Artfully Chocolate

Everywhere I travel I search for dairy-​free hot chocolate, and this is my pit stop for a chocolate fix in DC.
The Pro’s:
–Dairy-​free options for hot chocolate
–Happy hour discount applies to hot chocolate purchases!
–The barista will add extra chocolate to your order if requested!
The Cons:
–The hot chocolate is insufficiently chocolatey if you don’t request extra chocolate.
–Inconvenient location nowhere near a metro station.
This is just a delightful, quirky little chocolate place!

This is my new favorite sweet spot.
The desserts are delicious! They have a ton of different options. They have an array of hot chocolates, coffees, drinks, ice teams, fudges, truffles and more. They have some wine, a variety of candy bars, chocolate covered treats and even a cute little shop in the corner with odds and ends perfect for little gifts.
The service is great. Every time I go, the staff is always pleasant and helpful.
This place is picture perfect. Beautifully bright and fun colorful artwork adorn the décor on the inside of this cute little dessert shop/​café/​boutique & they have outdoor seating too!
Check them out! I recommend the red velvet ice-​cream && the grace got chocolate (=

I had the best hot chocolate on a really cold night! The boy that helped me was very friendly and helpful. My hot chocolate was delicious– white chocolate and vanilla hot cocoa. Very unique and delicious! Very unusual treats as well, had a white chocolate covered Oreo and mini macarons! Yum! Place is small but charming. You must stop in when discovering del ray!

Very nice along with a nice staff.
It always feels good to support small business
Yes — I could have gotten my fave salted caramel hot chocolate at The Big S, but I made an exception today and said «let me try out this little place»
The hot chocolate menu takes a couple minutes to read (and I read fast) — so many options! The man behind the counter was very patient and let me sub dark chocolate for milk chocolate with the caramel. Add whipped cream and this was one happy gal. I was surprised they had styrofoam cups (I always feel eco-​friendly and small business go hand-​in-​hand — I don’t know why…), but the chocolate drink was yummy! You cannot go wrong with real Belgian chocolate chips (those of you who know me know that I have a special place in my heart for Belgium!).
Definitely worth stopping by this quaint lil’ shoppe

Satisfy your sweet tooth
Artfully Chocolate (not Artifully Chocolate as my boyfriend pointed out to me as I was typing it into my phone) is an adorable chocolate shop in the Del Ray neighborhood. It’s not just your traditional chocolate shop. They make so much more than homemade chocolate and fudge. They have a menu with sandwiches, snacks, and delicious sweet treats both warm and cold to tempt you into purchasing. On this particular cold winter day though, we were interested in their liquid offerings, aka their hot chocolate.
Whoever created the hot chocolate flavors is both creative and gives a nod the women of Hollywood. The drinks are inspired and named after Hollywood starlets of the golden age. They have a decent amount of hot chocolate offerings, made with REAL chocolate chips. No powdered stuff here (I’m not knocking it but if we’re paying for craft hot chocolate I would hope it’s real). I ordered the Bette which was milk chocolate with almond and coconut flavors. My boyfriend ordered the Chano (?) which had caramel and dark chocolate. He also got a reese’s pieces chocolate covered pretzel. Mmm talk about silky smooth. Both beverages were good and well made. You can tell the staff take the time to make a good hot chocolate. Props to Ethan, the barista/​only one working the day we went.
The shop itself is small but cozy. They don’t have a lot of seating, so keep that in mind when you come. They also have art work made by local artists hung up around their shop, which are available for purchase. Cute shop with yummy treats. I’ll be back.

Looking for a fun place to hang out with no alcohol, but ALSO no screaming kids? I think this might be the place!
While Dairy Godmother down the street is overflowing with families, this little gem was very quiet for a Saturday afternoon. I came here for their famous sodas, but ended up being awed by their hot chocolate menu, and couldn’t resist ordering one of those, especially in the late fall.
The service there was great. The people seem genuinely happy, and engaging in the art behind their drinks, sharing little secrets with us, here and there. The drinks were outstanding. The hot chocolate I ordered was so rich, I couldn’t even finish it. Let alone with the chocolate covered s’more that we bought with it. That ended up being a desert I had to split much later in the evening.
So, if you are a fan of chocolatey goodness, this place is it. Hopefully, next time I’ll get to try their sodas.

