This Bakery In New Jersey Serves Up Freshly Baked Buns Locals Can’t Get Enough Of

This New Jersey bakery started as a pandemic whim and a single Facebook post asking if anyone wanted cinnamon buns.

Five years later, they’ve sold over half a million buns and built a full blown ‘Bun Cult.’ The dough rests for 72 hours.

The frosting gets applied twice to hit every nook and cranny. Locals line up rain or shine, and honestly?

They’re not wrong. Welcome to the sweetest obsession in the Garden State.

Just bring cash and patience. The buns are worth both.

A Family Recipe That Started It All

Not every great bakery starts with a business plan. Sometimes it starts with a grandmother’s recipe, a newborn son, and a holiday season that changed everything.

Mav’s Top Buns was born in 2020 when Nikki Ashkar pulled out her late grandmother’s cinnamon bun recipe during her son Maverick’s first Christmas.

That single batch of buns quietly launched something much bigger than anyone expected.

What began as a personal, heartfelt bake turned into a community obsession practically overnight. The bakery’s name itself carries that story, honoring both the grandmother’s legacy and the little boy who inspired the first batch.

There is something genuinely moving about food that carries that kind of meaning.

When you bite into one of these buns, you are tasting years of family tradition wrapped in pillowy dough and sweet frosting. That kind of origin story does not come from a corporate kitchen.

It comes from love, and somehow you can taste exactly that in every single layer.

From a Car Trunk to a Real Storefront

Selling buns out of the back of a car sounds like the beginning of a quirky movie plot, but for Mav’s Top Buns, it was a very real chapter of the story. Early demand grew so fast that a U-Haul truck eventually replaced the car just to keep up with orders.

That kind of grassroots hustle is rare, and it says everything about how much people wanted what they were offering.

For three years, the bakery operated without a permanent home, running through pop-ups and curbside pickups that consistently sold out. Then in December 2023, Mav’s Top Buns finally opened its brick-and-mortar location at 1092 NJ-35 in Middletown, New Jersey.

The wait made the opening feel like a real neighborhood celebration.

Walking into the storefront now, you get the sense that this space was earned, not just rented. Every detail feels intentional, warm, and proud.

It is the kind of place that reminds you why small businesses matter so much to a community.

The OG Bun That Started a Cult Following

Calling a group of loyal customers a “Bun Cult” is either brilliant marketing or an honest reflection of just how devoted people become after their first bite. At Mav’s Top Buns, it is absolutely the latter.

The OG cinnamon bun, the original recipe passed down through generations, is the one that started it all and still holds the crown.

What makes it stand out is the balance. The sweetness never crosses into overwhelming territory, and the dough has this soft, pillowy quality that feels almost impossible to achieve consistently.

The cream cheese frosting is applied twice, using a secret vanilla bean ratio that gives it a silky, rich finish unlike anything from a chain bakery.

Fans who have tried both the specialty flavors and the OG almost always circle back to this one as their anchor. It is the kind of bun that does not need to be flashy because it is already perfect.

Simple, generous, and deeply satisfying in a way that lingers long after the last bite.

The 72-Hour Dough Process That Makes All the Difference

Most people grab a cinnamon bun without thinking much about what went into making it. But at Mav’s Top Buns, the process behind the product is genuinely fascinating.

The dough rests for a full 72 hours before it ever gets shaped or baked. That is three full days of slow fermentation, and it makes a difference you can absolutely taste.

Long resting periods allow the dough to develop deeper flavor and a more complex texture. The result is a bun that feels light but substantial, soft but structured.

It pulls apart in layers rather than collapsing into a gummy mess, which is the sign of dough that has been treated with real patience.

That kind of commitment to process is not something you find at every bakery. It takes planning, discipline, and a genuine belief that the extra time matters.

For Mav’s Top Buns, skipping shortcuts is not just a philosophy, it is the reason people drive an hour just to get a box. The craft shows up in every single bite.

Rotating Monthly Flavors That Keep Things Exciting

Sticking with just one flavor when you have over 57 variations in your back pocket would be a genuine waste of talent. Mav’s Top Buns keeps a rotating monthly menu that has included flavors like Banana Pudding, Rainbow Cookie, Reese’s, Strawberry Coconut, Ube, Apple Cider, and Jersey Corn.

That last one is a local nod that hits differently when you are already standing in New Jersey.

The specialty flavors are not just novelties slapped onto a standard bun. Each one is developed to actually capture the essence of the flavor it represents, which is harder than it sounds.

Getting a bun to genuinely taste like pistachio baklava or pumpkin maple takes real skill and a lot of testing.

