Sparrow Bakery

Today I visited Sparrow Bakery on N Lombard and Jersey for their ocean roll! I’m going to go ahead and count this one as a cinnamon roll- as they told me there IS some cinnamon in this roll, and so many people have told me that I absolutely had to add this one to my list. I walked in right when they opened this morning, and there was already a line at the door. I overheard the woman behind be telling some strangers that they HAD to get the ocean roll, lol! This doesn’t exactly make me think of the ocean… If you google “what is an ocean roll” - the first thing that comes up is an article about how Sparrow Bakery’s ocean rolls will change your life, haha! These didn’t exactly change my life, but they are hella good. The cardamom and spices are really tasty and the dough, which is a denser croissant dough, is fresh and delicious! There’s a sugary, honey-like, glaze that coats the bottom and coats your fingers and is stupid good. This is not overly-sweet like many cinnamon rolls covered in frosting, a great breakfast roll! I wouldn’t rank this up there as one of the best cinnamon rolls in town, but this is definitely the breakfast roll to try in Portland right now. Go get one!

Favorite part: Great cardamom (and cinnamon?) flavor!

Least favorite part: Not sure if this one qualifies, but oh well

*Rating are according to my preferences, scaled from 1-10

Overall Sweetness rating: 8

Moistness rating: 7

Frosting rating: n/a

Cinnamon/spiciness rating: 9

Dough rating: 8

Freshness rating: 8

Heart/center rating: 9

Cafe experience rating: 7

Overall rating: 8 / 10