We Ranked 10 New York’s Best Cinnamon Rolls And The Winners Are Absolutely Worth The Drive
What’s the one thing that can convince you to spend hours on the road? A concert?
A beach getaway? Or… a cinnamon roll the size of your dreams? If you picked the last option, welcome to the club.
After all, some baked treats deserve their own fan base. Taylor Swift has Swifties, and New York’s best cinnamon rolls might just have their own loyal followers.
Soft, gooey, dripping with icing, and packed with cinnamon goodness, these pastries prove that breakfast can absolutely steal the spotlight. But which bakery serves the roll that’s actually worth filling up the gas tank for?
We set out to rank ten of New York’s most irresistible cinnamon rolls, and the winners aren’t just delicious. They’re the kind of sweet stops you’ll be talking about long after the last sticky bite disappears.
1. Tall Poppy
Nobody warned us that a bakery using leftover croissant scraps would create something this extraordinary. Tall Poppy, located at 156 W 20th St in Chelsea, opened in September 2024 and immediately earned a devoted following.
The concept alone is genius: laminated croissant dough repurposed into cinnamon buns that are tall, pull-apart, and impossibly pillowy.
The result is something that sits right between a croissant and a classic bun. Each layer peels away with that satisfying, buttery resistance you only get from properly laminated dough.
The cinnamon butter filling is aromatic without being overwhelming, and the cream cheese frosting on top is thick enough to be its own event.
Seasonal variations keep things exciting too. A coquito bun with caramelized coconut and coconut nog frosting is the kind of limited-edition treat that makes you wish it was available year-round.
Tall Poppy operates as a small-batch bakery, which means freshness is never a question. French techniques meet bold, creative flavors in every single bite.
This spot landed at the top of our list because it genuinely reimagined what a cinnamon bun could be, and the answer is breathtaking.
2. Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning on Avenue B is the kind of place that makes you want to cancel all your plans and just stay. Located at 29 Avenue B in the East Village, this bakery is entirely dedicated to the art of the cinnamon roll, and it takes that responsibility very seriously.
The rolls here are huge. Not just big, genuinely enormous.
They are crafted in a classic American style with a soft, pillowy texture that makes the center the most coveted bite on the plate.
The dough goes through a triple-proofing process that takes about six hours per batch, which explains why the texture is so impossibly light.
What sets Sunday Morning apart is the rotating menu of approximately ten flavors available daily. Premium ingredients like Belgian Callebaut chocolate and house-made fruit preserves show up throughout the lineup.
The cream cheese frosting is described by fans as unmatched, and after experiencing it firsthand, that reputation holds up completely. Less sugar in the dough means the flavors of the fillings actually shine through.
Sunday Morning is proof that when someone commits fully to one thing, the results can be absolutely stunning.
3. Benji’s Buns
Benji’s Buns arrived in New York in July 2025 with a reputation already built on London market stalls, and the hype was absolutely justified.
Stationed at 122 Christopher St in the West Village, this spot specializes in cinnamon buns that are gooey, oversized, and honestly a little bit outrageous in the best possible way.
Each bun measures four to five inches in diameter. The dough is thick and soft, loaded with cinnamon swirl, and finished with generous frosting that pools into every crevice.
The Original Glazed is a crowd-pleaser, the Vanilla Frosted with cream cheese icing is a full commitment, and the Lotus Biscoff version is something people genuinely plan their days around.
Weekly and seasonal specials like Oreo Cookie, Strawberries and Cream, and Pumpkin Spice keep the menu feeling fresh and exciting.
Benji’s caters to the late-night dessert crowd, which means when your sweet tooth shows up at an inconvenient hour, this place has your back. There is something deeply satisfying about a cinnamon bun that requires two hands and zero apologies.
Benji’s Buns delivers exactly that, every single time.
4. Welcome Home
The name says it all, and the cinnamon rolls back it up completely. Welcome Home at 1047 Bedford Ave in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has quietly become one of the most talked-about bakeries in the borough.
The atmosphere is warm and inviting, but honestly, the rolls are the real reason people keep coming back.
What makes these cinnamon rolls remarkable is the balance. The dough is light and fluffy without being airy to the point of feeling empty.
The filling is present and flavorful. The frosting carries a subtle hint of cream cheese that adds richness without tipping into overwhelming sweetness.
It all just works together in a way that feels effortless.
These rolls sell out quickly, which tells you everything you need to know about how the neighborhood feels about them.
Showing up early is not optional here, it is strategy. The bakery has built a loyal following in Bed-Stuy by consistently delivering something that feels both comforting and special.
Welcome Home is the kind of spot that reminds you why neighborhood bakeries matter so much. Every bite genuinely feels like someone made it just for you.
5. Kaylena Marie’s Artisan Bakery And Cafe
Buffalo does not get enough credit in the food conversation, and Kaylena Marie’s is exactly the reason it should.
Tucked into 884 Main St in downtown Buffalo, this artisan bakery and cafe is celebrated for its legendary oversized cinnamon rolls, baked fresh every single day without exception.
The classic cinnamon roll here is everything you want from the genre: big, golden, fragrant, and generously frosted. But the real showstopper is the Cinnamon Roll French Toast.
One of their signature rolls gets sliced, grilled, dusted with powdered sugar, and drizzled with glaze. It is then served with fresh berries and maple syrup in a combination that feels almost too good to be a real thing.
