Carroll Gardens is not a neighborhood that makes a lot of noise about its food. The spots that matter here — Winner chief among them — earned their reputation slowly, through daily consistency rather than press coverage. That's the right way to build a neighborhood bakery, and it shows.
Winner's Carroll Gardens location is the original — the one that set the standard before the Park Slope expansion. The roll here is a classic cream cheese swirl: soft, properly glazed, and not trying to be anything other than what it is. It's the kind of thing you come back for every week.
The neighborhood sits between Cobble Hill and Red Hook, residential enough that the bakeries here serve actual regulars rather than destination visitors. If you come on a Saturday morning, you'll be in line with people who've been coming for years. There's no better endorsement.