In the old storefront of Anna’s Pizza on Maury Avenue, Sbrocco’s Donut and Espresso Bar offers a variety of delicious breakfast pastries along with a full coffee menu. Having opened its doors in September 2024, this establishment lures in customers with their Pinterest-worthy decor and high-quality baked goods, ranging from brioche-based donuts to New Jersey crumb buns.
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sbrocco’s is a popular pick for the early risers of any day of the week. When I arrived around 11 a.m., I was met with a relatively small facility, buzzing with customers. With light music playing in the background, the ambient cafe was filled with aesthetic artwork and beautiful stained-glass light fixtures. The main uniformity of the business is the color pink — from the signs on the walls to the shade of paint, the blush-colored hues made the space feel brighter and more energetic, even for a lazy summer Sunday morning.
There were two people working the main counter — one taking donut orders and another who worked the register and managed drink orders — and a third employee working the espresso bar right behind the register. After selecting our donuts, an employee boxed them up from the display counter and my friend and I were able to order our drinks and pay at the kiosk. Despite the crowd when we first walked in, our coffees took less than five minutes.
However, what did require a bit of waiting was seating. The small storefront had only a limited selection of bar stools at the front window. Luckily, a pair of stools opened up just about a minute after our drinks were ready.
The four donuts I ordered were placed in a pink box with the business logo stamped on top — a very pleasant, simple presentation. Patrons can pay for each donut individually, like myself, or order by the mixed or half dozen. The donut and espresso bar offers two cake donuts priced at $3 each and six permanent brioche donuts as well as a rotating monthly flavor, which are all $3.50 each.
When we sat down, we were excited to dig in. As someone who can be rather particular about my donuts, I began with one of my favorite flavors — a classic Sour Cream Cake donut. While this donut was lighter than cake donuts usually are, the excellent flavor more than made up for it. It was not overly sweet and harbored a strong buttery flavor that I found delicious without being overpowering. All in all, I enjoyed the donut.
Next, I moved on to my typical least favorite type of donut — a Rainbow Sprinkle. I often find donuts like these too airy and somewhat flavorless, but I was surprisingly very happy with Sbrocco’s take on the original classic. The brioche base of the donut was perfectly moist, yet the best part of the donut was the chocolate glaze, which had an incredibly smooth texture. More importantly, the chocolatey flavor was perfectly rich, and the classic rainbow sprinkles were a nice added touch for both crunch and presentation.
Next, I decided to try the Jam-Filled Brioche donut. Once again, the texture was spectacular, but I found the ratio of raspberry jam to bread to be uneven — the level of jam was slightly overpowering. With that being said, the jam itself was excellent. With the exterior addition of a cinnamon sugar coating, the donut was the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
The final baked good from my order was the Crumb Bun, which I had never tried before. Priced at $3.25, this bun was more like a bar — rectangular-shaped and more dense. Marketed as a “New Jersey bakery staple.” The brioche dough for the donuts is used to make the base layer, then a more heavy layer of a crunchy butter crumble is placed on top.
I found this pastry to have the most addicting flavor. The buttery taste was perfectly matched by the powdered sugar sifted on top, and the lightness of the brioche was balanced out by the more dense crumb layer. My favorite part of this delicacy, though, was the cinnamon incorporated into the crumbing. It brought the pastry to a whole new level, making the crumb bun my favorite of the morning.
With a good mix of donut classics and lesser-known pastries, Sbrocco’s Donut and Espresso Bar is sure to become a great go-to for University students, Jefferson Park Avenue residents and those of the Fry Spring’s neighborhoods. For those lazy weekend mornings when all you want is a cup of coffee and a donut, Sbrocco’s is the perfect option.
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