That French Toast creation is the kind of menu item that makes food writers stop mid-sentence and just stare. It bridges the gap between pastry and breakfast in a way that is creative without being gimmicky.
Kaylena Marie’s proves that great baking is not limited to New York City zip codes.
Buffalo has been holding this gem quietly, and it is high time the rest of the state made the drive to find out what they have been missing.
6. Spirals
A bakery called Spirals that is entirely dedicated to cinnamon rolls feels like the universe finally listened. Located at 137 1st Ave in the East Village, Spirals takes its mission seriously and delivers on it with creative precision.
The Original Cinnamon Roll here is the anchor of the menu, and it earns that status easily.
The filling is a cinnamon caramelized-sugar blend that gets deeply golden and slightly sticky during baking. The vanilla-bean cream cheese frosting on top is smooth and balanced, not cloyingly sweet.
The finishing touch is a signature sugar cookie spiral placed right on top, which is both decorative and genuinely delicious as an extra little treat.
Monthly rotating flavors keep regulars coming back to see what is new. A vegan cinnamon roll option ensures that nobody gets left out of the experience.
The cinnamon roll challah is a crossover that sounds unusual but makes complete sense once you taste it. Spirals understands that a great cinnamon roll is not just about ingredients, it is about intention.
Every detail here feels considered, from the garnish down to the dough itself. This is a spot that takes joy seriously.
7. Ceremonia Bakeshop
Ceremonia Bakeshop in Williamsburg is doing something genuinely different, and it deserves recognition for the courage that takes.
Found at 743 Driggs Ave in Brooklyn, this bakery approaches the cinnamon roll more like a pastry than a traditional bun, and the result is a completely unique experience worth seeking out.
Instead of cream cheese frosting, the roll here is finished with a gorgeous sugary glaze that creates a crunchy, smooth exterior shell. Underneath that glaze, the interior is moist and tender.
The contrast between the crisp outside and the soft inside is unexpected and deeply satisfying in a way that classic rolls rarely achieve.
Ceremonia also serves brunch items and coffee in a setting that feels genuinely charming. It is the kind of neighborhood spot where you end up staying longer than planned because everything about it is welcoming.
The decision to go glaze over frosting is bold, and it pays off completely. This roll proves that there is more than one way to make a cinnamon roll extraordinary.
Sometimes the best version of something familiar is the one that quietly breaks the rules and makes you wonder why nobody did it sooner.
8. L’Appartement 4F
Walking up to L’Appartement 4F feels like stumbling onto a tiny slice of Paris in the middle of New York.
Nestled at 119 W 10th St in the West Village, this charming takeaway window has built a devoted following around its hand-rolled croissants and artisanal pastries crafted with meticulous French technique.
The cinnamon roll here fits naturally into that philosophy. While it does not announce itself loudly, it reflects the same careful craftsmanship that defines everything else on the menu.
The approach blends classic French baking methods with creative flair, resulting in something that feels refined without being fussy. The Petit Croissant Cereale, coated in cinnamon sugar syrup, gives a clear signal of how seriously this bakery takes cinnamon as a flavor element.
There is a quiet confidence to everything L’Appartement 4F produces. Nothing here is trying too hard, which somehow makes it all the more impressive.
The West Village setting suits the bakery perfectly: elegant, understated, and worth a special trip.
If your cinnamon roll preference leans toward the sophisticated side of the spectrum rather than the indulgent, this is exactly where you need to be standing on a Saturday morning with nowhere else to be.
9. SINBUN Kitchen And Bakery
SINBUN Kitchen And Bakery in Syracuse is doing something that most bakeries would never dare attempt: reinventing the cinnamon bun from the ground up, both sweet and savory.
Located at 484 S Salina St in Syracuse, this spot has built a loyal local following by treating the humble cinnamon bun as a blank canvas for serious culinary creativity.
The Classic Cinnamon Bun anchors the menu and earns its place there without question. It is the kind of reliable, comforting bun that reminds you why you loved cinnamon rolls in the first place.
But then things get interesting.
The Creme Brulee Bun leans into dessert territory with real confidence and pulls it off beautifully.
The savory side of the menu is where SINBUN truly separates itself from every other bakery on this list. A Pizza Bun, a Mac and Cheese Bun, and a Cheeseburger Bun, all filled with garlic herb butter and cheese, prove that the cinnamon bun format is more versatile than anyone gave it credit for.
Syracuse might not be the first city that comes to mind for a food pilgrimage, but SINBUN is a genuinely compelling reason to reconsider that assumption entirely.
10. Go Frost Yourself
Go Frost Yourself in Rochester has a name that instantly tells you this bakery has personality, and it delivers on that promise with every single item it produces.
Situated at 2544 Ridgeway Ave, Suite A in Rochester, this specialty bakery is known for its custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies, scones, and brownies crafted with real care and creativity.
While the bakery is best known for its event-ready custom creations, the cinnamon maple flavor that runs through their frosting and cake offerings gives a clear nod to warm, spiced sweetness.
That cinnamon maple combination is cozy, familiar, and executed with the kind of skill that makes everything taste intentional rather than accidental.
Go Frost Yourself represents a different kind of cinnamon roll experience: one built around flavor inspiration rather than a traditional bun format.
For anyone in the Rochester area looking for something sweet, spiced, and beautifully made, this bakery is a destination worth marking on your map.
The personality of this place comes through in every detail, from the cheeky name to the artistry of what comes out of the kitchen. Rochester has a gem here, and the rest of New York is just starting to catch on.