A cinnamon roll lands beside a barbecue chik’n sandwich, a jet-black brownie, and a donut made just a few steps from the counter. That combination might sound like four separate errands, but at Vegan Pastry Lab in Englewood, it is a perfectly reasonable lunch order.
The little Bergen County bakery-cafe operates entirely without animal products, turning out plant-based pastries, celebration cakes, breakfast sandwiches, and plenty of treats for customers who also avoid gluten.
Its compact storefront at 18 East Forest Avenue is not the sort of place that announces itself with a giant dining room or an elaborate entrance.
The display case does most of the talking. Inside, familiar bakery favorites appear in vegan form, while the savory menu makes it possible to stop for an actual meal instead of pretending a cupcake counts as lunch.
Whether you arrive with dietary restrictions or simply want a freshly baked donut, this neighborhood shop offers far more choices than its modest size suggests.
Vegan Pastry Lab Brings Plant-Based Baking to Englewood
Owner Cris Longoria built Vegan Pastry Lab around a straightforward promise: everything is vegan. Longoria, a Texas native, describes the bakery’s mission in terms of animals, personal health, and the planet, but the philosophy arrives at the counter in a pleasantly practical form.
Customers do not have to interrogate every croissant, cupcake, or sandwich to determine whether it contains butter, milk, or eggs. The bakery has already done that work for them.
That certainty matters to committed vegans, but it can be just as valuable to parents navigating dairy allergies or friends trying to choose a meeting place that works for everyone. The Englewood storefront sits at 18 East Forest Avenue, just off South Dean Street and a short distance from the city’s busy downtown blocks.
It feels more like a neighborhood find than a polished chain cafe, with baked goods, prepared food, and a small-market selection sharing the space. Packaged snacks and other plant-based products add a little browsing time while an order is being prepared.
The business also has a second location across the state line in Nyack, New York, but Englewood is its New Jersey home base. What gives the shop broader appeal is that the baking is not presented as a lecture or a compromise.
A chocolate croissant is still supposed to be flaky and rich. A cinnamon roll should still justify sticky fingers.
A cupcake needs to feel like a celebration, even when there is no birthday in sight. That everyday approach helps explain why the bakery attracts people who do not otherwise eat vegan food.
Some arrive because of an allergy or ethical commitment; others simply follow the trail of fresh pastries. Once everyone is staring into the same display case, the labels become less important than deciding who gets the last brownie.
Gluten-Free Choices Make the Menu Easier to Explore
For anyone accustomed to finding one lonely packaged cookie on a cafe menu, the gluten-free selection here can come as a welcome plot twist. Vegan Pastry Lab regularly offers several clearly identified choices rather than treating gluten-free baking as a token sideline.
Recent menus have included blueberry scones, cheesecake slices, peanut butter and jelly bars, jet-black brownies, cookie dough brownies, and Oreo cheesecake brownies. The exact lineup can rotate, which is normal for a small bakery, but there is usually more to consider than a single consolation prize.
Gluten-free bread may also be available for sandwiches, extending the possibilities beyond dessert. That is a particularly useful detail when one person wants a baked treat and another needs something substantial enough to count as breakfast or lunch.
Still, vegan and gluten-free do not mean the same thing, and the bakery should not be described as an entirely gluten-free facility. Many of its standard pastries and breads contain wheat, and preparation takes place in a working kitchen with multiple ingredients.
Customers with celiac disease, severe allergies, or concerns about cross-contact should speak with the staff before ordering and confirm how a particular item is prepared. That conversation is worth having even if a product carries a gluten-free label.
The good news is that ingredient questions are not unusual here. Staff members are accustomed to helping customers navigate dairy restrictions, gluten concerns, nut questions, and other dietary needs, so asking for details does not feel like holding up the room.
Availability is another reason to check ahead when one particular treat has captured your attention. Small-batch baking means popular items can disappear as the day goes on, especially during a weekend rush.
Arriving near opening gives you the broadest view of the case. It also reduces the chance of spending the drive home thinking about the gluten-free cheesecake brownie you almost had.
Fresh Sandwiches Turn a Bakery Run Into a Full Meal
Englewood is the kind of place where one errand easily turns into three, and a proper sandwich can keep the whole operation on track. Vegan Pastry Lab’s oven-baked menu gives the shop more range than the average pastry counter, with breakfast and lunch options made entirely from plant-based ingredients.
The breakfast sandwich has become one of its best-known savory orders, while a breakfast bagel offers another early-day option. Later on, choices such as the BBQ chik’n sandwich and a classic chik’n sandwich bring a little more heft.
Online ordering menus recently listed the breakfast sandwich at $14.50, the breakfast bagel at $12.50, and the chik’n sandwiches at $15, though in-store and delivery prices can differ and are always subject to change. Those are not grab-and-go convenience-store sandwiches.
They are prepared orders, and the extra few minutes allow the fillings and bread to arrive hot rather than fridge-cold and vaguely apologetic. That distinction is worth remembering during a busy period.
Customers sometimes wait longer for breakfast sandwiches than for ready-made pastries, so anyone racing toward an appointment should order ahead when possible or leave some breathing room in the schedule.
Gluten-free bread may be offered, but availability should be confirmed at the counter, along with any cross-contact questions.
The savory choices also solve a common group-outing problem. One person can order lunch, another can commit fully to a cinnamon roll, and a third can leave with a box for later without requiring multiple stops across Bergen County.
