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A stack of panettone, wrapped.
A stack of panettone in their packaging.
John Tsung/Eater NY

10 Places to Find Good Panettone in NYC

An Italian sweet bread that’s become a coveted holiday item

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A stack of panettone in their packaging.
| John Tsung/Eater NY

Regal panettone has long been synonymous with the holidays in Italy, yet the golden-domed breads weren’t on the radar in the U.S. until the past few years. Before that, for most Americans, panettone was often misunderstood as a cousin to shunned holiday fruitcakes.

Originally from Milan — though there are multiple variations across Italy today — panettone is notoriously difficult to make, requiring a combination of a complex starter and laborious dough work; ingredients such as candied fruit along with raisins and vanilla; and enough eggs and butter that, once baked, the sweet breads need to be inverted as they cool so they don’t collapse.

While there’s a traditionally more recognizable panettone for Italians who’ve been enjoying it for decades, bakers like From Roy have put New World versions on the map; Roy’s year-round baking, plus superfan crumb shots across Instagram, have helped fuel an international lust for panettone, combined with a surfeit of great press. This year, the panettone-curious attended a two-day sold-out Panettone Festival in Long Island City. And Italian meccas like Eataly offers not one, not two, but a staggering fifty varieties during the holiday.

In New York, panettone can be found across all five boroughs, from Italian grocers and bakeries on Arthur Avenue to new entrants in Brooklyn and Queens. Locally made or imported from Italy, flavored with the classic orange and raisin, or with Asian inspirations like ube; in the classic “alto” (tall) shape, or even a doughnut, there’s a panettone for everyone.

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Settepani

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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.

A chocolate panettone and the packaging.
A chocolate panettone from Settepani.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Cerasella

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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.

A panettone cut in half to show the crumb.
Panettone from Cerasella.
Liza de Guia/Eater NY

Eataly NYC Flatiron

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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.   

A packaged panettone.
Eataly Olivieri 1882 panettone packaging.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Santa Chiara Caffe

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Cristiano Rossi, the owner of Santa Chiara Caffe, also happens to be the founder of the Panettone Festival in Long Island City, so he knows good panettone.  “When you cut into a great panettone, it should not [give] easily,” says the Salerno native. “It should be moist, your fingers should be a little sticky, and you should be able to smell every ingredient, the butter, the flavors.”  Wrapped in red and gold, Santa Chiara’s panettone reflects Rossi’s philosophy.  Santa Chiara’s panettone is rich and aromatic. Available also in pistachio and chocolate and limoncello this year, Rossi’s personal favorite is the classico (raisins and preserved fruit).

A panettone wrapped in red burlap.
The Santa Chiara panettone is wrapped in red burlap.
Wen-You Cai/Eater NY

Sant Ambroeus

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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.

A whole panettone.
A panettone from Sant Ambroeus.
Leah Ogawa/Eater NY

Bianco Latte NYC - Williamsburg

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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. 

A panettone from Bianco Latte in Williamsburg.
A panettone from Bianco Latte in Williamsburg.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Grandaisy Bakery

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Monica Von Thun Calderón’s Tribeca bakery, known for its Italian breads and Roman-style pizzas, has also been making panettone for years. On the smaller side, its classic panettone with rum-soaked raisins, as well as its chocolate, lean towards brioche-like and are suited for the morning-after-Christmas french toast.

A panettone and its box.
Panettone from Grandaisy Bakery.
Wen-You Cai/Eater NY

Kitsby Dessert Bar

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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.

A panettone and its packaging.
A panettone from Kitsby.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

L'Industrie Pizzeria

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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. 

A whole panettone.
Panettone from L’Industrie.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Bruno's

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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. 

A panettone cut in half to show the crumb.
The panettone from Bruno’s.
Liza de Guia/Eater NY

Settepani

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.

A chocolate panettone and the packaging.
A chocolate panettone from Settepani.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Cerasella

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.

A panettone cut in half to show the crumb.
Panettone from Cerasella.
Liza de Guia/Eater NY

Eataly NYC Flatiron

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.   

A packaged panettone.
Eataly Olivieri 1882 panettone packaging.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Santa Chiara Caffe

Cristiano Rossi, the owner of Santa Chiara Caffe, also happens to be the founder of the Panettone Festival in Long Island City, so he knows good panettone.  “When you cut into a great panettone, it should not [give] easily,” says the Salerno native. “It should be moist, your fingers should be a little sticky, and you should be able to smell every ingredient, the butter, the flavors.”  Wrapped in red and gold, Santa Chiara’s panettone reflects Rossi’s philosophy.  Santa Chiara’s panettone is rich and aromatic. Available also in pistachio and chocolate and limoncello this year, Rossi’s personal favorite is the classico (raisins and preserved fruit).

A panettone wrapped in red burlap.
The Santa Chiara panettone is wrapped in red burlap.
Wen-You Cai/Eater NY

Sant Ambroeus

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.

A whole panettone.
A panettone from Sant Ambroeus.
Leah Ogawa/Eater NY

Bianco Latte NYC - Williamsburg

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. 

A panettone from Bianco Latte in Williamsburg.
A panettone from Bianco Latte in Williamsburg.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Grandaisy Bakery

Monica Von Thun Calderón’s Tribeca bakery, known for its Italian breads and Roman-style pizzas, has also been making panettone for years. On the smaller side, its classic panettone with rum-soaked raisins, as well as its chocolate, lean towards brioche-like and are suited for the morning-after-Christmas french toast.

A panettone and its box.
Panettone from Grandaisy Bakery.
Wen-You Cai/Eater NY

Kitsby Dessert Bar

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.

A panettone and its packaging.
A panettone from Kitsby.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

L'Industrie Pizzeria

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. 

A whole panettone.
Panettone from L’Industrie.
Chiaying Yu/Eater NY

Bruno's

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. 

A panettone cut in half to show the crumb.
The panettone from Bruno’s.
Liza de Guia/Eater NY

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