There are two kinds of people in Denver: Those who already love the cinnamon rolls from The Duffeyroll Cafe, and those who haven’t had one yet.
Here’s how you can tell the difference. Say, “Duffeyroll,” and watch the eyes. If they glaze over, dreamy and serene, you’ve got a convert on your hands. Establish acquaintanceship immediately; you’ve got common ground.
I’ve yet to meet a soul, even a carb-counting one, who can resist a Duffeyroll — the light, flaky, buttery-yeasty spiral of airy, delicate pastry, wrapped lovingly around a soothing sugar-cinnamon sprinkle. Duffeyrolls, named after co-founder Jim Duffey, are deeply satisfying, a sensual, taste-trigger reminder of what cinnamon rolls were like before the concept was co-opted by shopping-mall sugar- goo-peddlers.
And unlike so many other cinnamon rolls in this “big as your head” sticky bun era, Duffeyrolls are restrained both in size (about 3 inches in diameter, an inch and a half high) and in goo-content.
The latter quality is the most admirable in my eyes; too much goo clobbers a cinnamon roll the way too much wasabi flattens an otherwise sublime slice of sashimi.
The cafe has six versions to choose from, each built around the same base of pastry.
Top of the heap, in my humble opinion, is the original roll, spare and meltingly soft with just a light touch of cinnamon. In the middle, you’ll find a nut of condensed melty-crunchy brown sugar, a naughty last bite that you’ll be happy to have that last swig of coffee to wash down.
Sweet? You better believe it. But while the sugar content could rattle your teeth in a different context, one co-worker characterized it as “sweet, but not in a gross way.”
Also good, but not as perfect, are the Zesty Orange roll, with a tangy hit of citrus, and the Mountain Maple roll, woodsy and rustic.
Frankly, the Irish Cream (drizzled in cream cheese and green frosting) and Pecanilla Crunch (likewise doused in frosting) were overdressed, all that extraneousness getting in the way of those buttery-yeasty bones.
Come early to guarantee yourself a warm roll, or stall your order until a fresh batch comes out. Then again, a room-temperature Duffeyroll is still a spectacular creation.
Strategically located just a few steps from the light-rail station at East Louisiana and South Pearl, the Duffeyroll Cafe (whose original location, at East Hampden Avenue and Happy Canyon, offers the same menu) does a brisk breakfast business, so know your order when you hit the line. Come later in the morning to linger in the sunny, brick-walled cafe, mixing in with the central- casting collection of mid-morning coffee-shop folks, some tapping away on laptops, some rocking baby carriages, some reading Proust.
The staff is a friendly bunch, no doubt lulled into agreeability by the happiness-encouraging qualities of the product they provide.
The room is bright, clean and peopled. A community bulletin board, busy with thumbtacked note cards offering the kinds of services that are still, in these days of craigslist, better advertised in a low-tech way (violin lessons, a macrame workshop), hangs by the back entrance. Stacks of free community newspapers line the entrance. Staffers circulate, wiping Duffeyroll shrapnel from the tables and stacking plastic baskets by the garbage can. A self-service soda fountain. Coffee fixin’s.
You get the idea.
If all they served at the Duffey were cinnamon rolls, that would be enough. But both locations also offer a full suite of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, which are serviceable, if not as epic as the signature rolls.
The Duffey’s BLT (BLT fixin’s, avocado and, brilliantly, cheddar cheese on rosemary ciabatta) worked but would have been better on white bread (the ciabatta was just too precious), while the Chicken Club Wrap (chunked chicken breast, bacon and chipotle mayo, wrapped then grilled) was a pleasant lunch, if not a revelation.
There are perhaps better sandwiches in this town (I’m partial to Mr. Lucky’s, on East Sixth Avenue, these days) but none besides Duffey’s comes with this perfect punch line: a free mini- Duffeyroll.
Also on hand, ovenproof pans of 10 frozen rolls to bake at home. I did this on a recent morning, and not only did I not invite any friends over to share, I had neighbors beating frantically at my door, having been lured in by the aromas. (I didn’t answer, and later denied the smells had originated in my home.)
Here’s a great thing: Duffeyroll offers a fundraising program for those looking to pad the coffers of their community organization. You pay six bucks per pan of 10 frozen rolls, then sell them for 10 bucks apiece. That’s $4 net for your fundraising drive. Get 25 members to sell 25 pans each, that’s $2,500 in the bank.
Duffeyroll Cafe, limited in scope, knows it does one thing much, much better than anything else: bake cinnamon rolls. In fact, they call them “legendary.”
I would emphatically agree, if my mouth wasn’t full of Duffeyroll at the moment.
(Note: This review reflects the reviewer’s experiences at the Pearl Street location.)
Tucker Shaw: 303-954-1958 or dining@denverpost.com
Duffeyroll Cafe
Breakfast and lunch. Two locations: 1290 S. Pearl St., 4994 E. Hampden Ave. Both locations share one phone number: 303-753-9177
** RATING | (Very Good)
Atmosphere: Clean, sunny coffee-shop atmosphere with large open kitchen.
Service: Friendly counter service; if you order a sandwich, they deliver it to your table.
Wine: With breakfast? Shame on you.
Prices: Rolls, $1.99 or 12 for $14.99, Sandwiches $6.95.
Hours: Pearl Street: Monday- Friday 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. Hampden Avenue: Monday- Saturday 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Details: Wheelchair accessible. Catering available. Fundraising program. Be a hero and take a box of rolls to the office.
Dozens of visits.
Our star system:
****: Excellent
***: Great
**: Very Good
*: Good
