Bar Cocoa

I walk by this place all the time and I finally stopped to get something. I got the Red Velvet cupcakes. They were good but not the freshest. I would go here again but that was my experience. The guy that served me really knew his stuff too about what’s in each desert. He could really sell you on anything in there. I’ll update this review once I visit them again.

Came here after dinner time. They weren’t busy at all but it seemed like it took forever to be served. I got a medium size cup of the gelato. It was good and creamy. I probably would of been better off getting the smaller cup since it was so rich. I heard a lot about their milkshakes and when I asked about them, I was told it was only a seasonal item.
Inside had very little chairs and tables. We had to eat outside which I didn’t mind since the seats seemed more comfortable and you get a good view of uptown.

The 92.5 sanitation score, definitely low for a 5 star hotel café. Great selection and the lady was quite helpful with my selection. Not impressed with the Ritz-​Carlton Signature Cake, looked heavy, tasted heavy, and didn’t care for the citrusy touch in it. Chocolate mousse on the other hand, looked heavy but it was quite light and not too sweet. The gelato were just okay. We tried hazelnuts and coffee gelato, and I think I still prefer the ones from Talenti.

We stopped by last night for some after dinner gelato, we’ve actually never been here and I never realized it was so close. They had a few options, about 6, of gelato. The hazelnut and caramel tasted so good we had to get them both. We put the two flavors in a small for $ 3.50 (should have gone with the large for $ 5). The caramel was delicious, like melt in your mouth crème brûlée. The hazelnut was good too, a little dark cocoa-​ish for my taste.
They had a large selection of macarons. Cakes, and chocolates. Will be back for a longer sit down experience. Cheers!

Decided to head uptown for a bit of dessert and landed at Bar Cocoa. We had initially only intended to stop for Gelato but were instantly attracted to all the gorgeous truffles and confections and ended up totally gorging ourselves on sweets.
Tried the Pistachio Gelato, the texture was heavenly and accompanied by a crisp crunch of fresh nuts. We also sampled a variety of truffles (Lemon Bar, Tahitian Caramel, German Chocolate Cake, and Caramel Macchiatio). Each was artistically crafted and resembled a brightly colored gem. We also shared a slice of Coconut Cake. Everything had it’s own unique and enticing flavor and I am not embarrassed to say we ate it all!
The barista was patient and helpful and made sure we fully enjoyed each of our selections. Absolutely decadent!

It could deff be better for the price of dessert’s.

I love their selection. Their macaroons are definitely worth it at $ 1.50 a piece. I also had their strawberry shortcake dessert which I thought was more on the pricier side but didn’t taste as good as I expected.
I had a small tiramisu gelato and it was perfect for me as it wasn’t too sweet but still tasty.
The atmosphere is nice and modern. For a sit down meal or tea/​coffee/​desserts, I would feel uncomfortable not dressing up. I decided to sit down just to finish the desserts and coffee since I ordered more than I should have and noticed many people were walking in (loud and obnoxious) and just strolling around in their general area. That sort of disrupted my mood to enjoy the rest of my dessert so I quickly finished and left.
The service was fine as I had ordered at the counter and paid there.

This place is great for a small late night snack without going overboard. I always enjoy the different selections of truffles available and usually get one to appease my sweet tooth!

A disappointment for sure. I came in with my daughters expecting to be able to find some sweet treats & hot cocoa for them & an adult beverage for me after seeing The Nutcracker ballet across the street. There was an incredible line, they were out of hot chocolate and many of their dessert offerings. To enjoy your treats you have to just sit in the hotel lobby. Maybe I should have done more research but I expected to find something a little higher end and certainly more well-​run since its associated with Ritz Carlton.

My favorite place in Charlotte to stop in for dessert. The cupcakes are amazing and well priced. They usually have a seasonal flavor so there are always new options. The gelato is really good as well and I love that you can get a mini cup, perfect size. Bar cocoa introduced me to macaroons, so many flavors to try!

Stopped in on a hot day for an iced latte and a snack. Holy delicious macarons! I got a lemon basil macaron and an iced vanilla latte and it was all perfect. So many other kinds of desserts I wished I could have just stayed and sampled them all day.

We were checking out and the cocoa wasn’t open for another 20 minutes but Dani ran out and surprised us as we were waiting for our car at the ritz valet. I think she saw the sadness in our eyes when we found out that we might not get to taste their macaroons! 5 stars to this place and 10 stars for service. Dani is a keeper we will come see you next time.

