I like lists, so I made a few to keep me sane and organized while I packed to move from California to Minnesota - clothes, kitchen things, books, and the like. My favorite and fastest growing list is still the one I couldn’t fit on a piece of paper and needed to write up on a Google Doc - the list of restaurants, bars, cafes, and coffee shops to visit in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. At the top of that fourth section, for reasons to be detailed ahead, stands Isles Bun and Coffee.
From some in-depth social media research (read: Instagram- and Facebook-stalking), I gathered a few observations. The first is that this is a spot well-known for both its coffee and its baked goods, namely, the giant cinnamon buns blanketed in cream cheese frosting. The staff is thoughtful enough to set an additional tub of frosting out near the utensils and coffee add-ins for those of us who adore cream cheese frosting, ya’ know, just in case we need another slather or two. Good people. My people. And the second is that this is a neighborhood kind of coffee shop, one that welcomes dogs inside (see, good people!) and knows the guests by name, greeting everyone with a smile as warm and sweet as the homemade buns I can’t stop talking about. It’s the kind of place with rustic colorful chalkboard menus and t-shirts you can’t resist buying because you love the place the minute you walk in and inhale the sweet scent of cinnamon buns and espresso.
This little coffee shop - a neighborhood favorite - sits humbly at the corner off a bustling street in Uptown Minneapolis, between the lively bars and restaurants and the quiet, quaint Lake of the Isles. Merely the size of three glass windows, Isles Buns appears tiny from the outside looking in, but they’ve squeezed a surprising number of tables inside. It’s cozy, warm, and sweet, just like the buns. The 80’s music bumps a little louder than one might expect or prefer in a coffee shop, but somehow it works here. I let that slide because the coffee and cinnamon buns are so damn tasty.
Its in the name - Isles [Cinnamon] Buns and Coffee. They’ve simplified the decision-making process. How sweet of them! Cappuccino, mocha, chai, drip coffee - I’ve tried them all, and they’re all are delicious and without question prepared carefully and intentionally. You won’t make a bad decision. Just pick something. The cinnamon bun is waiting! While you’re at the register, peek down and to the left for a glimpse at the most pillowy and tastefully sweet, buttery, and cinnamon-spiked bun around town. That mesmerizing swirl of love is the reason you’re here, and according to the bakers, these buns are as “sweet as Grandma”. You should also know about the array of other fresh-baked goodies offered: scones - traditional and vegan, puppy dog tails, cookies, brownies, and carrot cake. Everything is made right behind the barista, in plain sight and without any structure blocking the flow of the heart-warming, mouth-watering scent of said goodies to float through the shop while you’re sipping coffee in good company, whether you brought a friend to share the bun with you or not.
I would recommend inviting a friend because not only in this bun far too large for a single stomach, it’s far too good to be eaten alone. You won’t be able to shut up about it and that looks a lot less weird when you’re talking to a friend instead of the wall. It’s an uncontrollable reaction as a result of consuming perfect cinnamon buns. It’s physically impossible to eat one of these without smiling, and it’s difficult to focus on writing this piece with one staring right at me. Trust me.
If you order a fresh bun, you’ll pay $4. For a day-old bun, which are wrapped up and nestled in a basket near that tub of velvety cream cheese frosting I wish I could order on its own, you’ll pay just $1. Go for the fresh bun if you’ve got a friend with you because you can and should devour the entire bun, and then after doing the math, you’re really only paying $2. If you’re solo, however, I’d suggest the day-old bun because you will find it difficult to finish an entire thing on your own. Unwrap the day-old, slather on a little frosting, and dig straight into the center. You’ll be satisfied, not stuffed. You’ll smile at no one in particular, just beaming with overwhelming joy because you get to cherish that buttery bun spiked and swirled with cinnamon all for yourself. It’s great, I promise.
Every coffee shop has something unique to offer, and I’ll discover what that is at each of the coffee shops on my list. Isles Bun and Coffee is a small coffee shop with a big personality and big buns. Which I like. And I cannot lie.