The Best Coffee Shop Pastries, Ranked

This pastry has a unique flavor profile that is loved by some, avoided by others. It’s sweet and fruity, yes, but banana doesn’t always pair well with coffee. Imagine sipping on an iced vanilla latte with banana bread—not for us! It’s a popular baked good, but we want coffee-approved pastries here.

Somewhere between a donut and danish lies the Bear Claw: a puff pastry treat that’s shaped like a bear’s paw. It’s a pretty niche dessert—not every coffee shop offers it, and for the ones that do, we imagine it’s not beating out muffins and croissants in most-ordered pastries. Nevertheless, the traditional almond filling pairs nicely with a cup of coffee!

A coffee shop classic, the cheese danish never disappoints. Any combination of cheese and dough is obviously delicious, but it doesn’t make the top five pastries here because we want the coffee factor. A sweet cheese danish tastes great on its own, but pair it with a white chocolate mocha or caramel macchiato, and you have a very strange flavor combo. Stick with classic coffees for this treat.

Cinnamon and coffee? A match made in heaven. Cinnamon rolls are thick, gooey, and loaded with sugar. But here’s the thing with this treat: If you’re looking for a light morning pastry (as I typically am), then it’s not for you. It’s definitely not an airy, flaky croissant, but rather a dense, fill-you-up dough. If the perfect pastry for you is one that you can substitute for breakfast, then yes, munch away!

A tea party favorite, scones’ buttery and sweet flavors also make them an ideal coffee pairing. If we want to get specific, blueberry scones really stand out among the rest for their fresh and fruity centers. Plus, there’s something elegant about these icing-drizzled scones that make you feel like you’re in your Gossip Girl luxury era, or, might we say, Kate Middleton royal era. The one drawback? Not everyone’s a fan of the dryer, crumbly texture.

Whoever had the genius idea to stuff a croissant with chocolate– thank you. You still get the buttery exterior of a plain croissant, but bite into a sweet, chocolate-y filling inside. Chocolate croissants are the ultimate duo for any flavored coffee drink: Vanilla latte with a chocolate croissant? Yes. Mocha with a chocolate croissant? Yes. Need we go on? This pastry definitely favors chocolate-lovers, so if you’re not a fan, feel free to pass.

Pumpkin season boasts some of the best coffee drinks and pastries, and pumpkin muffins are shining stars on coffee shop menus. Whether it’s filled with cream cheese (ahem, *Starbucks*), topped with brown sugar crumb, or just served up plain, customers are obsessed– and we are too. If we could enjoy these muffins year-round, they’d surely be our favorite coffee shop pastry.

The name says it all. What pastry could top a cake that literally has “coffee” in its name? Coffee cakes have cinnamon and brown sugar notes that taste amazing alongside any kind of coffee. Pretty much every coffee shop offers this treat, so it’s a staple you can rely on. Any excuse to eat cake for breakfast is our kind of pastry!