Nino Settepani of the eponymous Williamsburg-based restaurant and bakery with a location in Harlem has been making panettone for over 30 years and eating them for longer. “My earliest memories of panettone are my father carrying a box home for Christmas, and having it as our dessert centerpiece after dinner, next to the dessert wines and homemade liqueurs,” says the Palermo native. Now daughter Bilena builds on the tradition, bringing new ideas like a chocolate and pomegranate flavor, collaborations with partners like Bottega Veneta, and, a panettone advent calendar.  Settepani’s chocolate panettone has a silky tear-apart texture and a sourdough-forward note. For those in Harlem, the panettone french toast at Settepani’s Lenox Avenue restaurant is worth seeking out.

Cerasella’s Caterina Pepe has been developing her panettone recipe for five years. They’re available in the classic orange with raisins as well as a limited run of vanilla and pistachio panettone, filled with an imported pistachio spread and topped with crushed pistachios and chocolate. Pope prides herself on sourcing top ingredients, including orange peels from southern Italy and raisins from Turkey. The resulting panettone is moist yet light with a perfectly golden interior.

It’s not a surprise that Eataly, the bustling mecca of Italian foods and ingredients, is also a prime location for those in search of an introduction to great panettone. Carrying ten lines of panettone and pandoro in a total of fifty distinct offerings, the Italian marketplace has nearly every variety of panettone and pandoro, from the tall alto to the wide basso versions. Intrepid shoppers can find award-winning, high-end, artisanal brands like Olivieri 1882, —a recommendation for panettone connoisseurs — as well as a collaboration with Italian bakery Bonifanti, which features an Eataly-specified recipe carried exclusively by the stores; the latter is reasonably priced and punches above its weight.   

Hailing from the same city where, legend has it, the panettone had its start in the 15th century, Milanese export Sant Ambroeus restaurant group carries a limited run of its imported panettone and pandoro across its locations in Manhattan. Sant Ambroeus suggests toasting their panettone or serving it as french toast, but a favorite suggestion is to pair it with a side of gelato.

Bianco Latte chef and owner Andrea Zanin started crafting his panettone recipe in 1986 and won “Best Traditional Panettone” in Italy in 2000.  Zanin has since earned a number of other baking honors, and Bianco Latte’s panettone, for now, imported from Italy due to production constraints, attests to his dedication and standards. Produced in limited batches, Bianco Latte’s panettone aims for a balance between subtle sweetness, aroma, and mouthfeel. The goal, Zanin says, is “for you to want to take one slice, then another,” preferably with a glass of prosecco or dessert wine. Available with chocolate, walnut, and raisin; an alcohol-free prosecco flavor; limoncello; chocolate; and Zanin’s favorite, the classic antica. 

Drawing on his pastry experience working under Alain Ducasse at Essex House where the take-home gift was a petit panettone, Jansen Chan of Kitsby brings an Asian perspective to the Italian sweet bread.  Having debuted panettone in a sold-out ube-flavored collaboration with Umimart, Chan and owner Amy Hsiao have expanded their line to a limited series of unique flavors, including black sesame chocolate and coconut mango flavors.  Of the two, the coconut mango is subtle and more traditional, while the black sesame is suited to the panettone-adventurous.

It’s the first year Massimo Laveglia, owner of well-regarded pizzeria L’Industrie, is making panettone and it’s a creative and technical challenge, especially given the constraints of the Williamsburg space. Laveglia makes the panettone in the same oven as the pizza after hours; every batch, he says, is a humbling learning process. L’Industrie’s panettone is a great option for those who prefer their panettone moist, cake-like, and filled to the brim with preserved fruit. 

The founders of Bruno’s has been making panettone for over 30 years; it’s now helmed by Joe Settepani, the second generation and from the same extended family as the Williamsburg-based Settepani. Bruno’s exacting recipes call for specific imported ingredients and even a preferred source of water. The bakery offers year-round and seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice. The chocolate panettone is a highlight, with a beautifully rounded chocolate dome, delicate sweetness, and hazelnut praline. The mandorlato, with the unmistakable scent of citron and almond crust, makes a strong holiday statement. Bruno’s will also deliver across the city and nationwide.