The 9 Best Cinnamon Rolls In NYC
That any one place "owns" a staple like the cinnamon roll is a bold claim. But doesn't it just makes sense New York City would crush the competition? Spending 24 hours in the Big Apple attests to a wealth of diners and corner stores, where proximity to a carafe of drip coffee signals these gooey, warming breakfast treats are near. If you're set on plumbing the depths of the city's sticky buns, we set about to highlight the best batches residents love — to the point of waking up early for.
Destinations for the swirly treat are abundant, and on the rise, with no two spots rolling the same dough. We examined yeasty swirls boasting brioche, croissant, and tender milk breads. We mapped glazes thick and thin. We scoped out French-style patisseries and humble walk-in joints, where phenomenal bakers fuse technique and craftsmanship. Self-taught or cultivated under the wing of other legendary establishments, these culinary maestros below have excelled at standing out from the crowd.
We know connoisseurs will come to the table, preferences a-blazing. In a city that never sleeps however, these pastries ascend the next level. So grab the napkins (you'll need 'em) and we'll commence with the dreamiest cinnamon buns begging for your time.
1. The Cinny at Welcome Home
Already on the radar for Brooklynites with a sweet tooth, it hasn't taken long for Welcome Home to make a splash among New York's best bakeries. Greeting the Bed-Stuy neighborhood at the end of 2024, it's a community hub doubling as a baking powerhouse. Visit the little green store on Bedford Avenue, where employees churn out loaves and cookies at a clip outmatched by early birds lined at the door. You won't want to skip the cinnamon roll, however, as locals urge — they're apparently too good to sleep on.
Playfully, the eatery refers to its glazed beauty as "The Cinny," which hits the counter immediately at 8 a.m. sharp. Anybody who's homesick for the buns baked by grandma will have no trouble digging into this version. Gooey, doughy, and laced with ribbons of cinnamon sugar, this is a homestyle roll containing craft in every swirl. What's also notable is how the pair behind Welcome Home, Isa Steyer and Billy Wright, share a past baking for another sticky bun destination, L'Appartement 4F. Clearly, their skills have paid off — otherwise it would not be racking up praise as one of the finest buns around. Pair it with a cup of steaming java, and Sunday will be lookin golden.
1047 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
2. Malted Cinnamon Bun at Hani's
Hani's remains a marvelous portrait of what quality pastry-making looks like in New York City. Miro and Shilpa Uskokovic's East Village shop is inviting — copious seating beckons visitors to stay, savoring whatever brew and beautiful confection pops out at them from the glass display of beautiful goodies. First-time customers will want to take home one of the triple chocolate chunk cookies (Uskokovic previously worked at Gramercy Tavern, a NYC bakery known for its chocolate chip cookies), but the flaky treats modeled after shakshukas and tikka paneer, remind us why we stop by.
Assuming you haven't indulged much beyond the canned kind, Hani's Malted Cinnamon Buns are going to be a tough act to follow. Brioche is the canvas the bakery works with to churn out its yeasty rolls. Bakers start kneading them out before sunrise, rolling, slicing, and coating the golden doughs with a malted milk cream cheese icing. They're noticeably sturdier in feel, chock-full of butter and spicy oozing in spades.
Open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (on weekends, it's pushed 30 minutes ahead), batches materialize throughout the day. But be warned, rolls are best scooped up outside peak hours. If you need one for your Sunday morning, step in before lunch.
67 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003
3. Cinnamon Roll at Ciao Gloria
It's pretty much standard grabbing a coffee to go with your pastry. For locals residing in the Prospect Heights area, starting their day might feature a pit-stop at Ciao Gloria. Renato Poliafito channels the sleek espresso bar experience of Italy, where guests can order a rustic sandwich with scratch-made focaccia or peruse elegant treats beckoning from the pastry case. Gooey yeast rolls might seem like a far cry from the Roman-style bites the menu pays tribute to. Consider, however, that the cafe's staff rolled dough at another city gem (Baked in Red Hook), and the sugary concoction seems to fit right in with the sleeker laminations.
