Foodie Friday: Choco Cafe, Prague

I spent a few weeks in London during the winter several years back and traveled with a friend from Brazil. This friend from Brazil had a strong addiction to hot chocolate, so everywhere we went, we had to stop first so he could get some. Naturally, that also meant that I had to indulge. That particular trip also saw me get hooked on the stuff–liquid, chocolate crack. Now when I travel (in the winter), it’s one of the things I most look forward to trying from various countries.

Before I headed to Prague for the Christmas Markets, I came across a tweet mentioning an entire cafe dedicated to hot chocolate in Prague. So this fairytale city, which captured my heart the previous time I was there, was just adding to the intrigue.

On a cold afternoon, I made the short trek from the Astronomical Clock to Choco Cafe, preparing myself for a feast of the senses as I entered. It smelled deliciously of chocolate, and everywhere I looked, people were seated with steaming hot chocolates and pieces of pie in front of them. I settled into one of the plush chairs at a wooden table and read over the menu, which featured almost 50 types of hot chocolate. Talk about a hard decision. I knew I wanted to go for dark chocolate, but I was having a hard time deciding between nuts, fruit, and alcohol. Ultimately, I went with the dark chocolate with nuts and cream.

The interesting thing about the few hot chocolates I had in Prague is that they were all kind of pudding-like: thick and not really possible to sip on. I’m all for embracing how other countries do things, but it still strikes me as a bit odd. Not only that, but I just really wasn’t into it. Like, at all. I don’t know why, as it was a combo of some of my favorite things–dark chocolate, peanuts, and whipped cream, but it was just off. The flavors weren’t that great. It wasn’t that warm. And generally I was just kind of eager to get it over with. Not the experience I’d hoped for.

Looking at reviews of it, I think I must’ve either been there on a bad day or ordered the wrong thing. It’s got 4.5 stars based on a ton of reviews on Trip Advisor, so I know my experience can’t be the norm. Sadly, I wasn’t in Prague long enough to want to give it another chance (opting instead to spend my money on delicious things at the Christmas Market). Next time I’m back I’ll give it a second chance and hope that it’s a much better experience.