Part of the fun of being a regular here is checking what flavor is dropping next. The anticipation becomes its own kind of ritual.

Even loyal OG fans find themselves pulling up the bakery’s page just to see what is coming, because missing a limited flavor feels like a genuine loss worth planning around.

The Double Frosting Technique Worth Knowing About

Frosting is where a lot of bakeries play it safe, offering just enough to technically count. Mav’s Top Buns takes the opposite approach entirely.

The frosting is applied not once but twice, using a carefully developed ratio of vanilla bean to cream cheese that ensures full, even coverage on every single bun. It is the kind of detail that separates a good bun from an unforgettable one.

The vanilla bean addition is subtle but important. Those tiny flecks carry an aromatic warmth that lifts the frosting beyond basic sweetness.

Combined with the tang of cream cheese, the result is a topping that feels luxurious without being cloying. You can actually see the vanilla flecks if you look closely, which is a small but satisfying sign of quality ingredients.

Eating the bun warm amplifies everything. The frosting softens slightly into the layers of dough, creating a kind of melted-together richness that is hard to describe but impossible to forget.

Popping it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before eating is a widely shared tip among regulars, and it absolutely works.

Nationwide Shipping and Pre-Orders for Bun Lovers Everywhere

Living far from Middletown used to mean missing out entirely, but that problem has been solved. Mav’s Top Buns offers nationwide shipping, which means the buns can travel to your door no matter where you are in the country.

For fans who discovered the bakery through social media or word of mouth before ever visiting in person, this is a genuinely exciting option.

Pre-orders are also available for those who want to plan their pickup without the stress of showing up and finding things sold out. Given that buns have been known to disappear before 10 AM on busy mornings, pre-ordering is honestly the smarter move.

Build-your-own boxes let you mix flavors, which adds a fun, customizable element to the whole experience.

Catering is another offering worth knowing about. The bakery has handled events ranging from private gatherings to large-scale occasions, including catering Draft Day for the NY Jets twice.

That kind of resume speaks for itself. Whether you are ordering for yourself or feeding a crowd, the options here are genuinely flexible and well thought out.

A Bakery That Has Earned Its Media Spotlight

Some businesses earn media attention through big budgets and PR campaigns. Others earn it simply by making something so good that people cannot stop talking about it.

Mav’s Top Buns falls firmly in the second category. The bakery has been featured on News 12 NJ and Pix 11 News for Foodie Friday, two outlets that regularly spotlight the best food finds across the region.

Their buns also made an appearance alongside Coach Bill Cowher on CBS Sports, which is a pairing that sounds unexpected but somehow makes perfect sense. Great food has a way of crossing over into unexpected spaces.

The bakery has also catered Draft Day for the NY Jets twice, cementing its place as a go-to for events that demand something memorable.

Crossing the million-dollar sales mark within a year since early 2024 is another milestone that reflects just how much momentum this place has built. Over half a million buns sold is not a number that happens by accident.

It happens when the product is genuinely that good and the community genuinely cares.

Hours, Location, and What to Know Before You Go

Planning a visit to Mav’s Top Buns is worth doing with a little preparation, because this is not the kind of place where you want to show up unprepared and miss out. The bakery is open six days a week, from 7 AM to 3 PM, and is closed on Tuesdays.

Getting there earlier in the morning gives you the best shot at the full selection, especially on weekends when demand runs highest.

The location at 1092 NJ-35 in Middletown is easy enough to find, sitting in a small commercial strip that you might pass without a second glance if you did not know what was waiting inside. Parking is available, and the setup is straightforward for a quick visit or a leisurely browse of the day’s flavors.

The bakery is compact but efficiently run.

Bringing a loyalty card is a move regulars swear by. Checking the monthly flavor lineup online before arriving helps you decide whether to stick with the classics or grab something seasonal.

Either way, arriving with a plan and a little extra room in your bag is always the right call.

Why This Bakery Keeps People Coming Back

There are plenty of places that sell cinnamon buns. There are very few that make people drive an hour, plan their mornings around a pickup window, or feel genuinely disappointed when they miss a limited flavor.

Mav’s Top Buns has built something that goes beyond the product itself. It has built a community, and that is a much harder thing to manufacture.

The bakery feels personal in a way that is increasingly rare. Every element, from the name to the recipe to the way the boxes are packed, carries a sense of pride and intentionality.

Customers feel that, and they respond to it by coming back again and again, bringing friends, sending boxes across the country, and posting about their hauls like they found something the rest of the world needs to know about.

Whether you are a first-timer curious about the hype or a longtime member of the so-called Bun Cult, the experience holds up.

Address: 1092 NJ-35, Middletown Township, NJ 07748.