Merda Shiro' T.
Yelp
TLDR: Five stars because so many cannolis out there are awful and these are actually good, but maybe 4 stars because there's room for improvement.
My usual cannoli place opened in 1921, and my family has gone there ever since. I'm the 4th (maybe 5th?) generation to ride or die with them, but ordering cannoli to be shipped to VA, while perfectly fine, is pretty expensive. So I appreciate that just like my regular place, Bisnonna doesn't fill the shells in advance and will give you piping bags for a to go order.
What drew me here are the flavor options. My usual place is full on traditional. Their pastry certificates dating to the 1890s and issued in Italy prior to immigrating to the US are on the wall. They make perfect Italian sweets, exactly as they always did, so they don't really branch out in flavor.
I'm... mixed but generally pretty positive with my Bisnonna experience.
Cannoli Shells: Some of the shells tasted kind of strongly of the oil they are fried in, and it overpowered the filling. This was unexpected because other shells of the same flavor did not. I've never had the shells at my usual place taste like oil, but I'll make concessions to get a local cannoli.
Classic Ricotta: Per usual I hated the chocolate in the filling, which is a good sign. Means it was done right and the right amount. (Hating the chocolate is a ME thing, not a problem with how it's made). The ricotta part was good. If I wanted just a few traditional cannolis without a 6 hour round trip drive, or shipping costs, I definitely order here. If they could do a special order without the chocolate? Yes please.
Pistachio: Was... good? I want to say good. It was very strange because I'm not used to it, but I liked it. In fact, I'm gonna order it for my mom to try. I couldn't tell if the flavor came off a bit artificial or not, but that's a line walked on everything pistachio flavored, including ice creams and gelato. Still, I'm ordering it again so that says something.
Limoncello: The cannoli I most looked forward to. Not bad, but maybe not one I'd try again. I think it was more to do with the texture of the filling being different from the others, which may be a matter of citrus causing a textural change.
Top marks though for packaging, and for color coating which filling goes with which shell. I'm looking forward to trying other flavors soon, and getting my mom's opinion.