The morning staple vanishes on the weekends, so newcomers should plan accordingly, lining up at opening or traipsing in during its off-hours. Your tastebuds will be rewarded. Those who've had them never fail to spread the word in any way they can. What pushes them over the edge is the structural integrity. Word on the street is they're insanely pillow-y in texture, with a moist center and just the right gob of frosting to sink your teeth into. The ratio of icing-to-bun is skillfully balanced, so even lovers of minimalist pastries can't resist its charms.
(716) 666-2426
550 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
4. Original Cinnamon Roll at Red Gate Bakery
Classic desserts, old-school techniques, a refreshingly modern space — each person who swings by Red Gate Bakery is treated to all three and then some. Nestled away in the East Village, the charming sweet shop slings artisan goods that are nostalgic, including quick breads and decadent birthday cakes. But there's a reason why locals keep showing up every week. Crowd favorites like the cinnamon rolls defy expectation, and one sugary whiff is exactly what it takes to earn customer after customer for life.
Sold on Wednesdays and Thursdays, there's something about the Original Cinnamon Roll that gives it its mouthwatering panache. Is it the dollop of icing, a tangy cream cheese spiked with brown sugar? The generous, plate-encompassing size? The speckled cinnamon drizzle splattered across the tops as if flung from the ghost of Jackson Pollock? It puts the "cinnamon" in cinnamon roll, should folks on the hunt crave an unapologetic pastry with a point-of-view. We'd also visit on the weekend, which is when the bakery gets feisty with specialty buns. Prior riffs in the rotation put fruity and savory flavors at the forefront, including Black Cherry Vanilla Swirl, Fig & Goat Cheese, and a peanut butter and jelly offering with crackly Ritz Cracker toffee bits.
(646) 870-5553
68 E 1st St, New York, NY 10003
5. Cinnamon Roll at Ceremonia Bakeshop
When it comes to cinnamon rolls, folks have a different idea of what makes them tasty. If you're not into mountains of frosting requiring you to knife-and-fork it, the one Ceremonia Bakeshop in Williamsburg sells is a reliable choice. Although the cinnamon roll lacks the smeary crown of classic sticky buns, you're not getting any stale pastry here. The roll itself is nice and squishy, while the bakery coats each pinwheel in a shimmery sugar glaze. It's pretty mess-free where a cinnamon roll is concerned, which for a city that's so mobile, undoubtedly adds to to its appeal as a treat to grab and go.
Whether for a quick latte or savoring one of the flakiest croissants known to man, the stylish blue building is a stellar in-and-out spot. Demand is currently at an all-time high for the cinnamon rolls: Because of how common shortages have been, supply's been bumped up to a daily rollout. Although business starts at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. (depending on the day), word on the street is the rolls pop out later in the morning. If you can't sustain the sugar rush on its own, make sure to tack on one of the breakfast burritos — they're the talk of the town.
(347) 384-2212
743 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
6. Sugar Glazed at Sunday Morning
In the Big Apple, restaurants exist for one entire specialty. If you've ever wondered "where's the cinnamon rolls?" allow Sunday Morning to be your dedicated pit-stop. It's new to the East Village, garnering immense foot traffic for the buffet of buns couple Armando Litiatco and Ahmet Kiranbay dole out. What awaits — besides the huge line — is made-from-scratch bliss, with new trays turning over at lightning speed.
One of the reasons locals go bonkers, clearing out stock long before closing time? It lies, of course, in how ridiculously huge and moist the cinnamon rolls are. The duo's recipe deserves all the credit, which relies on a six-hour proof (the hardest bread baking step to get right, by the way) that rises the standard of sticky rolls past and present. The 10 varieties at hand are indulgent, spanning iconic vintage no-bake desserts like bananas foster to pistachio mascarpone and blueberry lemon curd. For the sake of tradition, you can't go wrong with sugar glazed. One of the standard offerings, the icing is a little runnier, and it spills across the yeasty mound, with no cinnamon-y swirl-age missing from the equation.
