Bright yellow garlands hang down from the doorframe. Customers walk between gold-and-yellow stanchion ropes, following the path into the West Village’s newest top-rated bakery. Inside, the warm smell of cinnamon and brown sugar fills the air. Immediately, the cozy, sun-colored interior envelops visitors in what feels like cinnamon roll heaven.
Benji’s Buns, located at 122 Christopher St., has become a viral sensation since its opening at the end of July last year. A bakery fully dedicated to crafting the highest-quality cinnamon rolls, Benji’s Buns has drawn people from all over to grab a bite.
Originally founded in London, the bakery made its transatlantic move when owner Benjamin Michael, 24, relocated to New York City to treat Americans to his famous buns.
“I always dreamed of living in America…and now, living here, it’s very surreal. I kind of feel like I’m in a movie,” Michael said.
Before launching his bakery, Michael worked as a realtor, a career he enjoyed but ultimately found unfulfilling.
“I always felt there was a gap in my life of wanting to do something in food…I love real estate. I love selling properties and everything. It was great,” Michael said. “But I wanted something where I was actually being hands-on and creative and making something that was my own. For me, that’s baking.”
Though Michael recalls baking with his parents as young as three years old, it was over the COVID-19 pandemic that cinnamon rolls became his focus.
“I really got into cinnamon rolls and making different flavors and varieties. And I suppose that was my inspiration,” Michael said.
It was in July 2022, at the ripe age of 21, that Michael opened Benji’s Buns – a name his little sister used to call him – in Ealing, London. However, that original bakery differs from the one in the U.S. today.
The London location sold six non-rotating vegan flavors, and since its move, the bakery is no longer vegan and offers six flavors total: three permanent – Original Glazed, Vanilla Frosted and Lotus Biscoff – and three flavors that change every two weeks.
The bakery has also been a major standout due to its unusual business hours.
“You think of a bakery, and you think 7 a.m. in the morning. We’re not,” Michael said. “We’re midday until midnight. And that’s when you’ll see lines outdoors.”
While Benji’s Buns has only been open for a short six months, the bakery has already seen major success, especially for their Lotus Biscoff Bun.
“The Biscoff [Bun] went viral on TikTok and Instagram. We got something like 500,000 likes on a very random post we did,” Michael said. “We had people coming from DC and Philadelphia and Baltimore, even North Carolina, just for the Biscoff [Bun].”
Michael hopes to keep Benji’s Buns trending, wishing to become “the next Crumbl [Cookies] of America” for cinnamon rolls, with the goal of opening 1,000 stores nationwide within the next 5 to 7 years, 5 of which he plans to open in New York in 2026.
With an ambitious vision for the future, Michael is already expanding Benji’s Buns by rolling out a catering service and launching the “Bun’s Club” loyalty program for customers to enjoy special perks. As Benji’s Buns continues its journey, Michael’s drive and creativity position his bakery at the forefront of New York’s cinnamon roll scene, inspiring anticipation for what’s next.
“It was a miracle that wasn’t meant to happen,” Michael said.
