FOOD · ICELAND
I Tried Four of Reykjavík’s Most Popular Cinnamon Buns. Here’s How They Ranked.
Four bakeries, four very different cinnamon buns. And the most famous one wasn’t my favorite.
Reykjavík is full of bakeries and surprisingly good coffee you cannot miss. But every local will tell you that, while you’re there, you need to try a cinnamon bun.
The same four names kept coming up: Brauð & Co., Sandholt, 280 Bakarí, and Baka Baka. Naturally, I took this recommendation very seriously.
One morning, with time to spare before a mid-morning tour, I turned the list into a bakery hop and walked from one stop to the next. It was a fun way to explore the city—and probably the fairest way to rank them, since every bun was still fresh in my mind when I tried the next one.
The buns were far more different than I expected. One was soft and pillowy, one was practically the love child of a croissant and a cinnamon roll, one arrived underbaked in the middle, and one made me wonder whether I had ordered the wrong thing.
These rankings are based on the individual bun I was served that morning. I considered its temperature texture, flavor, sweetness, and whether I would genuinely return for another. A bakery can have an off day. I can only review the bun that was handed to me.
The Ranking
#4 · Baka Baka
4/10
Dry, bland, and not served warm. I kept wondering whether I had ordered the wrong thing.
#3 · Brauð & Co.
8/10
Good flavor and closest to what I imagined a traditional Nordic cinnamon bun would be, but the one I received was underbaked in the center.
#2 · Sandholt
9/10
Flaky, balanced, and somewhere between a croissant and a cinnamon roll in the best possible way.
#1 · 280 Bakarí
10/10
Warm, soft, and pillowy without being overly sweet. The clear winner. It was the one I would immediately order again.
The Bakery-by-Bakery Breakdown
First Stop: Baka Baka, 4/10
I started at Baka Baka, which felt more like a sit-down bakery than a quick grab-and-go stop. At 1,200 ISK, its cinnamon bun was also the most expensive of the four, so naturally, my expectations were high.
Unfortunately, it was not warm, the texture was dry, and the flavor was surprisingly bland. I kept wondering whether I had ordered the wrong thing, or simply caught it on the wrong morning. Either way, it was not a promising start to the bakery hop. The good news was that there was nowhere to go but up.
Second Stop: 280 Bakarí, 10/10
280 Bakarí was only a few minutes away on foot. It is a tiny bakery designed mostly for grabbing something and continuing on your way, with only a couple of seats inside and a bench outside.
The owner told me it was the best bakery in town. Of course she did.
But then I watched fresh cinnamon buns come straight out of the oven and go directly into the display. It genuinely does not get fresher than that.
The annoying part is that she may have been right. The bun was warm, incredibly soft and pillowy, and sweet without being too sweet. After the dry bun at my first stop, the difference was immediate. This was the bun I had imagined when everyone told me I needed to eat my way through Reykjavík’s bakeries, and the one I would order again without hesitation.
Third Stop: Sandholt, 9/10
Sandholt was my third stop and felt completely different from the tiny, mostly grab and go setup at 280 Bakarí. This is a much larger bakery with an impressive selection of breads, decadent chocolates, and plenty of savory dishes. I did not stop for a full meal, but it is easily the most versatile of the four bakeries and the one I would recommend if you want more than coffee and a pastry.
The cinnamon bun cost approximately 880 ISK and was excellent. It was flaky, buttery, and beautifully balanced, almost like a croissant and a cinnamon roll had decided to become one pastry. It earned a 9 out of 10 because 280 Bakarí’s softer, pillowy bun was closer to what I personally want from a cinnamon roll. Still, Sandholt came very close.
Fourth Stop: Brauð & Co., 8/10
My final stop was Brauð & Co., easily the busiest bakery of the morning. The place was packed, with a line out front, but it moved surprisingly quickly.
The location I visited had no seating inside or outside, so this was strictly a grab your bun and keep walking situation. Other locations may have a different setup. The service was also the least welcoming of the four stops, although the crowd may have had something to do with that.
The bun itself cost approximately 880 ISK and had very good flavor. Of the four, it tasted closest to what I had imagined a traditional Nordic cinnamon bun would be. Unfortunately, once I reached the middle, mine was noticeably underbaked. That is a particularly unfortunate problem when the center is supposed to be the best part.
Even with the underbaked center, the flavor was strong enough to earn an 8 out of 10. With a properly baked middle, Brauð & Co. could have ranked much higher.
The Verdict
If you only have time for one cinnamon bun in Reykjavík, go to 280 Bakarí. It was warm, fresh from the oven, soft, pillowy, and the easiest 10 out of 10 of the morning.
If you want a full breakfast or lunch with your pastry, Sandholt is the better all around stop. If you want to try the bun most people associate with Reykjavík, Brauð & Co. is still worth visiting, but I hope yours has a better baked center than mine did. As for Baka Baka, I would return for the atmosphere and try something else from the case, but I would skip that cinnamon bun.
The bakery hop ended up being one of the most enjoyable ways I explored Reykjavík. The stops were close enough to walk, the comparisons were still fresh, and by the time my tour began, I had already eaten four cinnamon buns before lunch.
If you decide to steal my idea and do your own bakery hop, tell me how it went and which cinnamon bun was your favorite.
Want to recreate the bakery hop? Open the full walking route on Google Maps.
