Feb. 14, like your birthday, is one day when both calories and dollars shouldn’t count.
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special partner, a special group of friends or with your special No. 1 (you), you’ll want to indulge your sweet tooth. You could pick up a bag of obnoxiously red-and-pink candies from Walgreens, or, because it’s going to be a sunny day in Berkeley, you could take advantage of the numerous bakeries and sweet shops around town.
Here’s where to go for dessert on Feb. 14, from the places that could break your bank to those that are well within your student meal-plan budget.
Cinnaholic

A vegan cinnamon roll is a lovely treat for your Berkeley valentine. Most of Cinnaholic’s individual rolls range from $4.75 for a plain roll to $5.50 if you crave icing and toppings. If you’re feeling truly generous and want to share your baked bounty, pick up a Cinnacake of 12 rolls to share for $65.
Love at First Bite Cupcakery and Bakery

This is the stop for cakes and cupcakes. From red velvet to dark chocolate salted caramel, matcha green tea or the sinful-sounding “PB affair,” the options are endless. The bakery sells 12 to 15 different flavors of cupcakes every day, for either $2.95 or $3.25 each, depending on which flavor you order. The bakery also offers a dozen different flavors of cakes from $28 to $58, depending on the size and number of layers you order.
Ici Ice Cream

Instead of spending money on roses that will wilt before Presidents Day, try out any of Ici’s unique ice creams, which vary by day, for $3 in a cup or $3.90 on a cone. For Valentine’s Day, you could pick up an individual “conversation heart” ice-cream cake dipped in chocolate with a message written in chocolate. You could also purchase a cheaper treat ($1.85 bonbon) or splurge on an ice-cream cake with up to a dozen friends for $44.
Chocolatier Blue

Defy the red and pink of Valentine’s Day, and stop by this little blue chocolate boutique. Chocolatier Blue sells chocolates in a variety of flavors, including caramelized banana, hazelnut, chili and Earl Grey tea. Its most popular individual chocolates — which you can buy for $1.50 each — are the salted caramel and passion fruit caramel flavors. For Valentine’s Day, the 30-piece chocolate gift box, normally $42, is $35 — still pricey compared to the regular college student’s wallet.
Sweet On You

This little shop adjacent to Subway is the nearest place to campus for Valentine’s sweets. It offers plenty of hand-dipped chocolate treats and milk tea. Pick up some chocolate-covered strawberries for $1.50 each.
UCafe

The Durant Avenue pastry shop’s raspberry chocolate cheesecakes for $3.50 are perfect for an individual dessert on Valentine’s Day. Or if you’re having friends over, try the strawberry mousse cake for $19.95.
John’s Ice Cream

Finally, if you’re looking to spend as little as possible on your Valentine’s date this year, this is the stop for you. Most of the shop’s ice creams, including flavors like mango and espresso, cost $1 per scoop.