L.A.’s Most Sensational Cinnamon Rolls

The 9 best spiced, iced buns—ranked.

Every holiday season, I crave cinnamon buns. Or cinnamon rolls. Whatever you choose to call the rolled, cinnamon-spiced, ideally iced or frosted pastries (I will be using the terms interchangeably here), they are undeniably festive. According to Wikipedia, cinnamon rolls are “particularly popular during the Christmas season in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic.” In America, we love to eat them on Christmas morning. I don’t even celebrate Christmas (I’m Jewish), but in recent years, I’ve taken to making King Arthur’s Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls over the course of December 24th and 25th. They are perfect and they are pillowy, and I highly recommend the recipe.

I will not be engaging in the tradition this year, however, because I’ve already eaten my fair share of cinnamon rolls over the past several weeks. Yes, I have traversed the city to bring you The Angel’s definitive ranking of L.A.’s most sensational cinnamon buns.

But first, let me set myself up for success by defining what constitutes a cinnamon roll. When I put out a call on Instagram in search of the best cinnamon rolls in L.A., I said that sticky buns count. That was dumb of me because, actually, sticky buns don’t count. They are entirely different pastries: sticky buns contain nuts, have to be inverted like a tarte tatin, and are, well, sticky. Cinnamon rolls have none of these traits. They are gooey, not sticky.

Other similar but distinct pastries include morning buns, which are made with croissant dough, layered with cinnamon sugar, accented with citrus, and, when done right, honestly better than cinnamon rolls. Tartine is famous for its morning bun. I’d also categorize Jen Yee’s cinnamon knot at Bakers Bench as morning bun territory. The Swedish cardamom bun, a pastry that swept the nation after landing in New York five years ago, is also not a cinnamon bun. It is, however, my favorite pastry of all time. You can find the best classic and creative iterations at Juno and Hart, respectively, two phenomenal bakeries in Copenhagen.

A sibling of the cardamom bun is the Swedish cinnamon bun (kanelbulle), which is shaped into a twisted braid, unique from the American version cut from rolled-up logs. In Sweden (and across Scandinavia), where cinnamon buns were invented, they’re finished with a simple egg wash for crisp and shine. We like our cinnamon buns glazed, iced, or frosted in America. The oldest bakery in Copenhagen serves giant cinnamon rolls, called “snails,” on Wednesdays, which more resemble the kind we’re used to stateside. (As a study abroad student in the Danish capital, Wednesdays were a big deal for this reason only.) Both the Scandinavian kind of cinnamon bun and the American kind of cinnamon bun are included in this ranking.

As for my personal taste, I’m looking for a cinnamon roll that’s not overwhelmingly sweet but instead exhibits a balanced flavor with a good amount of spice. I’m down for both bready cinnamon rolls and flakey cinnamon rolls—some are made with brioche-style dough, whereas others are laminated, like a croissant. But I don’t want a cinnamon roll that’s too bready (sorry, Lodge Bread). I also prefer a vanilla-scented icing to a cream cheese frosting. Finally, I’m after one of two things: a brilliant execution of a classic cinnamon roll with fluffy layers and a gooey center or an inventive rendition of the pastry that still manages to be delicious and nostalgic.

My Platonic ideal of a cinnamon bun is made by Carla Finley of

Apt. 2 Bread

, my old neighbor in Brooklyn. Her small-batch sourdough cinnamon buns are deeply flavorful while still tasting quintessential. They have a feathery, gorgeously layered interior, crisped edges, and simple icing. I miss them. But onto Los Angeles!

#1 on the proceeding list is the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had. It’s made here:

Now, for the ranking…