Coffee, tea, canned drinks, and fruit smoothies help turn the order into a complete meal. There is something delightfully efficient about finishing a chik’n sandwich and then choosing dessert from a case only a few feet away.
The difficult part is not finding enough to eat. It is maintaining the fiction that the brownie was an unplanned addition.
Donuts Made On-Site Keep Regulars Coming Back
The best time to encounter a bakery donut is before it has had a chance to travel anywhere. At Vegan Pastry Lab, the donuts are made on-site, putting them squarely in that fresh, same-shop category rather than the mysteriously uniform kind unloaded from a delivery box.
Their flavors and decorations can change, so the counter may look different from one visit to the next. That element of surprise is part of the appeal, but it also rewards early arrivals.
A limited batch can sell through quickly, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays, and a specific flavor seen online may not be waiting several hours later. Vegan donuts require some careful kitchen problem-solving because the familiar formula usually depends on milk, butter, or eggs.
Here, plant-based ingredients take over those jobs while the finished product still aims for the qualities people actually want from a donut: a soft interior, a properly cooked exterior, and enough glaze or topping to make a napkin necessary. No one drives across Bergen County hoping to admire a technically impressive substitute.
They want a good donut. Making them in-house allows the bakery to control the dough, frying or baking, finishing, and daily quantities.
It also creates the sort of small-shop rhythm that regulars learn quickly. Go early for the widest selection, expect seasonal or rotating choices, and have a backup treat in mind.
Fortunately, “backup” here might mean a chocolate croissant or cinnamon roll, which is not exactly hardship. The donuts also provide an easy introduction for customers who are curious about vegan baking but not ready to debate plant-based food over lunch.
A familiar glazed or frosted pastry makes the first bite uncomplicated. If it tastes fresh and satisfying, the ingredient list becomes interesting afterward.
That may be the bakery’s smartest trick: it lets the food make the argument without turning breakfast into a campaign speech.
Cupcakes, Cookies, and Brownies Fill the Display Case
Decision-making gets considerably less disciplined once the display case enters the conversation. The selection at Vegan Pastry Lab moves well beyond donuts, filling the counter with cookies, cupcakes, brownies, muffins, croissants, scones, cinnamon rolls, and cheesecake-based treats.
A recent menu included a $6 cinnamon roll, a $6 chocolate croissant, a $5.50 chocolate chip cookie, and a $5.50 blueberry muffin.
Among the gluten-free choices, customers could find a $9.50 cheesecake slice, $7 cookie dough and Oreo cheesecake brownies, a $6 blueberry scone, a $6.50 peanut butter and jelly bar, and a $5.50 jet-black brownie.
Delivery prices may run higher than the figures inside the shop, but the list gives a useful sense of the range. Some items lean familiar, while others pile one dessert idea onto another with admirable lack of restraint.
An Oreo cheesecake brownie is not trying to be subtle, and that is precisely the point. Cupcakes are available individually or in assorted boxes, making them an easy choice for an office, family gathering, or celebration where dairy-free desserts are needed.
The bakery also accepts custom cake orders for birthdays, weddings, and other occasions. Three days’ notice is generally requested for cakes, although more complicated designs or dietary requirements are best discussed even earlier.
A small business can occasionally rescue a last-minute plan, but that should be treated as good fortune rather than an ordering strategy. The variety is especially meaningful for children with dairy allergies or families who rarely get to choose freely from a traditional bakery case.
Here, everything is plant-based, so the conversation can shift from “Which one is safe?” to the much more enjoyable “Which one looks best?” Gluten-free customers still need to pay attention to labels and preparation practices, but they are not forgotten.
The result is a display where dietary accommodations feel woven into the selection instead of parked sadly at the edge.
What to Know Before Visiting Vegan Pastry Lab
A little timing goes a long way at this compact corner shop. Vegan Pastry Lab’s Englewood location is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
It is closed Monday and Tuesday, and Sunday’s shorter schedule is easy to overlook when a late-afternoon craving takes charge. The bakery is located at 18 East Forest Avenue in Englewood, with the entrance close to South Dean Street.
The business specifically notes that free parking is available on the left side of South Dean Street. Paying attention to posted signs is wise, since nearby blocks may have restrictions and circling the corner with a pastry box in mind can test anyone’s patience.
The phone number is 201-431-9152, which is useful for confirming current gluten-free offerings, asking whether donuts remain in stock, or discussing a cake order. Customers can also order selected items for pickup or delivery, although the online selection may not capture every pastry sitting in the case that morning.
Going earlier generally offers the best variety, especially when donuts or a specific gluten-free dessert are the main objective. Build in additional time for a hot sandwich, since it is prepared rather than pulled from the display.
The storefront is small, so expect a bakery-market stop rather than a sprawling cafe built for settling in with a laptop all afternoon. Before ordering for someone with celiac disease or a serious allergy, ask directly about ingredients, shared equipment, and cross-contact procedures.
Fully vegan preparation removes dairy, eggs, and other animal-derived ingredients from the equation, but it does not automatically make every product gluten-free or suitable for every allergy. That clear distinction is part of planning the visit responsibly.
Once the practical questions are handled, the remaining problem is pleasantly minor: whether lunch should end with a donut, a brownie, or a cinnamon roll warm enough to ruin all sensible intentions.