Isles Bun & Coffee

An absolute must see spot in Minneapolis.
Totally in an unsuspecting part of Uptown, this little hole in the wall nook is just about as adorable as bakeries go. It was suggested to me to get the puppy dog tails and boy am I glad I did!
They’re sort of like cinnamon roll texture, but in a stick shape, and the best part is that you get to slather your puppy tails in as much icing as your little heart can handle (that would be a fair amount in my case!)
The girls working there were spunky and seemed to know almost everyone who came in. You can tell they love what they do and really put their heart into their baked goods.
Can’t wait to come back someday as this was definitely a highlight of my trip!

Definitely on the list of places to take your mom when she comes into town, especially if it’s really cold and a sweet, warm cinnamon bun will fill the void sunshine and hospitable temperatures leave in the winter sometimes.
So obviously, get a bun. Or a puppy dog tail if you’re alone and don’t want leftovers. The scones are also a solid choice, especially the strawberry rhubarb ones. The coffee is also good; nothing super fancy but definitely not swill.
Service is usually fine. It definitely gets busy on weekend mornings around brunch time, and walking past on Mother’s Day weekend, the line was all the way to Hennepin.
The only things I don’t love are that there isn’t always something savory (like a cheesy scone or quiche) to balance out your meal and that the shop is tiny and there’s no real shade outside. But I guess that’s why you just take your goods to go (and on a nice day, eat down by the lakes, the surefire way to have a great day.)

The sticky bun was amazing. I am glad that I stopped here on a whim. I had never been around this area, and it was a great decision I made. I will be coming back

Small cozy little bakery with giant cinnamon rolls and tasty coffee. Also their puppy dog tails are out of this world. However, the workers are always stressed out and disorganized. 4 stars.

The absolute best Rolls ever. Cinnamon. Carmel. Pecan. Unlimited Frosting. Great location. Could use more seating. Super awesome none the less.

Sometimes you just want a cinnamon bun the size of a small dog. Sometimes you want a good cup of coffee to go with it and a snowcap of frosting on top. When you do, head to Isles.
Even in the middle of January, I was willing to wait in a line out the door to get my Sunday morning sugar fix. The dough was light but chewy, the cinnamon was warm and the coffee perfectly brewed. Get a box to bring home. As we speak I’m buckling an entire pan into my passenger seat to bring home with me to Wisconsin.

Came in at 6am and ordered puppy dog tails, and raspberry tea (which was about $ 4). The tea was average tasting, but those tails were delicious and I love that they have a container of free extra icing on the counter!

Best cinnamon rolls in MN. Get a dozen puppy dog tails, a cup of extra icing, and go watch the sunrise at Lake Calhoun for a great morning.

Only knocking down a star because again, I got snotty service. Really disappointed. Clearly, they have quality products, but man, the morning staff is slightly rude/​condescending. Of course, I can read your board but w/​o labels in front of your items, I will ask you which item is which in accordance to your board. I have limited time in the Twin Cities and am sad to leave a once favorite treat place with a bad taste in my mouth.

coffee was great, if I’m in the area I would definite frequent isles again. THe cinnamon buns are huge and delicious. The puppy dog tails were sweet– they are smaller and a bit messier than the buns; hopefully they were lower in calories too.

I think the baker, Karla, got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I was there at 630am right when they opened and was their first customer. The wafts of baked goods and invigorating music was enough to cheer anyone up. I was here bright and early picking up some things for a meeting and ordered one dozen puppy dog tails, 6 assorted scones, and 6 assorted muffins. All were giant and looked fantastic. When the cashier was bagging me up — who was quite pleasant — said quietly, «please order ahead next time if you can.» Sure, no problem! She shouts back to the baker, Karla, things that they were running low on. The baker looked exasperated and said, «Did I miss an order?» The cashier looks back and shakes her head. The look on the baker’s face was priceless. Smarmy and mercurial with a fake smile on top. I actually felt guilty apologizing for putting them out. And yeah, also sorry for buying your baked goods and supporting local businesses and spending $ 56.00. I still tipped all things considered. Customers should know that they want you to call one day ahead with orders. I give them 5 stars for the food, but 1 star on service. Overall, I am giving two stars since they need a lesson in customer service and need to treat their patrons as sweet as their baked goods in the future. I expected better from you Isles Bun & Coffee. No five stars for you! PS I read this great interview today by co-​owner Catherine Veigel [who sounds amazing] said, «We are people first. And that’s how we operate our business and treat our customers.» Ms. Veigel, actually — not so much.

Glorious– who knew a puppy dog tail could be so glorious?! I didn’t but now I do.
I think its unfair to rave about the ‘tails so much because everything else is also sooooo good, but I just have to come back to it. At only $ 1.25, you could just snack on one for a cheap treat. But why?! Have more!
I’ve heard that you can get them frozen and take them home to bake too, which I love the idea of!

