I found this little taste of heaven a couple months ago while wandering Wallingford on a very, very cold and equally rainy day in Seattle. Having just escaped the torrential downpour common in the Northwest, I found myself momentarily taking shelter in the entryway of a restaurant opposite the street from Chocolati Café. I could see people through the windows sitting at a table enjoying what appeared to be hot drinks and pastries. “Hot chocolate?” I thought, and in less than the blink of an eye, was hurriedly crossing the street, mindlessly dodging traffic as I tried to escape the elements to where I might at last relinquish my now soaked through sweatshirt.
I crashed through the doors and upon receiving several half-annoyed, half-befuddled looks from the patrons, made way for the barista counter. It was there that I found myself in the presence of sheer awesomeness. Display case upon display case of numerous chocolate delights, more specifically the most epically prepared assortment of truffles I had ever witnessed in my life lay before me.
Mounted to the wall above the bar, sat three large blackboard menus. “What can I get for you today?” asked the barista. It took a moment to echo around in my ears before registering at when I looked up at him in an attempt to respond. “I…uh…I…one moment please,” I stammered, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices. “House Hot Chocolates” read one of the menus. This is where I became really intrigued. The menu read: “House Hot Chocolate, a mix of milk and dark chocolate…Darth Vader, a mix of dark chocolate and raspberry…Orange Eclipse, a mix of dark chocolate and orange…the Turtle, hazelnut and sea salt caramel…and Spicy Cayenne, a mix of chocolate and cayenne pepper…” among other choices of coffee and espresso. Having an affinity for all things “Star Wars”, I couldn’t help but try the Darth Vader.
As the barista was preparing my drink I turned to the truffle display cases once more. There must have been at least a minimum of three dozen different truffles and chocolate treats to choose from, ranging from sweet and savory Huckleberry truffles to the bold and epic Buttered Rum truffles.
I would soon discover my personal favorite: the hot and spicy Cayenne truffles. And it would be a sin not to mention the chocolate dipped strawberries. On a whim I tried one of these decadent -looking treats and I can positively assure, one of these is enough to turn any Grumpy Grumperton into the most joyous of people.
With spacious room for seating available, I chose a small corner near an outlet so that I could charge my laptop, check my email and enjoy this newfound establishment. My only complaint of Chocolati is that the Wi-Fi is at times spotty, however, it is free.
I stayed and warmed myself for a little over an hour before I could convince myself to leave and reenter the gloomy, wet city outside, but vowed I would return. And I did the very next day.
Since my initial visit, I have discovered there are in fact four Chocolati Cafés: one in Greenwood located at 8319 Greenwood Ave N, another in Greenlake at 7810 East Green Lake Dr N, another in Wallingford at 1716 N 45th St, and the last one downtown in the Seattle Library.
I encourage anyone looking for a local getaway to visit and purchase a hot chocolate and a couple truffles for less than $10. You will not be disappointed.
Should you not be able to make a trip down to Seattle, Chocolati offers their truffles, chocolate-dipped custom fortune cookies, chocolate mixes & sauces, mould chocolates and truffle bites on their website; many of the in-store products are online.
