Bova’s Bakery

Bova's Bakery has been a fixture of the North End since the 1920s; it gives its own date as 1925, though other accounts cite 1926 or 1932. It was founded by Antonio Bova, an Italian immigrant whose sons worked in the business, and it began as a bread bakery before branching out. Its best-known feature today is that it is open 24 hours a day, which makes it useful for late-night snacks as well as early breakfasts.

The range is wide. On the sweet side there are Italian specialty cookies, cannoli, pastries and pies, and on the savoury side there are calzones, rice balls and Sicilian-style pizza, alongside the fresh Italian bread that was the original speciality. Pizzas were added in the 1990s. For a quick meal, a slice and a rice ball make a filling, low-cost option, and a bag of cookies is an easy gift to take home.

Bova's is known for long-standing queues at peak times, but because it never closes, you can usually avoid the worst of them by visiting early in the morning or late in the evening. As a general tip, it is a good choice when other North End pastry shops have closed for the night, and it is worth having a look at the savoury counter even if you came for dessert.

It suits budget travellers, night owls, families and anyone who wants a less polished, more neighbourhood-style bakery than the famous names on Hanover Street. It is a takeaway counter rather than a café, so plan to eat elsewhere. In March 2023 it closed for a week while it served as a filming location, a reminder of how much a part of the neighbourhood's character it has become.

Late at night, the bakery is a practical choice for a last bite on the way back to a hotel, and its savoury counter offers more than the usual sweet pastries.

Salem Street runs through the heart of the North End, and Bova's is on the same street as Old North Church and Neptune Oyster. Hanover Street's pastry shops and cafés, including Mike's Pastry and Caffè Vittoria, are nearby, so a visit fits easily into an evening walk around the neighbourhood or a stop on the Freedom Trail.