I read great reviews and was really looking forward to trying a hot chocolate sampler. We walked in and it was not crowded at all — no line. We stood at the register for well over 5 minutes with zero attention. The man behind the counter walked back and forth putting chocolates in a display case and didn’t say a word. He didn’t even make eye contact with me. My husband says he looked at him and walked away. Good thing I am a chocolatiere. Going home to make my own. Finally left. I don’t think we’ll be going back. Too bad since we live only a few blocks away and frequent Evening Star, Cheesetique, DRP and other Mt. Vernon establishments at least once a week.

Who goes to a chocolate shop and orders anything but chocolate? If Taco Bell served burgers would you realllllyy be disappointed if they weren’t very good? This place is wonderful, and all the people who gave this place bad reviews did so based on chocolateless encounters.
This place has THE best hot chocolate around. They literally have one for every mood and I have had them all and even created a few of my own. You won’t find anything similar in this area, the next closest place with this quality of hot chocolate is in NYC.
On top of the hot chocolate, they have tons of chocolate covered stuff; marshmallows, Oreos, s’mores, coconut, bugs, pretty much anything else that you can coat in chocolate, and it’s all chocogasmic, especially dipped in your hot chocolate.
By the time you’re done you will feel glutinous and sinful. You will also need a glass of water.

got a terrific cup of regular coffee here late one evening in addition to one of their diva chocolate drinks (can’t remember the name but maybe Marilyn Monroe) which was quite tasty. The guy also asked me if I wanted to taste some of their ice creams and I tried two and THEY WERE DELICIOUS. Next time I need ice cream, this is where I go. The décor in this place is totally unique and worth going in just to see.

Delicious chocolate! In hot cocoa or milkshake form!
They have a decadent selection of chocolates and flavors to chose from for hot chocolate or milkshakes. The hot chocolate I had was toffee and dark chocolate (the Eartha) and it was very tasty. The toffee flavor blended in nicely with the dark chocolate for a yum-​tastic flavor.
Definitely good to cure your sweet tooth!

If you like chocolate then you will like this place.
One of the few places that is known for its hot chocolate – and not its coffee. It doesn’t promote itself as a coffee shop, although I’m sure you can get a latte if you want.
What I come here for is the Diva hot chocolate! They are all named after Old Hollywood movie stars. The Liz is by far my favorite – milk chocolate with lavender and pistachio. (I does NOT taste like soap.) They also sell ice cream and other awesome-​looking chocolate goodies.
The funny part about this place is all the art. It seems like the owner is an artist and he wanted to have a place to put his artwork. It’s all flowers and Divas. I think he likes Marilyn Monroe a lot, because her face is on a few of the tables at both locations. Don’t let the artwork weird you out. The ones that mimic stained glass are cool.

Artful chocolate is absolutely incredible.
In a town that is essentially a boutique, Artful Chocolate reigns as one of the most ecclectic dessert/​ice cream/​pastry shops around. Its old fashioned décor and extravagant ice cream shakes (in all kinds of crazy flavors) give it a lot of personality.
I had the carmen milk shake, which used Giffords ice cream (some of the best around) mixed with dark chocolate and raspberries. The lady had a chocolate malted, and loved it. I noticed that the had an awful lot of exotic ingredients, such as chili spices, unusual fruit, etc. I can not wait to try the lot of it.
Nice picnic benches and seating outside are perfect for picturesque summer evenings of people watching and lazing about.

I have heard about Del Ray from many people and promised myself that sometime soon I would have to explore. Having exhausted the shopping spots in Old Town, I headed over to this area in the annual quest for the perfect birthday present for my husband.
After the chilly walking, my friend and I needed something to warm us up and stopped in. (It doesn’t take much to get me in somewhere if they already say «CHOCOLATE» in the window.
Boy, did we stop in at the right place!
They had hot chocolate flavors galore. Rather than my usual little kid feeling of ordering hot chocolate while all my friends order Tall Vente Half Caf Lattes with Splenda, I was able to revel in my love of all things hot chocolate. I decided on the Lucy (Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut) and was not disappointed.
I will have to make some excuses to come back to this part of town to treat myself to this delight.

