If you ask the RUSSH team, Easter just isn’t complete without the sweet aroma of freshly baked hot cross buns filling the air. We practically count down to the day when Christmas accoutrements are replaced on shelves with the spiced buns, adorned with their signature cross. Luckily, for the hot cross bun enthusiasts among us, Sydney’s bakeries are practically overflowing with some of the finest versions around. From traditional recipes to innovative takes, the city is brimming with options that promise to satisfy every craving. Whether you prefer them soft and fluffy or with a bit of a twist, we’ve rounded up the best places to find the perfect hot cross bun in Sydney this Easter. You’re welcome!
Baker Bleu
Location: Double Bay
Neil Perry’s Double Bay establishment is serving up some of our favourite hot cross buns for 2025. Their traditional variation is made from a rich, buttery dough, spiced with cinammon and orange, and packed with plump raisins. If you prefer something a little more indulgent, there’s also a Sour Cherry Dark Chocolate version, which is as rich and delicious as it sounds. What sets Baker Bleu apart is their careful attention to detail and quality ingredients, ensuring each bun is perfectly golden and infused with just the right amount of sweetness, and best served with a slice of cold butter.
Sonoma
Location: multiple
Sonoma’s hot cross buns might look a little unusual, but they have all the sweet, spicy flavours we know and love. This year, the beloved bakery is bringing back its ‘Not Cross Buns’: a reimagining of the classic hot cross bun that skips the traditional cross, but is packed with nostalgic, comforting flavours. Infused with a vibrant mix of spiced raisins, currants, cranberries, apricots, and candied orange, each bun is an explosion of flavour. Finished with a delicate spiced glaze and topped with a signature ‘S’, the Not Cross Bun is soft, fruity, and utterly irresistible.
Fabbrica Bread Shop
Location: Rozelle and Coogee
Fabbrica’s head baker, Aniruddha Bhosekar, has put his own twist on traditional with a chai-spiced hot cross bun. Featuring a pillowy bun, currants, raisins, and a deliciously sticky chai syrup, these buns are a crossover made in heaven. Each six-pack even comes with a roll of Fabbrica’s chai-spiced butter, best served heavy-handedly. You can pre-order the buns in six-packs up until April 15 here.
Shadow Baking
Location: Darlinghurst
Leave it to the team at Shadow Baking to meld two of our favourite pastries in the ultimate delicious combination. This Easter, they’ve devised Hot X Scrolls: a pain-aux-raisin-style pastry filled with vanilla custard and dried fruit, and finished with a signature cross.
Humble Bakery
Location: Surry Hills
A thick layer of butter is arguably the best thing about a hot cross bun — a fact no one knows better than Humble Bakery. They’ve created a ‘Hot Cross Ice Cream Bun,’ which features their traditional hot cross bun, served with a layer of house-made salted butter ice cream. The ultimate combination of salty and sweet, if you ask us.
AP Bakery
Locations: Multiple
Over at AP Bakery, you’ll find what we can only describe as a deliciously bougie version of the classic hto cross bun. Featuring aromatic flavours like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and nutmeg, this perfectly soft bun is then finished off with a cardamom and brown sugar glaze. Yes please.
Blackstar Pastry
Location: multiple
Blackstar’s hot cross buns have reached legendary status in Sydney over the years. The bakery has earned a cult following for their take on the Easter classic, which spans a traditional variation loaded with spiced fruit, and a decadent dark chocolate variety. You really just have to try them and see for yourself.
Sweet Belem Cake Boutique
Location: Petersham
Love Portuguese tarts? You’ll love Sweet Belem. Their moreish creations fuse traditional hot cross bun flavours with a sweet vanilla, and a fluffy base. There’s also a chocolate variety, for the chocolate lovers amongst us.
Bourke Street Bakery
Location: Surry Hills
When a six-pack of hot cross buns isn’t enough to feed the family (or yourself, we’re not judging), Bourke Street Bakery has just the solution. The Surry Hills institution devised a Hot Cross loaf, which is exactly as it sounds: a supersized version of the hot cross bun. They’ve also still got the smaller buns on the menu, in both chunky chocolate and spiced cranberry variations.
Loulou
Location: Milsons Point
For a bun that’s as cute as it is delicious, look to Loulou’s adorable Hot ‘Heart’ Buns. Made on a buttery brioche base, these buns are packed full of spices, raisins, citrus zest, and candied peel, and finished with the sweetest heart on top. You can pre-order a pack of six for just $22.
