Gauntlet taste-test: Cinnzeo

By Megan Koch, Valery Perez, Ramiro Bustamante Torres, Sophia Lopez, Aymen Sherwani and Rachneet Randhawa, September 8 2021—

It’s always fun to see what new establishments pop up on campus. Since many of the most controversial opinions are usually about the food options here at the university, the Gauntlet decided to put our money where our mouths are and taste-test the most recent establishment at the University of Calgary — Cinnzeo. 

Located just outside the elevators to Social Science Tower, this spot is perfect to sooth your sweet tooth, or to grab a quick bite on your way to your next lecture — whether online or in-person. Below are our honest thoughts from a selection of both breakfast and lunch items. 

Megan’s Review: Visuals Editor 

My favourite is the pasta salad. Lots of yummy flavours, perfectly balanced. I loved the french toast, if I got it warm and with some syrup. I also usually have a sweet tooth, but I adored the cucumber salad. There wasn’t too much dressing, but it coated everything so well.

Valery’s Review: Visuals Editor 

Muffins:

Bran > Chocolate > Blueberry. 

I am not a fan of Bran muffins, they remind me of dry and flavourless granola and just make me thirsty. This bran muffin though — oh my lort. Their bran muffin contained extra flavour — maybe cinnamon — that helped fight the usual blandness, was perfectly moist and was filling. Ten out of ten, I will be eating it with black coffee to complete my old man breakfast. 

Wraps: 

The Breakfast wrap had too much egg, yet it wasn’t as flavourful as others and not very filling either. The Chicken Caesar wrap was wonderful! A filling wrap with a good ratio of veggies and meat — flavourful and refreshing. 

Salads: 

The Black bean corn salad was filling, flavourful and delicious. There was tons of variety within one small bowl. The neatly chopped bell peppers, the beans and the corn ensure every single bite is full of flavour. This is a great, healthy choice for lunch. 

Classics (bun, twist and french toast):

The cinnamon bun was absolutely delicious — a classic, can do no wrong. It was moist, flavorful and the perfect

size to fill you up. Definitely a great pair with a black coffee.

Ramiro’s Review: Layout Editor

French Toast: 

I was surprised when I saw this option and I loved it. I wish it was warmer and had syrup too!

Cinnamon Twist: 

Great taste, super sweet, definitely would have again.

Chicken Caesar Wrap: 

An amazing option, could not go wrong with this. Scarfed it down for sure.

Macaroni Salad: 

A great salad, definitely happy with this option being available.

Cheese Bun + Tomato: 

Perfect to have as a snack, worth it.

Muffins:

Blueberry Muffin: My favourite fruit and on a muffin? Perfection. 

Bran Muffin: Bran is usually not my first choice but this one really made me reconsider. 

Chocolate Chip Muffin: Simple but not bad. 

Veggie Wrap: 

Too much spinach and cucumber, kinda soggy.

Cinnamon Bun: 

Literal perfection.

Black bean corn salad: 

If you want to switch up your salad, this is the way to go.

Sophia’s Review: News Editor

Macaroni Salad: 

This salad was their best salad, it was so good and I’ll definitely get it again.

French Toast: 

The french toast was ok, the flavour was there but it needed maple syrup to complete it.

Cinnamon Twist: 

This was the best thing I tried from the menu. It’s so good — just as good as the cinnamon bun, if not better.

Egg Wrap: 

This wrap was not as great as I thought it was going to be, there was just too much egg and not enough of anything else.

Chicken Caesar Wrap: 

This wrap was really good, arguably the best wrap from their menu. 

Cheese Bun + Tomato: 

This tastes better than it looks, I really enjoyed it.

Aymen’s Review: Voices Editor

Veggie Wrap: 

I had to eat this wrap with a fork because of how soggy it was, but perhaps asking for it toasted will offset the overwhelming tomato water and spinach flavour. 

Macaroni Salad: 

This is a really great salad, there’s not much else to it. My first bite was met with a sharp spring onion flavour that was rounded out by a more mellow pasta flavour. This is, in my opinion, an excellent option if you want healthy comfort food. 

Cheddar Egg Bun: 

This one slightly confused me. I can appreciate the cheese and egg combination, but the bun is very bulk and more on the sweet side, which slightly throws the overall mouthfeel of this item. However, I would pair this bun with their soup. 

Soup:

It was flavourful, but definitely can be elevated with the aforementioned cheese bun to use for dipping on a cold day.  

Cinnamon Bun: 

This is single-handedly the best item on the menu and most definitely worth the hype. I’d suggest getting one in the morning when they’re fresh out of the oven.

Muffin(s):

The muffins are a solid menu item but the bran muffin, in particular, somehow unlocked a core memory of mine — autumn leaves falling in first grade, sleepy car rides to school and robust muffins with a hint of carrot cake for lunch.

Rachneet’s Review: General Editor

Chicken Caesar Wrap:

This was by far the best of the sampling as it was delicious, nutritious and healthy. Overall its taste was not too salty and the filling had a subtle tangy taste. 

Black bean corn salad: 

This was the best salad for me. It had equal combinations of zest, flavour and the beans set off the flavour of the dressing well alongside the corn, red peppers and spring greens. I was surprised to see that Cinnzeo can actually have healthy options like this.

Bran muffin: 

Not too sugary but still packs a good punch of hearty flavour. This is something you would eat for any quick study break.

French toast:
Surprisingly it didn’t have too much of a strong egg flavour but I found it to have a soggy texture with almost a sweet, syrupy taste.

This article is part of our Opinions section