Manhattan is where NYC's cinnamon roll scene gets theatrical. Three dedicated roll shops — Benji's Buns, Sunday Morning, and Spirals — all operate within a mile of each other in the West Village and East Village, each staking out a different interpretation of what a great roll should be.
The West Village is the most concentrated roll destination in the city. L'Appartement 4F's laminated croissant-dough swirl is unlike anything else in the five boroughs. Barachou, a French cream puff shop, lists cinnamon rolls beside its choux, though its West Village shop has closed and it now trades on the Upper West and Upper East Sides.
In the East Village, Sunday Morning proofs its dough three times and limits production — ten rotating flavors, out the door by 11:30am most weekends.
Spirals, also in the East Village, finishes every roll with a signature shortbread crumble. It's a small detail that's become the shop's identity — nobody else in the city does it.