Arà

If you’re looking for authentic, homemade treats, this place is for you. While studying abroad here in Florence, my professor took us here to taste test some of their items. According to my prof, this is a family owned place with traditional recipes from Sicily. The cannoli was amazing and filled right when your order it instead of having it sit in the case! The chocolate was also great and the little rice ball thing was so good. I went back for the gelato and was just as pleased! Check this little place out!

Great cannoli! May be on of the best I’ve ever had! The Gelato was good, but not the best we have found in Italy.

Best cannoli I’ve had. It’s that simple. Wouldn’t think that the pistachio and chocolate addition would make much of a difference, but I was wrong again. The candied orange with the pistachio side was shockingly a plus to the palate.
They also have a stand at the Mercato Centrale with a fun cute girl working there. We went there twice. Some say for the cannoli, some say for her.

On a beau être en Toscane, voilà un merveilleux endroit pour goûter à la cuisine sicilienne. Un petit cours de rattrapage des essentiels pour les ignorants qui comme moi franchissent le pas de cette porte l’esprit vierge. Je l’ai franchi plusieurs fois depuis mon initiation et j’ai toujours été ravie. Tout d’abord les arrancinis. Ce sont des boulettes de riz agrémentées de plein de façons différentes. Celle à l’encre de seiche est délicieuse. Le traditionnel est celui à la viande (ragu je crois). J’en ai goûté plusieurs et tout était bon, difficile de se tromper. Vous pouvez facilement en manger deux, voire trois pour les plus affamés.
Ensuite viennent les fabuleux dessert, les cannolis: une belle découverte. C’est un long côné de pâte (je crois bien que c’est frit… Apparemment em Sicile on fait pas dans la légèreté), fourré avec une délicieuse crème de ricotta à la consistance aérienne (probablement moins aérien en termes de calories) et aux pistaches. Je n’étais pas convaincue par l’aspect, mais en réalité, croquez c’est succulent. L’autre jour, je me suis laissée tenter par une glacé pour changer. Pffffiou. Jackpot. Celle à la ricotta est très originale et un pur délice.
Menu en résumé: arrancini, cannoli et glacé ricotta.
Voilà sinon que dire de plus. Ce n’est pas cher. En revanche ce n’est pas le cadre de rêve, c’est plus une petite échoppe où manger à la va-​vite avec quelques tables hautes et étroites le long du mur.

Excellent cappuccino and aranciata. Cozy place, friendly staff. Has good vegetarian options. Recommended.

Cannoli are spot-​on. You know this place is good when it’s a legit Sicilian dessert place and the shells are crispy and then filled just before you eat. And the ricotta filling is delicious and not cloyingly sweet. And only for 2.5 euros!
I also tried their desserts too – pistachio, gianduja (hazelnut chocolate), and ricotta. The ricotta was too creamy/​rich for me, so we went with pistachio and gianduja. Their ice cream was good, but different than other ones I’ve had in Florence. Pistachio flavor was strong and had bits of pieces of nuts in them, but because of that, the texture was grainy. So I wasn’t a huge fan of it their gelato. But still, 5 stars for specialty food and friendly service :)

I’m so glad that I found Ara on Unilocal!While gelato is great, I wanted an Italian pastry in Italy too. It wasn’t super easy finding a cannoli in Italy, but I’m glad I waited for Ara. They don’t fill the shells until you order them. The shell was perfectly crispy and powdered with powdered sugar, the ricotta was fresh, smooth and creamy, and there was a little dusting of pistachio on one end and almonds on the other. He enjoyed his lemon sorbet. We also got for later an arancini with proscuitto. All this for 7 Euro.
The arancini was huge and it was still great later on. Who doesn’t like fried balls, right? The proscuitto was more finely mashed, I would have liked some pieces instead, but it was a solid snack indeed. I like how Ara offers a variety of sweet and savory items to snack on.

This is insanely good gelato and the cannoli was superb. We had 8 different flavors between the 4 of us – all were outstanding.

This is a very small but wonderful little place. It serves gelato and other little pastries. This is one of the best gelato places in Florence, as shared with us by some locals. They serve Sicilian style gelato here. You must try the ricotta gelato! The pistachio and almond gelato had small morsels of the nuts inside. Really fantastic! If you can find it, do not hesitate trying it!

Bel établissement. Le cannoli est exquis, préparé devant moi, ce qui montre que le produit est frais. Prix non exorbitant. A recommander!

This was the best cannoli I had in my life. The freshly piped cream was lightly sweetened and featured some of the nuanced flavors of the mascarpone. And while I don’t have Sicilian blood to make me an authority on the subject, I still can’t imagine that there is anything better outside of Sicily.

Came here on request of our apartment owner. She said here favorite ice cream was ricotta, as in the cheese. We went there and got all sorts of different flavors. The coffee was great, but the clear winner was ricotta.

Incredible cannoli and other Sicilian sweets – anything with cinnamon or almond paste is a good idea to try. Their gelato is not my favorite, texture-​wise, but it does have very interesting flavors.

Rating: ⁹²⁄₁₀₀ pts
I feel a burning obligation to mention that Ará served me the single best cannoli I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t try anything else, so this review is just for the one cannoli (err, cannolo) I had.
I found there to be a great deal more care and attention given to the ingredients and preparation. The cannoli shells are on display, empty, and filled to order. Crushed pistachios are sprinkled onto one end, crushed almonds on the other.
Most crucial, however, was the filling: it is not overly sweetened or processed; instead, it has an elegant flavor. The ricotta is fresh and rich enough to not have to rely on sugar; you can even see the lumpy texture. There are no hidden chocolate chips mixed in, nor is there a need for any.
Be sure to get your cannoli here. I imagine the other desserts are just as good, though.

I feel a burning obligation to mention that Ará served me the single best cannoli I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t try anything else, so this review is just for the one cannoli (err, cannolo) I had.
I found there to be a great deal more care and attention given to the ingredients and preparation. The cannoli shells are on display, empty, and filled to order. Crushed pistachios are sprinkled onto one end, crushed almonds on the other.
Most crucial, however, was the filling: it is not overly sweetened or processed; instead, it has an elegant flavor. The ricotta is fresh and rich enough to not have to rely on sugar; you can even see the lumpy texture. There are no hidden chocolate chips mixed in, nor is there a need for any.
Be sure to get your cannoli here. I imagine the other desserts are just as good, though.

This place was a safe haven for food. I was surprised to have an really nice American server tell me about all the wonder sicilian foods available. The ‘wraps’ and ‘buns’ have the highest quality ingredients you’ll love.
Also, the pistachio gelato is unique and excellent.
Our food snobbish group came back twice from Portland and California!

Sono Siculi! The best granita, cannoli, and Arancine north of Catania. They are the real deal, from southern Sicily.

One of my favorite places to get gelato. This place is a hidden gem! The interior us very cute and spacious compared to other gelato places. Their mandarin gelato was to die for