A tiny little shop with lots of flavor!
I stopped in to try one of their signature hot chocolates which are named after divas of years passed. I tried the «Lucy» a fiery concoction of chipotle pepper and semi-​sweet chocolate which was just as memorable as its namesake.
The shop keep was effervescent and patiently explained the difference between the flavors as well as her personal favorites. She also let me know about their hot food options which included fun bites such as tater tots, fluffernutter sliders and pizza sliders. They also serve chocolate egg creams, Gifford’s ice cream and have a wide variety of Willy Wonka-​esque candy.
A few families stopped in the shop after their dinner and I can totally see why — this is paradise for the under 10 set!
Kimberly V Suggestion: Name a hot chocolate after Betty White’s most memorable character, Rose Nylund from the «Golden Girls». It can have rose essence and topped with whipped cream made out of the milk of St. Olaf cows.

Thanks to a wonderful UYE with some amazing Unilocalers, I finally understand the true meaning of food as art. It takes a true understanding of food to create a hot chocolate as good as the Grace Kelly. This delicious drink combined dark chocolate with sea salt which is more of a bitter taste with sweet and savory carmel and a mountain of whip cream goodness. It was served hot, but not burn your mouth hot like some other joints in the DC area.
This artful concoction is served in an esthetically pleasing shop with chocolate surrounding you on all sides. It’s definitely a wonderful place if you’re a chocolalcoholic like me.

My friend and I came here as part of a self-​guided macaron crawl and based off of a friend’s suggestion. This place has a LOT of options when it comes to chocolate and kitchy gifts. I’m not a fan of chocolate but fortunately they had what I came for — macarons!
It seems like their macarons are shipped in from Michel Patisserie, which is fine, but I definitely felt like they tasted a day old. I was kind of hoping that Artfully Chocolate made their own macarons for a more fresh taste.

Love this place!!! Whenever I have a serious craving for a hot cocoa, I turn to this place. Carmen (dark chocolate & raspberries) is my signature fave and bestie gets the caramel one!

On Friday, I went into Artfully Chocolate while I was running errands in the Del Ray area. In comparison, to other Sweet Shops like the Sugar Cube (in Old Town); Artfully Chocolate has very limited inventory. It is also very expensive (which, I justified by thinking I am supporting a small and local business).
The staff was very helpful and had some great suggestions.
I enjoyed the chocolate I purchased. The truffles were small. However, the peanut butter and chocolate truffle was amazing.
The Del Ray location has no seating which, I found surprising due to the fact they offer a lot of specialty drinks. (The type of drinks you might want to sit and down and enjoy immediately.)
Artfully Chocolate appears to focus more on their quality vs. quantity when it comes to selling their product (s). Due to the lack of inventory, it is not my favorite Sweet Shop. However, it is a nice addition to the Del Ray neighborhood; and, if you’re in the mood for something sweet worth checking out.

It was delicious!
Their hot cocoa is made by melting down chocolate chunks with hot milk, mixing in your flavors and topping it off with whipped cream. I’ll be stopping back next time I’m in town!

Go here for the Diva Hot Chocolates. When I want a melted chocolate bar in a cup, when I have a craving for chocolate, these things hit the spot.
So many times you’ll order a hot chocolate and you get this watery powdery cocoa stuff that is just meh. But never at Artfully Chocolate. This is the richest, thickest chocolate ever. It tastes like you’re drinking liquid gold.
When I was a kid, I used to melt bars of Hershey’s chocolate and it would always taste ten times better than if I ate it as a bar. These hot chocolates are like that– like drinking pure melted chocolate.
They also have French macaroons which are $ 2 each. You can find them cheaper elsewhere, but these are delicious. The truffles are also rather expensive at $ 2 each and not as good as some of the other offerings.
Come here after eating dinner at one of the nearby restaurants in Del Ray for dessert. This and the Dairy Godmother are my favorite places in Del Ray.