Church of Sweden — Attraction in New York

Cafe/bakery review:

First off, they're cardamom buns. Not cinnamon buns. I know the American diet lacks spices, but can you people seriously not tell the difference? Christ on a cracker.

But maybe I'm overly biased because cardamom is my favorite spice. Or maybe it's because I spent a lovely, pre-pandemic vacation in Sweden and fell in love with the pastries there.

Either way, if you love cardamom or just can't tell the difference between baking spices, come here and get a Kardemummabullar (cardamom bun). If you're feeling fruity, you might even try the blueberry version (not even going to attempt to spell that one--there were like 2,700 consonants). The buns are fragrant, buttery soft, and remind me of when I visited Viking mounds in Uppsala.

The staff and clientele are, for the most part, actually Swedish, speaking honest-to-goodness Swedish. The cafe also sells Swedish candies, snacks and miscellaneous knick knacks.

So come here for a more authentic Swedish experience than a certain furniture store could...

This is my personal #1 favorite cardamom bun, given that I’ve tried many across NYC. It tastes even better than the ones from Fabrique’s and La Cabra in my opinion. tucked away inside a church in midtown.

You’ve probably seen reels about this hidden gem already, but the Church of Sweden truly serves some of the best swedish baked goods and sweets in their bakery. You can even see them rolling out fresh batches of bakes and prepping the dough at their open kitchen.

We enjoyed some $3 coffee in their beautiful café space. They even have shelves stocked with Swedish candies and snacks. I’ll be back for their princess cake and semla in the future.

This is hands-down the most beautifully kneaded cardamom bun I’ve come across in NYC. Just looking at it tells you how good it’s gonna be. The sweetness was spot on, with a light sugar coating on the golden brown crust. The balance of subtle sweetness and warm spices...

I stopped here for lunch and "Fika" with my daughter on Memorial day weekend. You will have no problem finding the cafe, just follow the "Kanalbullar" Cinnamon buns smell. Being a half Swede this was a nice little taste of Sweden. All the staff I met were from Sweden and were extremely nice. It was also nice to be able to practice the Swedish I know. The gift shop in the cafe, was very nice as well, lot's of Swedish gifts. The "Köttbullsmaka" Swedish meatball sandwich, with red beat salad on rye bred was very tasty as well. The price for the sandwich, a cinnamon bun and coffee came to around $15 which for NY is a very good price. I wish we had had more time to tour the rest of the church. Maybe next time! It's a great place to stop even if it's just to rest and have a cup of coffee. It is easy to find, just 2 blocks south from St. Patricks Cathedral off 5th ave on 48th Street. Just look for the...