MoMo & Coco

NYC’s Best Maritozzi and Giant Cream Buns: Lodi, Bear Donut, LPQ, JM Bakery.

Introduction

In early 2021, we published a round-up review of the best cream puffs in NYC.  These dessert creations were petite, bite-sized morsels.  Fast forward to 2022, and it would appear that rampant inflation in the US has had an impact on things other than the economy, and that impact has included cream puffs.  Over the last month or two, we have spotted what seems to be a nascent dessert trend in taking the tiny cream puff and inflating it to massive proportions.  Here are three of the better examples of giant cream buns that we have seen – we will keep updating this page, so don’t forget to bookmark!

*Updated July 2023.

Lodi

  • ☑  Dessert destination: Lodi, Midtown Manhattan.
  • ☑ Budget: $.
  • ☑ Best for:  Maritozzi.  Lodi’s maritozzi cream bun sees a lightly glazed, brioche football split into two and stuffed with cream.  We can’t quite identify the flavour, but the cream has a slight savoury tone.  The bun itself has a weighty heft that distinguishes it from the other lighter cream buns on this list.

Le Pain Quotidien

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Le Pain Quotidien, various locations.
  • ☑ Budget: $.
  • ☑ Best for:  French cream doughnuts.  LPQ is a chain bakery that one might frequent while working in the city and searching for a quick lunch spot.  However, don’t overlook its cream doughnuts, which are a giant ball of fluff.  The brioche is lighter and the cream airier than Lodi’s, thus making LPQ’s cream bun a less soporific afternoon snack.  

Bear Doughnut

  • ☑ Dessert destination:  Bear Doughnut, Koreatown, Manhattan.
  • ☑ Budget: $.
  • ☑ Best for:  Bubble milk tea cream bun.  Bear Doughnut is home to a few dessert trends — mochi doughnuts, soft serve ice cream, and… cream buns.  There are four cream bun flavours available — chocolate, milk tea, strawberry and matcha — of which we recommend the milk tea.  We have also seen seasonal specials, such as the below Pride Cream Bun.  Dusted with icing sugar, Bear’s cream buns are the sweetest on this list.  

JM Bakery

  • ☑ Dessert destination:  JM Bakery, Chelsea, Manhattan
  • ☑ Budget: $.
  • ☑ Best for:  Cookie bread cream bun.  Far away from the NYC crowds in the western end of the city, JM Bakery is located in what seems to be an office building’s food court. It offers a selection of sweet baked treats with a slight Asian inflection. The most unique dessert to get here is the “Cookie Bread” ($6), a Korean cream bun seemingly married with a Cantonese pineapple bun, and with an interior texture reminiscent of an English scone.  It’s soft, pillowy, with a crispy surface.  

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