Cinnamon Roll Review

The Short:

An extremely good cinnamon roll.  Currently a tie with Isles Bun for the title of “best cinnamon roll in Minneapolis” 10/10

The long:

Kowalski’s Market is a small chain of high-end supermarkets in the Twin Cities area.  They are known for a variety of things, one of which is their bakery.  When I learned that their bakers turned out cinnamon rolls, well, I turned up my nose and said, “No way am I going to try another chain cinnamon roll.”

Just kidding.  I got in my car and sped there as fast as I could.

True to the rumors, a big tray of man-sized cinnamon rolls was on display in the bakery department.  I scoffed at the neighboring caramel rolls, plucked one of the cinnamon rolls from its resting place, and made my way to the cashier.

Kowalski's Market Cinnamon Roll

Once home, I dug in.  It. Was. Fantastic.  Imagine a flaky croissant with arms, cinnamon separating each swirl, and thick cream cheese frosting on top.  Tender with just the right amount of chewiness.  Enough cinnamon flavor to make a statement, but not so much as to be overpowering.  And that frosting, oh my.

I’ve been a bit concerned lately about day-to-day consistency in the cinnamon rolls from certain stores, so about a week after that first cinnamon zen experience, I went to a different Kowalski’s at a different time of day and tried the cinnamon roll again.  Once again, it was amazing.

If you like a light, flaky cinnamon roll, then Kowalski’s is your best best in the Minneapolis area.  If you prefer a heavy, doughy cinnamon roll (not a bad thing, mind you), then Isles Bun is still the winner.  Co-champions.  Appropriate for the Twin Cities, don’t you think?

Where to get it:

Kowalski’s Market

1261 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN

The short:

About average.  Frosting tasted like marshmallows. 4/10

The long:

I really wanted to like the Baker’s Wife cinnamon roll.  I’d heard good things about the bakery in general, and they have a wonderful painted statue of a cow near the store’s door.  The store had a lot of character, and I mean that in a good way.

At first, the cinnamon roll looked promising.  It was served with care in a boat-type paper tray, and it was of the soft-sided variety (where a bunch of rolls are packed in a pan to bake, rather than baked individually), which I generally prefer.

A Baker's Wife cinnamon roll

Unfortunately, the taste did not live up to the expectations.  It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t particularly good.

The frosting might have been the biggest let-down.  Cinnamon rolls are supposed to have cream cheese frosting (says me), but the Baker’s Wife roll had frosting that tasted like marshmallows.  If the deviation had worked, everything would have been fine, but sadly that was not the case.

All that being said, the cookies at the Bakers Wife looked delicious, and there was a steady stream of customers, so I will be making a return journey.  Just not for cinnamon rolls.

Where to get it:

A Baker’s Wife

4200 28th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN