Hot Chocolate: User Reviews

We have been to Hot Chocolate for dinner, and had a great time. The service and food were excellent, and we would definitely go back for dinner. Brunch was a different story. Service was, once again, terrific. We were seated quickly for how crowded it was, and our server was wonderful. But the food was bland and, I mean come on, $4 for coffee with no refills? Overall, brunch is overpriced and the food is not good compared to other options in the city. Skip brunch and go for dinner.

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My date selected HC for our first date, having only been for brunch I wondered how dinner would size up. The atmosphere is lively and I loved the music and, even though we had great conversation, it's not the most condusive spot for 'getting to know someone'...but it didn't stop us! They were quite busy and while our server seemed to show it, he still took time with us and helped us pick some delicious food and decide on a bottle of wine (great selection and he knew his stuff since we had several questions trying to narrow down our choice between 2). I do wish he would have spoken up more since it was hard to hear over the packed house! ;-)

We started with the pate and it was wonderful and just the right portion size for an appetizer. I had the rabbit and it was a delicious preparation in a light broth with so much flavor, the meat was so tender and I liked it being served off the bone (no wresting with a knife!). My date had a salad which he asked for them to double and add a few things for it to be more of a meal. One note: the salad (which was yummy) came to the table in a warm (very warm) bowl. While this can happen when a place is very busy and they are turning over dishes quickly from table to dishwasher, a conscientious chef or kitchen staffer should know better and do something to cool down or chill the plate. We finished with a light, divine dessert: a strawberry/rhubarb concoction with some of the best baked meringue. It was a portion that was just enough to share without walking away feeling overstuffed. I'd head back to Hot Chocolate for a fun, casual dinner with friends or a stop off dinner with a date again. I thoroughly enjoyed the food!

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We had been going to Hot Chocolate for years. Desserts were great, and we felt that their savory Chef was an undiscovered treasure. Mindy (the owner) was always cold, but we were willing to chalk it up to personality and treat it as an endearing quality of one of our favorite restaurants.

As the years went on, the food became so-so, and the service became worse. They started treating their customers (even their regulars) worse and worse. We actually had to apologize to a few people who we took their as our guests. Right now, the food is still ok, but nothing to rave about, and the service and treatment is just down-right rude. What used to be one of our favorite spots is now just a source of frustration. We hear the same thing from others , and wonder what the owner is thinking.

We wish we had stopped going two years ago, and could still remember Hot Chocolate fondly.

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A group of us girls wanted to go to hot chocolate for dessert. We called 2 months in advance and they did everything in their power to not make it happen. They'd only reserve a table for between 10-12 people (not one person more),and even then it was a minimum of $15 spend per person (what if 2 people wanted to share a dessert??). Now that the buzz is wearing off, you'd think they'd be considerate to their customers, I've been reading horror stories about their service. They weren't willing to work with us in any way. . .it's sad because they lost our business.

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I find metromix and timeout to continue to rave about Hot chocolate's regular food. I think the desserts are outstanding and atmosphere good. The service was entirely indifferent, my coffee got cold, no return by waitress for refill offer or anything. Seems like everyone wrote up the burger with the egg. My boyfriend got it and the burger was charred, overcooked and very thin. My mushroom lasagne did not have much flavor and a rather thick dull white sauce. I would definitely not return for the food.

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We went there on my birthday for the much raved about desserts and could not believe how horrible they were. The signature dessert, chocolate num #1, was burnt on the bottom and uncooked in the center and tasted of salt, not chocolate. The accompanying salted caramel ice cream was salt ice cream with a hint of caramel. We also ordered the brioche donuts and were amazed to get four tiny donuts for $11 dollars accompanied by some salted caramel popcorn. As for the coffee, it had absolutely no flavor and for $4 I would have rather gone to Starbucks for a venti latte. We complianed and were given some cookies to take home which had no flavor.

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I have been to Mindy's twice for brunch, both exceptional experiences!

This is an a la carte brunch. Mindy's take on traditional sweet breakfasts, such as pancakes and french toast is just a little different! The tastes are subtle, sweet but not sickeningly so, redolent with flavor. The more protein-oriented dishes are very creative and if they are not quite as good, only slight less so. And the coffee, brought to your table in a small coffee press, couldn't be more flavorful!

The decor is contemporary, pleasing but not ostentatious.

The service is well above average. The first time I went, they took what could have been a bad experience and instead left a very positive sentiment.

At $16/person with tax and generous tip, it's an incredible value.

Be warned, they do NOT take reservations and get crowded within 15 minutes after opening. However, since they don't open till 10 am, even people who are not Sunday early risers should be able to get there!

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SO of course we had to try this new "cool" place with the unusual name, right. The Mexican Hot Chocolate was awesome, the obviously know how to make unreal hot coco. Everything else about it was just stupid. When you walk in you get the typical, all too common these days, snobby city treatment from people who are obviously not "from" the city- all so they can squeeze you into one of their 10 tables that are all an inch away from one another. Having a private conversation is out of the question. The food wasn't bad, but nothing special at all. Way to much drama to sit and eat in what is basically a dark, small Starbucks with overpriced, overhyped bar food.

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Given the state of the economy, I didn't realize that restaurants were in a position to turn down business. I tired making a brunch reservation for a BIRTHDAY for 6 on Sunday. I even offered my credit card number to hold it...they said no, they would only do it for 8 or more, and I could "buy a table for 8." Sorry, the brunch at Hot Chocolate is not even that good...there are too many other great brunch places in the city. Thumbs down to you and your policies Hot Chocolate.

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I was very excited to go to this restaurant for dessert after hearing so much about it. Not only are the desserts overpriced at $11 apiece, but they also don't taste good! We had the signature chocolate dessert with salted caramel ice cream and a homemade pretzel on top. Turns out those weren't the only salty parts of this dessert. It didn't taste like dessert at all and the chocolate "crust" was more like a burnt homemade brownie. I get that savory desserts are trendy, but trendy does not always equal good. Save your money and get dessert nearly anywhere else but here, or at least stay away from the signature dessert we tried.

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