7 Jersey Shore bakeries to visit for cream-filled doughnuts, sticky buns, and more

On a recent Friday morning, as temperatures soared into the 90s, families from Philadelphia to Virginia crowded into a small bakery on Bay Avenue in Ocean City. But they weren’t there just to escape the heat — they came for sticky buns.

“When you come to the Shore, you have certain family traditions — you go to the boardwalk, play mini golf, do the rides, and you eat sticky buns," said Jody Mallon Bourgeois, owner of Mallon’s Homemade Sticky Buns.

The sweet, gooey tradition is a staple at bakeries across the Jersey Shore, from tiramisu in Margate to cream-filled doughnuts in Avalon.

Explore the bakery scene down the Shore with these picks.

Step into Aversa’s and you’ll find perfectly frosted cakes spinning in a display case. Popular picks include thick slices of strawberry shortcake and tiramisu, golden-crusted cream puffs, chocolate-glazed éclairs, colorfully frosted cupcakes, fruit tarts — and, of course, gooey sticky buns. A second location is in Brigantine.

📍9307 Ventnor Ave., Margate, N.J. 08402, and other locations, 📞 609-487-6600, 🌐 aversasbakery.com

In Avalon, Maeve McNamara and Andrew Stanton spend their days at the Shore baking everything from danishes and quiches to cake crullers. The couple’s bakery churns out freshly baked, made-from-scratch goods for as cheap as $1. For the budget-friendly sweettooths, High Dune is the place to go.

📍2709 Dune Dr., Avalon, N.J. 08202, 📞 609-778-7434, 🌐 highdunebaking.com

One of Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan’s favorite Shore spots — and possibly the oldest bakery at the Shore — Dot’s draws lines out the door within the first few hours of opening. The key is getting there before 9 a.m. to see the bakery’s bounty of goods: gooey sticky buns to powdery cream-stuffed doughnuts, which LaBan says are the “real treasures.”

📍3148 Asbury Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226, 📞 609-399-0770, 🌐 dotspastryshop.com

Classic doughnuts might be the cure for a hot beach day, and Maryanne Pastry Shoppe in Sea Isle City is all about serving fresh yeast-raised ones for $1.75 each. Order bestsellers like the powdered sugar vanilla cream doughnut, the cinnamon bun-shaped Bismark, or cake doughnuts topped with chocolate or vanilla icing.

📍108 44th St., Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243, 📞 609-263-3814, 🌐 maryannepastryshoppenj.com

Since 1988, Mallon’s Homemade Sticky Buns has been the go-to stop for sticky buns down the Shore. Jody Mallon Bourgeois runs this family business with her husband and son, operating four locations across Avalon, Ocean City, and Sea Isle City. The menu features 14 sticky bun flavors — four traditional (raisin-walnut, walnut, plain, and raisin) and 10 fruit-topped options like apple, banana, pineapple, and strawberry. Buns are sold by the half dozen or dozen, perfect for sharing. Doughnuts and crumb cakes are also available at this cash-only bakery.

📍1340 Bay Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226, 📞 609-399-5531, 🌐 mallonsstickybuns.com

Head to Barry’s Buns if sticky buns and cinnamon rolls are the Shore sweets you seek. Just minutes from the beach, the shop is known for $6 sticky buns in flavors like walnut raisin and apple crumb, and $5 brown sugar cinnamon rolls topped with signature cream cheese icing. The menu also includes crumb cakes, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, apple fritters, doughnuts, cruffins, and pop tarts.

📍6107 New Jersey Ave., Wildwood Crest, N.J. 08260, 📞 609-770-7997, 🌐 barrysbuns.com

Just a one-minute walk from the Cape May beach, Madison’s Bakery draws beachgoers in for iced coffee and baked goods. Jelly doughnuts, black and white cookies, blueberry muffins, banana bread pudding, and sticky buns are up for grabs in the display cases. Pro tip: The best way to beat the line, which runs out the door from 6 a.m. to noon, is during the afternoon hours — or you could also head to the bakery’s sister locations in Cape May and Ocean View.

📍701 Beach Ave, Cape May, N.J. 08204, and other locations, 📞 609-305-4641, 🌐 madisonsbakerynj.com