You might think of cinnamon rolls as the sticky-sweet aroma that sits at the corners of busy shopping centers, enticing shoppers for a satisfying bite. Or maybe you think of coming home to the spiced spirals fresh out of the oven, serving as edible nostalgia.
The cinnamon roll is originally from Sweden, where they are called kanelbulle, and is a key pastry in Scandinavian baking. Popularly served in Nordic countries in Northern Europe, the bun is traditionally enjoyed during what is called fika, a gathering with friends.
Different variations of the cinnamon rolls can be found all throughout New York City, whether you love a gooey, sticky variation or a bun topped with a thick layer of frosting. We’ve rounded up our favorite cinnamon rolls in NYC, so happy indulging!
See also: The 8 Best Cardamom Buns In NYC
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Multiple locations / 718.744.4803 / Website
Bourke Street Bakery came to New York just about four years ago from the land down under. Founders Paul Allam and David McGuinness created the bakery's first international location, with all Bourke Street Bakery locations now boasting a menu crafted entirely from scratch, by hand and in-house. Menu items marry Sydney and New York with delectable eats like sausage rolls and their famous cinnamon-raisin swirls. Each layer of pastry is covered in cinnamon and sprinkled with raisins.
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1 Ludlow St. / 917.382.0278 / Website
Mel The Bakery offers a rotating menu of breads, pastries, coffees and more. Known for their hearth sourdough breads, all of the baked menu items are handmade with grain sourced from organic regional farms. Their cinnamon rolls have a crispy outer shell with a sweet white dollop of icing on top. Be sure to try their focaccia bread while you’re there, it’s incredible!
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743 Driggs Ave., Brooklyn / 347.384.2212 / Website
This small family-owned and operated bakery whips up homemade pastries baked fresh daily. They are known for their cinnamon rolls, having gained a cult following for the perfectly glazed, oversized buns that are risen to perfection before baking. We also love their chewy sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles, because who doesn’t love rainbow sprinkles?
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10 Morton St / 212.691.5000 / Website
The Doughnut Project is known for its elaborate custom doughnuts made for collaborations, like their golden A doughnuts for the release of “Avengers Endgame” on digital and Blu-Ray. Their cinnamon buns are shiny with glaze and have a big dollop of icing to fulfill your sweet-tooth dreams. Their shops are open Wednesday through Sunday until all pastries are sold out.
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Multiple locations / Website
Experience love at first bite with Umber Ahmad’s pastries at Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery. Mahzedahr is an Urdu word describing the spirit that makes something special, which is how the founder and head chef would describe her pastries. The founder’s family is originally from Pakistan, but she grew up appreciating the flavors she tasted on her travels. The merged flavors are prevalent in the bakery’s items. If you are a cinnamon roll fanatic, you can even have them shipped to your house once or by subscription as often as you’d like.
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229 1st Ave. / 917.475.1620 / Website
Cinnamon brown sugar paste and cream cheese glaze combine to form this incredible cinnamon bun, which you would never guess is vegan. Petit Chou is a French-inspired bakery that focuses specifically on choux pastry, which serves as the base dough for eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles.
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727 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn / 718.389.3676 / Website
Peter Pan Donut & Pastry shop is a historic location in Brooklyn, serving local families for more than 60 years. The cozy bakery has kept most of it’s nostalgic ‘50s feel with a checkerboard floor and original recipes. Each of their donuts sells fresh and at $1.75, while the cinnamon rolls sell at only $2.25. But even non-Brooklynites might catch a sense of familiarity in the employee’s teal and pink uniforms. This shop was featured in “Spider Man: No Way Home” as MJ’s part-time gig (and yes, she does wear the uniform). Its mouth-watering menu includes variations of the classic jelly-filled donuts, muffins, crullers and a hearty cinnamon bun doused in vanilla frosting.
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Multiple locations / Website
With three existing NYC locations and two more in the works, Ole & Steen bakes up a huge number of perfect pastries every day. Multiple of Ole & Steen’s pastries qualify as a cinnamon roll in our book, including the Cinnamon Social with soft pastry and rich vanilla custard and the Cinnamon Swirl consisting of flaky pastry with cinnamon paste, vanilla custard and icing. This bakery is also a great stop if you’re looking for savory options such as soups and sandwiches.
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205 Leonard St., Brooklyn / Website
This bakery has a reputation for having such outstanding goods that regulars choose to gatekeep rather than share New York’s best-kept secret. The menu opened with just four simple breads, but it has grown to feature local favorites such as croissants and cinnamon rolls. Their rolls are perfect for those who are looking for a less-sweet option with just enough cinnamon and a fluffy bite.
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17 East 27th St / 212.901.1015 / Website
You might recognize some of Dominique Ansel’s viral creations like the cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid) and the cookie shot. The award-winning pastry chef owns several bakeries in New York, including the newest addition, the Dominique Ansel Workshop. His innovative tendencies have brought us the beautifully braided cinnamon apple cider roll. With a maple custard-soaked brioche, cinnamon filling and apple cider frosting, this chef’s take is a must-try.
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348 W 14th St / 917.261.2476 / Website
This Swedish cult favorite bakery absolutely took NYC by storm when it opened its Meatpacking District location back in 2019. This bakery makes pastries so good that they now ship nationally via Goldbelly. The buns are braided in classic Swedish style, making them just as beautiful as they are delicious.
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550 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn / 716.666.2426 / Website
Prospect Heights locals love this bakery, which was brought to life by Renato Poliafito and Ginger Fisher Baldwin of Red Hook’s iconic bakeshop Baked. This Italian cafe is known for its pastries, including incredible croissants filled with pistachio crema, Neapolitan tri-color bars, biscotti, and of course, cinnamon rolls, which are topped with a thick layer of cream cheese icing. Be sure to arrive early to secure a pastry, as this shop tends to gather quite a crowd.
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Multiple locations / Website
To be honest, we pretty much consider Breads Bakery our one-stop-shop when it comes to all things pastry and bakery related. This NYC staple bakes tons of breads, cakes, brownies, croissants, cinnamon rolls and more, and you can pretty much never go wrong with anything on the menu. The cinnamon rolls are super flaky, as all good pastries are.
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Multiple locations / Website
This Israeli bakery located on the Lower East Side serves up delicious pastries such as burekas, rugalach, babka, challah and more. Chef Adir Michaeli received his training from well-known pastry chef Roni Fredy Mordechai, meaning you know these pastries are divine. The cinnamon rolls are perfectly sweet and chewy, and always satisfy our sweet tooth.
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80 Spring St. / 212.965.1414 / Website
Clean flavors and a crisp, flaky texture make Balthazar Bakery’s cinnamon rolls the perfect snack for any time of day. There’s a reason this all-day French spot is so famous, with the bakery even selling wholesale. The steak frites are also incredible, so you might as well make a whole meal out of your visit!
Whether you prefer a sticky cinnamon bun or a flaky variety with tons of cream cheese frosting, New York City has you covered with these delicious options. We can't wait to hear which is your favorite!
Photography by: Olivia Free / Getty Images
