15 of the Best Cinnamon Rolls in America

Nobody warns you that a good cinnamon roll ruins the mall-kiosk version forever. The first time I pulled apart a warm, hand-rolled spiral and watched the icing slide into every groove, the shrink-wrapped kind stopped counting for me.

I have been chasing that first bite across the country for years, and the best ones turn out to be worth the plane ticket. Something about a roll made by hand, at dawn, by people who take it seriously just hits differently.

These are the bakeries and diners that treat the cinnamon roll like a main event. Below, a cross-country lineup from Alaska to South Carolina where the roll is the reason people line up before the doors open, with a proud Texas stop to bring it home.

1. Ann Sather, Illinois

Ann Sather bought a tired Swedish diner on Belmont Avenue in 1945 and cashed in her savings to do it. Almost eighty years later, the cinnamon rolls she made famous still arrive too big for the plate, drowned under warm, sliding icing.

These are Swedish-style rolls, soft and gentle on the spice, and they come as a side with nearly every breakfast. Regulars order a whole plate of them on their own, and I do not blame them one bit.

Three neighborhood locations all bake the rolls, so you are never far from a warm one in Chicago. Come with an appetite and a few friends, because you will want the extras. The Swedish pancakes and lingonberries are worth a detour too.

Where: 909 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

2. Knaus Berry Farm, Florida

Here is the catch that makes people plan their whole winter around it: Knaus Berry Farm only opens from November through mid-April. The German Baptist family has run this Redland farm stand since 1956, and the cinnamon rolls sell out fast.

They are sticky, tender, and pull apart in long ribbons. The line can stretch an hour deep, and nobody in it seems to mind. This is a working farm, so the strawberries and tomatoes are the real deal.

Check the calendar before you drive down, because the season is short and the rolls are the whole reason to come. Grab a strawberry milkshake while you wait, then buy a second box for the road. One box never survives the trip home.

Where: 16790 SW 177th Ave, Miami, FL 33187

3. Isles Bun & Coffee, Minnesota

In 2024 a year-long search across four continents crowned this little shop near Lake of the Isles the home of the world’s best cinnamon roll. That is a big title for a small storefront, and one bite tells you it earned it.

The cream cheese frosting is thick, tangy, and slathered on without restraint. The shop opens early and the smell reaches you from halfway down the sidewalk, which is a genuinely unfair advantage on a cold Minneapolis morning.

Save room for the two-dollar Puppy Dog Tails, made from the roll-dough ends and dusted in cinnamon sugar. They are the local secret worth ordering by the handful.

Bring cash and a little patience for the weekend crowd. The coffee is strong enough to earn its spot on the shop’s name, and the neighborhood setting by the lake makes it an easy morning stroll.

Where: 1424 W 28th St, Minneapolis, MN 55408

4. The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, Oklahoma

Ree Drummond turned a quiet little town into a food destination when she opened The Mercantile in 2016. Climb the stairs to the second-floor bakery and the cinnamon rolls and sticky buns are stacked fresh behind the glass.

They are unapologetically generous, the kind of roll built for a ranch appetite. The whole town of Pawhuska leans into the fun around them, from the deli counter downstairs to the shop full of enamelware.

Pawhuska is a real road trip for most people, so make a morning of it and take your coffee out on the balcony. Pair the roll with a slow cup and settle in for the view. The drive through Osage County is half the reward.

Where: 532 Kihekah Ave, Pawhuska, OK 74056

5. Snow City Cafe, Alaska

When President Obama swung through Anchorage in 2015, he eyed the cinnamon rolls at Snow City Cafe and bought every last one straight off the shelf. That is a strong endorsement from a man with somewhere to be.

The rolls are soft, oversized, and exactly what you want after a cold walk downtown. It has become a proper Anchorage landmark since, presidential seal of approval included, and the breakfast menu around it is just as beloved.

The cafe sits a block from the Hotel Captain Cook, so it is easy to fold into a morning. Get there early, because the presidential move is to buy them all. Weekend waits are common, and locals will tell you the line moves fast.

Where: 1034 W 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501

6. Sill’s Cafe, Utah

Sill’s has fed the small town of Layton for more than fifty years, and its sweet roll is genuinely plate-sized, a cinnamon bun so wide a whole table can share one. Food Network once named this spot the best breakfast in Utah.

It is the kind of old-school diner where the generous portions are half the story and the regulars are the other half. The chicken-fried steak and Utah scones have their own loyal following.

Layton sits roughly halfway between Salt Lake City and Ogden, which makes it a perfect road-trip detour. Come with company, because finishing one of these alone is a real commitment. Order a scone on the side and see how far you get.

Where: 335 E Gentile St, Layton, UT 84041

7. Cinnaholic, California

Shannon and Florian Radke opened the first Cinnaholic in Berkeley in 2010 with one radical idea: a gourmet cinnamon roll that is one hundred percent vegan and built to order. A 2014 turn on Shark Tank sent the concept nationwide.

You pick the frosting, then pile on toppings until the roll is yours alone. Cookie dough, fresh strawberries, a drizzle of caramel: the combinations are basically endless, and none of them taste like a compromise.

Even lifelong butter-and-sugar loyalists tend to leave impressed. It has since returned to Berkeley near the UC campus, which feels like a homecoming worth celebrating. Students and visitors alike treat it as a reliable sweet-tooth stop, and the warm-out-of-the-oven option is the one to order.

