On our map. We haven't walked through the door yet — here's why it's on the list.
An Italian pastry shop on Rue Dante in Little Italy, founded in 1968 as Caserta by Vittorio Caldarone and his wife Maria Di Meo, first on Saint-Viateur before moving into a larger space across from the Madonna della Difesa church. Vittorio trained in a Swiss hotel kitchen, and only his original recipes are still used today, now alongside his son Marco.
The made-to-order cannoli are the signature, alongside citrus-tinged sfogliatelle, code d'aragosta, and biscotti sold by weight. The Main calls it an institution with "no frills, no shortcuts," largely unchanged since the 1970s.
Alati-Caserta is on the Regulars map — spotted, not yet visited. Our guides are written on foot, door by door, and no one pays to appear: when we walk through the door, this note will become a portrait. No points. No coupons. Standing is earned.