Berkeley's beloved Virginia Bakery closing

The exterior of Virginia Bakery in Berkeley. Photo by Google Street View The exterior of Virginia Bakery in Berkeley. Photo by Google Street View Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Berkeley's beloved Virginia Bakery closing 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

Berkeley's Virginia Bakery, a decades-old institution just south of the famed Gourmet Ghetto, has announced it is closing its doors at the end of this month.

The old-fashioned bakery, located on the corner of Shattuck and Virginia, broke the news with a brief Facebook post on Monday afternoon:

"Virginia Bakery is closing permanently on April 28, 2018 after 65 years in the Erdmann family. We will miss you, but it's time to retire. We hope to see you sometime before we close.

Fondly, John and Anne"

But news spread quickly, and hundreds of longtime customers left comments expressing their appreciation, sadness and decades of sweet memories:

"I remember Virginia Bakery fondly from my childhood! You've definitely earned your retirement. All the best."

"Your birthday cakes are the only ones that actually get eaten up. I will miss you!"

"Noooooooooo"

"This is terrible news. Don't you have a son or daughter to take over? Oh, my."

While many had especially fond memories of the birthday cakes, fans of the dinner rolls also spoke up and there were plenty of blissful memories of cookies with one person giving a shout-out to the "best bear claws!"

In 2005, when Virginia Bakery was celebrating its 50th anniversary, Chowhound proclaimed that it made "the finest Irish Soda Bread in the Bay Area." This may still be true, but, if so, that mantle will soon be up for grabs. Have a look at Virginia Bakery's sweet offerings while they're still around.