I really wanted to give this place a five star review but my first visit to this Uptown institution has been somewhat disappointing. The surly woman behind the counter had very little interest in any kind of interaction or smiling. I made several quippy remarks in order to break the tension, but alas, it appeared that my ‘comedy’ was falling on daft ears. (I should mention that we were the only people in the café at the time, I wouldn’t have bothered with pleasantries had the place been busy.)
As for the actual buns, we made the mistake of ordering the Caramel Pecan Bun to share. Since these buns are the size of a chunky toddler’s head, one bun was more than enough to share between the two of us. Deep down I knew that the Cinnamon Bun or the Puppy Dog Tail was probably the way to go, but my husband was lured by the pecan topping and I didn’t care enough to object. Despite the fact that it was still early in the day (around 11am) the bun didn’t seem as fresh as I would have liked. The caramel flavour was barely detectable and the pecans were soggy. It didn’t taste bad, but there was nothing special enough to justify the calorie consumption. We both tried to elevate the bun experience by adding the «help yourself» icing, but that too was a bit of a flop. The icing was insanely sweet and grainy. . if there was cream cheese in it, I wasn’t able to detect it.
Despite this mediocre experience, I do intend to go back and give them another try. This time I’m going to do things right and order the Cinnamon Bun!

This place is great. Be prepared to wait in line on a nice weekend day, but don’t worry, they have treats for your pup, TONS of trays for humans, and seating outside and inside.
Everything I have had here has been great. It is all made fresh and so tasty! Great place for a weekend treat!

Gigantic, sweet and scrumptious cinnamon rolls as big as your head. We tried a cinnamon roll, a piece of berry coffee cake and a couple iced coffees. We filled up little cups with frosting to top off the rolls and took everything to go for a mid morning picnic. Everything was wonderful!

Alright this place might look like a small shop to just pass by in your morning run, but listen up, this place has amazing cinnamon buns, puppy dog tails and chai.
When you get in line (because it is so dang busy) you expect a long long wait and rude service, but what you get is a somewhat quick move along with great service.
They are very attentive and eager to get you what you need. The prices are not bad at all! $ 1.50 for a puppy dog tail and around $ 4 for a bun the size of Texas. The buns are fresh and hot out the oven folks, can’t get any better than that. Then you go to the area right next to you where they have (LISTEN THIS IS IMPORTANT!!) frosting sitting in a bucket ready for spreading all over your delicious, warm, gooey cinna bun or doggy tail. Ladies and gentleman it’s an experience that you need to have.
Simply delicious.

I don’t think there’s any bakery I’ve been to that has as much of a special place in my heart as Isles. First of all, their cinnamon buns are ENORMOUS. They were easily the size of a rotary telephone. Hey, remember those, kids?! Even better, they let you put on your own frosting.
Yes. You read that right. They have a tub of cream cheese frosting and a small trowel so that you can frost your own bun. The best of the worst ideas. I got two puppy dog tails and I covered the entire top of my little cardboard boat with frosting. I put the frosting in my coffee. I basically inched myself that much closer to diabeetus and you can ask me how much I gave a f*ck. The answer? NOT AT ALL.
Great iced coffee too. Just all around wonderful experience here. I can’t wait to go back and eat more delicious bun-​and-​stick-​shaped items.

Really nice breakfast spot. I got the cinnamon rolls, which are essentially puffy warm clouds of dough which you can slather on as much cream cheese to fill your heart’s content at the coffee counter. It’s a cute small space and you can eat on the patio, which I did.
Also, their coffee cake is pretty good. It’s loaded with warm fruit that’s baked right on top and the bottom is very moist and dense. There’s a nice crumble on top that balances well with how moist the fruit is.

I could eat Puppy Dog Tails for days. This treat is the perfect alternative to a cinnamon roll; the size is great for those with reasonable stomachs and wallets. At $ 1.50 per one why not grab two. How can you resist!
The small shop is almost easy to miss on the corner of 28^th and Hennepin. I had not known about it until my friend Lauren introduced me. She said she out on a strolled and followed her nose. Worth the stop!

Probably my favorite way to spend a Sunday is to leave the house* to «run some errands» and return with a box of puppy dog tails from Isles to then be eaten leisurely through out the day on Sunday.
They are gooey, scrumptious and somehow melty. The add-​your-​own-​frosting tub makes this treat truly decadent**. I’ve also tried one of their cherry curry scones, and while it lacked in curry flavor (maybe I’m fine with that actually…) it was really really tasty and had the perfect soft crumble to it.
I also always get their cold press too here, and wooooo doggy, it is STRONG. Putting milk or cream in your coffee here always seems like such a luxury that I can’t not take part of.
They are always busy here and the place is tiny, but somehow I’ve always times my trips here to not only get parking right out front, but to be in-​and-​out within minutes. Magic.
*for any reason, really.
**says the lady who really doesn’t like sweet things.