I went to Bar Cocoa last night with my family (there were 5 of us including my 10yr old daughter). We were excited because we are a sweet crazed family! I was looking forward to some gelato even though it was a bit cold outside but sadly, out of the 5 flavors offered, none were to my liking. My favorite flavors are anything with chocolate or caramel but neither were offered.
My family immediately gravitated toward the cake display so I joined them. Two people purchased chocolate cupcakes, one a red velvet cupcake, another the pumpkin cheesecake and I got the coconut cake. The service at Bar Cocoa was great! The gentleman was friendly, smiling and very pleasant. At the bar they only offered coffee and hot chocolate. We were encouraged to grab a seat at the Ritz Carlton lounge area where we would be offered a wider selection of drinks.
Our desserts were all just average tasting. No one, including myself, was wowed by anything. I usually love most coconut flavored anything but this cake was filled with big chunks of coconut flakes. I couldn’t detect any actual cake in there at all. It was unpleasantly chewy. I don’t recommend it.
The lounge in the Ritz was dimly lit with a beautiful stone fireplace toward the back where there is a second bar serving cocktails. The lounge area was fairly empty. There was one table occupied with a couple. My family and I sat down and were noticed by the female server as we walked in but she didn’t approach our table. I found that odd but I waited. About 5 minutes later she went to the table with the couple and asked them if they wanted more drinks. She took their order, left, and promptly returned with their drinks. Then she left again without coming over to us. Another 5 minutes goes by and a second couple enters the lounge area with their desserts from Bar Cocoa. As as they’re seated she approaches their table and asks if they want anything. Then she leaves again without even looking our way. At that point we were almost done and didn’t want to stay any longer with such rude and dismissive service.
I am not sure why she chose to ignore our table but I was extremely disappointed. I expected better from such an establishment. With mediocre desserts and horrible service I definitely won’t be going back or bringing anymore guests with me when looking for a place to satisfy our sweet tooth. I give the two stars for the gentleman that served us our desserts.

Chocolates were decent. (not made in house). Really liked the caramel éclair! But the macaroons we took home were so-​so. A couple of them were good, but others tasted a bit stale and dry. Loved that they had a nice variety of flavors, but we couldn’t even tell what flavors they were supposed to be by the time we got them home.
So much potential here!

Was looking for something sweet and this was perfect! They have a large selection of macaroons and gelato and other delicious items like cake and cupcakes.
Had the red velvet cupcake and it was soft, moist and the cream cheese frosting was just perfect — not overly sweet. My boyfriend had the carrot cake cupcake and it was moist and perfectly balanced. They have outdoor seating so it was nice to sit outside and people watch.

Delicious gelato at a surprisingly reasonable price! The raspberry is my favorite, but I also enjoy the chocolate hazelnut and honey pecan. The staff is always pleasant and hospitable. I have not ventured much outside the gelato. The truffles and assorted chocolates in the display cases look too good to eat.
I find myself walking over many nights to grab a cup of gelato and take a walk.

Stopped in for a few macaron’s and were pleasantly surprised by the service and selection. The price was very average and the handful of flavors i bought were mostly A-​ok. Nothing stand-​out about Bar Cocoa and their foods, but nothing negative either.
Wouldn’t recommend the nutella flavor — all I could taste was milk chocolate, so I was really disappointed with that.
Would totally recommend the coffee flavor!

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Very clean, and well-​presented
2) Nice variety of sweets
Cons:
1) Some of the macaroons were fresh (soft, and with slight bite), while others were stale (really chewy and hard like a hockey puck)
2) Limited to 2 flavors of gelato/sorbet…not even negotiable to have a 3^rd flavor haha
3) The watermelon and mango sorbets tasted pretty decent, but after the 5^th taste… they started tasting like some Fructis shampoo/​shower gel
Wanted to love it, but left disappointed

The Place is BEAUTIFUL!
Small! Really just Four seats!!! Seems to almost serve as a lobby of sorts to the Hotel and Restaurant!
Service! OUTSTANDING! When I told the Dude working here (he asked how we liked our Desserts) I told him and he made some suggestions and brought over two that he thought we would like! The Girl working here was very helpful getting the Most Photogenic of each item we chose (I told her I would photograph these and she had some good ideas)!
What was really Good or Better than good :
All of These Desserts are BEAUTIFUL!!!
Macaroons were exceptional! Better than «Amelie’s» More comparable to «Think Chocolate» in Ballantyne! Red Velvet, Orange Sickle and Pistachio were the best of the five we tasted!
Cream Cheese Icing on Top of a Carrot Cake Cupcake! My Bride and I enjoyed this Icing which is VERY Rare since I prefer a Butter Cream Icing and only a Rare Cream Cheese Icing… Usually only one of us likes the same… I this particular situation we BOTH thought it was EXCEPTIONAL! ! ! The Cake had a very Fine Flavor, Like a Sweet Carrot Bread, much less sweet than Cake which was Nice for us since we already had so much Dessert!
Peanut-​butter and Jelly Creation, this was the Yellow most Unusual and Unique Looking of what they had!
What needs work :
The Dessert Named after the place «Bar Cocoa» was very poor, as if someone took fine ingredients and some how made them look Marvelous and taste CHEAP! This was so poor we only took a few (small) bites and left the rest! 1 Unilocal star
Same story with the Very Beautiful Tart (Chocolate and Banana) tasted very Artificial and CHEAP! less than one Unilocal star
Gelato had very little flavor 2 Unilocal stars at the most!
We were here last Saturday Night 4 – 27 for my the Dessert Part of a Birthday Celebration for my Bride!
We did not taste any of the Chocolates and would go back to see what they were like IF we lived here!

Bottom line (at the top): We got to pick a dessert from Bar Cocoa as a part of our pre-​fixe from brunch at the Ritz. Everything looks beautiful but looks are quite deceiving in this case. :/​
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Came here on Saturday morning after the family had some bizness in Charlotte. We did the three course prefixe and the third course was to pick dessert from Bar Cocoa. I’m not quite sure how the brunch was so good and Bar Cocoa was so bad. We had the tiramisu (meh), chocolate raspberry cake (double meh, the raspberry jam inside was soo bitter), chocolate hazelnut praline cake (the best relatively, but still not that great, red velvet cupcake (horrendous, really dry), etc. etc.
As a dessert fanatic this really broke my heart.