fresh and the perfect crunch on the shell. My mother has flat out refused to even TRY one from anywhere else in over 50 years. 😂

The team are incredibly welcoming, warm, friendly and proud. If you haven’t already, give this timeless spot a visit when passing by. An oldie but a goodie. There’s a handful of tables if you want to sit and enjoy with a strong coffee....

We found out about Cavallaro only yesterday evening, while picking up our dumplings order from next door shop. We decided to come back today for a walk and coffee and I am so glad we did it.

Cavallaro is an historical Sicilian Pasticceria in Footscray since 1956, as a commemorative placard says at its entrance. The nice lady behind the counter welcomed with a nice smile and before we knew it, she offered us almond biscotti (almond paste is typical Sicilian pastry tradition) and suggested to have some cannoli take away (to which we agreed immediately). The cannoli are fresh filled with either ricotta cream or custard, both fresh made in their laboratory. We bought also the almond biscuits. I would have bought much more (like Crostoli, typical from Venice Carnival) or Rossana’s, but I know I will be back very soon.

We had also some nice chat with the lady, who explained us how they made their biscuits, cannoli and much more

Loved the hand written receipt for “cornetti” framed in the...