Which Is The Best Pastry At Starbucks? Here's What Starbucks Regulars Say- Exclusive Survey

Starbucks is one of the most well-known coffee chains. As of 2021, there were nearly 34,000 locations across the world, as per Statista, with over 15,000 in the United States alone. According to Restaurant Business Online, it is the highest-grossing coffee chain in the U.S., and the second highest overall chain, just behind McDonald's.

Locations can be found inside airports, grocery stores, or on your way to work during the morning commute — often with a drive-thru, to make your stop a little more convenient. Though the chain is best known for its wide range of drinks to kick your morning off with some extra caffeine, it also serves up food options. Whether you want a breakfast sandwich to grab and go before work, or a slice of coffee cake to go alongside your afternoon pick-me-up coffee, most locations have a wide variety of options inside the display case at the counter. If you're craving something a little sweeter, the chain sells several kinds of pastries.

When the first Starbucks location opened in 1971 at the iconic Pike Place location, the store didn't even serve drinks (via Starbucks). Instead, customers could purchase pre-roasted tea, coffee beans, and spices to take home to brew themselves. It wasn't until 1987 that the coffee shop actually served its now-signature brewed drinks for customers to enjoy in the shop.

In 2003, Starbucks saw a major menu overhaul, according to Britannica. For the first time, the coffee chain would be offering food alongside its drinks. The first food items offered were warm breakfast sandwiches, according to NBC News. Though fans of the chain were initially unsure of the food, the menu has expanded over the last nearly two decades, and now, fans of the chain often grab a bite to go.

In an exclusive survey, Daily Meal asked 567 Starbucks fans what their favorite pastries were at the coffee chain. It was a close call, with most of the options edging out the competition by a narrow margin, but ultimately, there had to be one winner.

A little over a fifth of all the survey respondents preferred one Starbucks pastry. The Iced Lemon Loaf claimed first place with 20.99% of the vote. According to the Starbucks website, the sweet treat is a buttery, lemon-flavored pound cake, topped with smooth, sweet icing. Coming in close behind in second place, with 19.93%, is the classic Blueberry Muffin. The Starbucks version of this classic breakfast treat adds a citrussy kick with some added lemon zest, and a crunchy sugar topping baked on top.

In third place is the Chocolate Croissant, with 16.75% of the vote. This sweet treat rolls two pieces of chocolate inside a buttery, flaky croissant crust, baked to golden-brown perfection. The Cinnamon Coffee cake, a buttery, cinnamon sugar-flavored cake with a streusel topping, claimed 15.87% of the vote.

In fifth place is a treat perfect for those with a major sweet tooth: the Double Chocolate Brownie. This dessert, which got 14.46% of the votes, is a dense, chocolatey brownie with semisweet chocolate chunks sprinkled in. Finally, in last place, with only 11.99% is the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. This treat is available year-round, but the spiced pumpkin flavor may be too seasonal for some.