Where: Hearst Food Court, Berkeley, CA 94709 (across from UC Berkeley’s north side)

8. Duffeyrolls, Colorado

Duffeyrolls has been a Denver morning ritual since 1986, and the flavor list is where it wins me over. Zesty Orange, Irish Cream, Mountain Maple, English Toffee, Pecanilla Crunch: the frosting is very much the point here.

The rolls are handcrafted and generous, sold across a few neighborhood cafes around the city. Mornings go quickly here, so swing by early, and know that the classic is just as good as the wilder flavors.

My advice is to bring a group and order one of everything so nobody has to choose. Then trade bites around the table until you find your favorite. The old VW-bus cart out front is a fun photo while you wait.

Where: 2418 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO 80211

9. Bakery Nouveau, Washington

West Seattle knows Bakery Nouveau for its twice-baked croissants, but the morning buns and cinnamon rolls quietly deserve the same devotion. Precise, buttery, and European in spirit, they are a happy throwback to mid-century cafes.

The cinnamon rolls even arrive with a citrus mascarpone frosting served on the side, so you control exactly how much sweetness lands. Get a bun, get a croissant, and find a seat by the window.

Where: 4737 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

10. Willa Jean, Louisiana

James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Kelly Fields opened Willa Jean in New Orleans in 2015 and named it for her grandmother. The cinnamon rolls here carry that Southern-bakery warmth, rich and gooey with a proper crackle of sugar.

It is a full bakery and restaurant in the Warehouse District, so you can turn a roll into a leisurely brunch. Add a biscuit for the table while you are at it, because the cornbread and cocktails have their own devoted fans.

Where: 611 O’Keefe Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113

11. Flour Bakery, Massachusetts

Joanne Chang left a management-consulting career and a Harvard math degree to bake, and Boston is better for it. She opened Flour in 2000, and her sticky buns, a sugar-drenched cousin of the cinnamon roll, once beat Bobby Flay in a televised throwdown.

Pillowy dough, deep caramel, and toasted pecans: this is the roll turned all the way up. There are several Flour locations now, so ask for the sticky bun warm and you will understand the result.

Where: 1595 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

12. Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Michigan

Zingerman’s Bakehouse started three decades ago in Ann Arbor with a single customer and grew into an artisan institution with its own baking school. The cinnamon roll shows that craft off beautifully.

It is built on rich brioche dough, filled with brown sugar and Korintje cinnamon, and finished with a vanilla-scented glaze. Baked fresh daily, it is the kind of roll you drive across town to catch warm while the glaze is still setting.

The attached bakeshop even teaches classes if you want to make them at home. Time your visit for the morning batch and you will taste the difference. The magic-brownie and sour-cream coffee cake are worth a look too.

Where: 3711 Plaza Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48108

13. Breads Bakery, New York

Leave it to New York to reinvent the shape. Breads Bakery near Union Square coils its cinnamon roll into a flaky, babka-inspired disc, all tight swirls and shattering layers rather than the usual soft spiral.

It has become a genuine local institution, and the pastry counter behind it is a full tour of the bakery’s talent. The Israeli-style baking here treats butter and chocolate with real seriousness.

It is an easy stop before or after a wander through Union Square. Grab a chocolate babka too, because you already know you want one, then take the long way through the park to eat it. The morning croissants disappear early.

Where: 18 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003

14. WildFlour Pastry, South Carolina

WildFlour Pastry runs a beloved tradition in Charleston called Sticky Bun Sunday, when the cinnamon rolls and pecan sticky buns come out and the line forms early. Sunday is the day the main draw appears.

The cinnamon rolls wear a thick cap of cream cheese icing, and the sticky buns carry so many pecans they nearly outweigh the dough. This is a genuine neighborhood bakery, small and warm and worth the wait.

This little Cannonborough shop is worth reshuffling your weekend for. Weekdays still shine, but Sunday is when the magic really happens, so come at opening and expect a happy queue. The rest of the pastry case rarely disappoints either.

Where: 73 Spring St, Charleston, SC 29403

15. Upper Crust Bakery, Texas

Every good list comes home to Texas, and Upper Crust has anchored Austin’s Rosedale neighborhood for about thirty years. Its cinnamon rolls are the oft-copied kind, made with croissant dough and an honest blizzard of cinnamon and sugar.

These are dense and buttery rather than fluffy, with no icing needed, just layers and spice. Locals have been tipping each other off about these for decades, and the recipe has been imitated all over town.

Come early, though, because Austin knows exactly what it has and these sell out. Pair one with a strong coffee and claim a table before the rush. The cakes and pies in the case are a fine excuse to come back.

Where: 4508 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Plan Your Cross-Country Cinnamon Roll Run

A whole cross-country lineup of rolls, spread from Alaska to South Carolina, and not a single mall kiosk among them. Each one is somebody’s pride, baked fresh and served warm.

Whether you are chasing the world’s-best title in Minneapolis, the plate-sized giant in Utah, or the buttery layers here in Austin, the through-line is the same: someone rolled it by hand and meant it.

Pick the closest one, go early, and try not to finish the box before your next stop. Then start planning the drive to the next, because once you have had a proper roll, the craving has a way of pointing you down the highway.

Featured image: Taylor Wagen via Upper Crust Bakery