All-Vegan Cinnaholic Bakery is Both Subversive and Satisfying

Tamara Palmer

Cinnaholic's Old Skool Roll with pomegranate seeds ($4.50)

​Berkeley's brand-new Cinnaholic is not a great place to go if you are terribly indecisive. A seemingly infinite number of customizable options are available for the bakery's all-vegan cinnamon rolls, including toppings, frostings, and fillings (most available for 25 cents each over the base roll price of $4.50) . We must have taken at least 10 minutes to decide that we'd take an "Old Skool" classic and modernize it with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Our friend came up with a perplexing combination for his fantasy roll: lime slices, shredded coconut, and root beer frosting. We all raised our eyebrows, but he turned out to know something we didn't.

Tamara Palmer

​No dairy or animal products are needed to yield a dense (but not too dense), flavorful, and moist roll, and Cinnaholic subverts potential vegan textural obstacles with success. We haven't done a blind tasting, but we suspect most carnivores wouldn't even miss the eggs and butter.

A funky space, the bakery is blessed by three giant posters of Johnny Cash, including an infamous middle finger shot, for a little side of rebellion with your sugar.

Cinnaholic 2132 Oxford (at Center), Berkeley, (510) 647-8684.