crixa cakes
it might not yet be the true end (see below) of crixa cakes, berkeley's standout bakery from owner-bakers elizabeth kloian and zoltan der, known in particular for their outstanding eastern and central european-inspired cakes, pastries and desserts, but may 10, 2025, marked the end of crixa's love-worn bakery and former cafe space at 2748 adeline street.
we joined the pilgrims gathered at the bakery on friday, may 9, crixa's last open weekday, hoping for a lucky counter number that might score one final slice of whatever wasn't sold out within moments.
honestly we felt fortunate just to be there, to quietly and politely pay tribute to kloian and der, who moved their business from oakland to the warm, industrial adeline street cafe space in 2000 (they first opened in oakland's fruitvale district in 1998); who named the bakery from the classic book watership down; who brought a cool european elegance and intense deliciousness to each one of their classic and seasonal confections. (local writer alix wall did a wonderful write-up on the couple just two years ago to mark crixa's 25th year.)
the space was an old-fashioned, mannered sanctuary, a self-care destination, especially for those of us of a certain age who have been in and around berkeley for a while. before COVID led to the closing of the cafe portion of the business, crixa was the place to take a dear old friend for plated treats, good tea and coffee, and a peaceful catch-up. even as a simple to-go counter during and after COVID, it offered an elevated experience, its not-too-sweet service matching the tempered sophistication of its incredibly special desserts.
the final friday crowd was large, polite, quietly emotional and spanned ages and cultures. (one very young woman walked out laden with boxes of cleverly pre-ordered treats.) a customer who had traveled from sacramento waited patiently. people held their breath, hoping for a last taste.
it seems somewhat cruel that the bakery should have closed for good the day before mother's day.
after years of almost exclusively treating ourselves to crixa's richer, cream-layered offerings such as tiramisu, chocolate mousse and amaretti cream cake, in the end we scored one of the final pieces of the only dessert left at the counter – marshmallow mochi cake, an unexpected choice. it was heavenly, exactly sweet enough, light yet substantial, perfection.
thank you crixa, and please reopen somewhere nearby, or take that much needed rest and then write a cookbook. your unmatched recipes and exacting standards will be dearly missed.
to keep tabs on any future plans for crixa cakes [crosses fingers], der says to be sure to sign up for their newsletter at crixacakes.com. "We have a few weeks of clearing out the Adeline Street space," said their post-closure newsletter sent to fans on may 12. "After that, we are going to take some time off, and then start making some important changes to our website to accommodate what comes next."