29 Avenue B New York, NY 10009
7. Cinnamon Bun at Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop
With no formal training, Susan Palmer's passion for baking resulted in a web blog, titled Little Red Kitchen, in 2014. A mere 10 years passed before she unveiled a bake shop, touting the same name, in Park Slope. The local stop is prized for its goodie bag staples, particularly cookies and traditional Jewish specialties like challah. But its cinnamon roll has gained traction, becoming popular enough to warrant a purchase limit.
Palmer's pastries are all worth trying, but it's plain to see the cinnamon bun is considered an unbeatable addition to the neighborhood. The bakery prioritizes stellar ingredients, and takes no shortcuts in spinning the yeasty treat with care that's deserved. The dough is composed out of Japanese milk bread (the perfect texture for French toast), and spread with a plentiful layer of streusel filling. Extra touches, like a butter-soaked bottom crumb, separates it from its counterparts on the bodega shelves.
For the breakfast crowds, make sure to check them out on weekends, Saturday and Sunday, but don't be tempted to sleep in: They sell out. Luckily, the eatery helps alleviate heartbreak by offering a pre-order service — particularly when larger loots are in order.
(347) 815-4824
603 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
8. Big Cinnamon Roll at Loser's Eating House
Shopping mall vendors have nothing on Loser's Eating House. At $20 apiece, the kitchen's Big Cinnamon Roll usurps most breakfast pastries on price, not to mention succeeds at building a treat made for sharing. Utensils are critical to eating one of these monstrosities. It makes the swap to sourdough and brioche to give a bun a butter tenderness. It's submerged in a pool of icing, which is composed of olive oil and sea salt from Maldon, an earthier alternative to sugar bombs like Cinnabon. Presentation-wise, it's hard to see where bun begins and icing ends, and every forkful is a total dream.
There's no centralized space housing the joint's downright massive cinnamon rolls. It's a pop-up venture and operates a pre-ordering system, coordinating drop-offs around the city (usually Sundays). Before online ordering, foodies could partake in the viral dessert at other locales, collaborations with Jean's being a regular occurrence. The eatery showcases chef Lizzy Khoury's wares, from elevated American grub to buzzy cakes.
Soho, New York, NY 10013
9. Cinnamon Roll at L'Appartement 4F
Now at the finish line, join us for one of the more viral offerings the big city's been baking up. Like many of us quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gautier and Ashley Coiffard huddled indoors building a spectacular sourdough loaf recipe. The only difference is that the couple turned their side gig into a full-time business: L'Appartement 4 is situated in two neighborhoods, Brooklyn Heights and the West Village. Most of its items are prepared at an off-site warehouse, yet don't be fooled: The eatery sticks to its script consistently for refined, Euro-inspired goods.
As you might have suspected, the pair dole out sultry buns which are crafted with a sensibility that's purely Parisian. The spot's lauded pastry is forged out of laminated dough to give the cinnamon rolls a croissant-like texture. From there, it's glamorously enrobed with a swipe of creamy vanilla icing. It's definitely sophisticated-looking on the outside, but tearing off a piece unravels the cinnamon-y burst recalling sleepy Sundays at home.
An architectural show-stopper you can eat, L'Appartement zhuzhs up the food court staple with a French twist. Finding yourself in a hurry? It's part of the NYC experience and the Manhattan outpost, with its takeout setup, is particularly great for a bun on the run.
Multiple locations
Methodology
To settle on the best spots for cinnamon rolls was a tough feat. There's a craft to making great ones, and dining establishments, regardless of their background, never make them exactly the same. Upon embarking on this list, my primary focus from the start was to pinpoint the pastries locals wouldn't stop talking about. TikTok and Reddit provided excellent first-hand accounts and taste-tests — undeniably the fodder needed to form my selections.
Provoking the sort of organic raves common on social media forums were invaluable, but I also tapped input from a wide range of media and industry outlets. Legacy sources like Bon Appetit, Grub Street, Infatuation, and the New York Times rounded out news and feature-length pieces from local publications. In terms of criteria, finding bakeries or coffee shops prized for a unique recipe definitely got extra points, as did longevity and overall popularity. Even if the business was relatively newer, any bakers possessing notable expertise or culinary techniques got my attention. Hopefully these picks inspire your next vacation — or if you're local, a new delicious ritual to take part in.