Kakao Chocolate

For local specialty chocolate, Kakao is the go-​to place, whether it is to enjoy it yourself or to gift family and friends. It’s creations provide a collection of chocolate flavor mixtures for every taste palate! But then who doesn’t like chocolate?! #chocolatefordays I added a photo of some flavors I received as a gift. They were ALL so good!

I like the location; the aroma was tantalizing upon entry, I love the chocolate options but the customer service was less than mediocre.
The employees all seemed preoccupied with tasks and while I’m self sufficient I like to be acknowledged.
I had to do way too much pulling to get info. For example I had no idea they served ice cream until I asked what the toppings were for. Next, I had to ask what flavor a they offered and if there was even an ice cream menu showing what was available. I felt like I was much too inquisitive for their taste. Made me uncomfortable and ready to go.
Nonetheless, I got what I came for; one of each dark chocolate pistachio, coffee and mixed nut bark.
Adiós,
Christy shall not return; I’m scared

Holy Marshmallow Pie…
Thanks to Aimee K, I had my very first Kakao experience last night. All I can say is wow. That thing was incredible!
I say «thanks to Aimee» because when I arrived to my hotel room for a regional CM training, I found an awesome goodie bag in my room. It was filled with all kinds of snacks from fruit and a granola bar to Pirate’s Booty, coconut water, and more. But the real standout was the marshmallow pie. It looked amazing and it stood out because it came from a local business…
I’m not even a huge chocolate person, but the folks at Kakao sure knew what they were doing in designing this product. It’s the perfect blend of dark chocolate, marshmallow, pecans and powdered sugar. I could easily become addicted to it.
If you’re looking for a treat for yourself or you want to impress someone else and bring them something local to Saint Louis and mind blowingly awesome, I highly recommend the marshmallow pie. After reading the other reviews of this Kakao location and others, I see that they also offer plenty of other products to die for. I’ll have to check those out on future visits… but in the meantime, you can’t go wrong with the Marshmallow Pie!

Cold reception, shady location no ambiance. After parking, walking through trash right in front of this shop, I walked into an empty shop where a woman is standing around not even greeting me (I thought, go sweep outside!) Over priced. There’s lots of great chocolate everywhere. I don’t get it at all. If I’m going to pay three times the price it better be: delicious, beautiful, an «experience» in excellent customer service, upscale and at a beautiful location/​neighborhood. Going to Bissinger’s in the CWE w fab décor, fireplace, people watching, chocolate drinks to meet friends makes a LOT more sense than taking my life in my hands in the hood for dried out service and overpriced chocolate.

If you’re a fan of dark rich chocolate escapism, this could be the place for you.
When I entered Kakao, I completely forgot I had entered from the drab urban streets of Saint Louis. Maybe it was the beautiful shop arranged to invite you to leisurely consider your opportunities for minor decadence. Maybe it was the open-​design bakery with welcoming chocolatiers casually going about their work. Maybe it was their free samples… definitely it was their free samples. I left with a bag of their «dark chocolate coffee bark» and a bag of their «dark and white tuxedo bark.» Both are sinfully delicious and tempt house-​guests daily.
Bonus points for the trendy bike rack outside — a rare plus which should be appreciated.

Great service and delicious chocolate!
Things I loved about this place:
— Everyone there was really friendly and helpful
— Treats were packaged in small batches for a few bucks, which makes it easy to try several things
— For those who want larger gifts, they have the ability to customize
— Lots of unique items… curried cashew brittle!
— Hot chocolate available in several different flavors with hot milk on tap
— Samples!
Things I didn’t love:
— Their toffee tasted burnt and was way too hard
— I ate everything I bought on the way home and felt a little bit crummy for awhile as a result (not their issue, but worth mentioning)
I’ll be back to give them another try!

I really wanted to love this place but came away slightly disappointed. That said, I will certainly give them another shot and revise accordingly.
I like toffee. I really like toffee. I really, really like toffee. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like their toffee. I am not a fan of their dark chocolate coating and the toffee was sufficiently hard that I was concerned about causing damage to some past dental work. Also, there is a certain creaminess in good toffee that was absent in their offering.

I just finally went to the Kakao store on Jefferson after many wonderful samples at events around town. I am hooked! Love the quaint storefront location, the artisan craft quality, and, of, course, they are flipping delicious!
As you walk in the store, you are directed through the small retail area. There isn’t a huge selection here, but I like that since I believe the products they do offer prepackaged are then fresher. I was in during late summer, so I bet they also ramp up for the busy upcoming holiday season.
Looking around the store, you see that most of the space is dedicated to an open and easily viewed production area. It’s fun to see the behind the scenes action! It’s also well organized and spotlessly clean.
One of the ladies in the store greeted me right away and offered assistance. I finally decided on a few gift boxes, and she walked me through the whole process. I got a cutesy box with a pink ribbon for a female birthday gift, and a simple cardboard box with no frills for my boyfriend. I had no trouble picking out great selections for both of them, from lavender and chai inspired creations for her to bacon and coffee flavors for him. Both wound up being huge hits!
The best part– there were samples. Oh yeah. I could have restrained myself and had the polite one or two tastes, but no, I tasted all four samples up there. There was a s’mores-like creation with delicious real marshmallow. A popular standard, dark chocolate salted caramel, was also available and so well done here. a truffle and a brittle rounded out the options, both fantastic. The attention to quality and detail here is amazing. Looking forward to holiday shopping, and more samples!

I love the idea of pairing chocolate with interesting additions such as pink peppercorn and rose, yet the amount of sugar completely overpowered any delicate aromas and flavors the rose might add. Granted my palette for chocolate has always been heavily skewed towards the very dark (82−92% cacao) so perhaps the chocolate here is adjusted to the more popular sweeter milk chocolate which is understandable.
However the Askinosie chocolate which I purchased on premises completely overshadowed what I bought from Kakao.

We stopped by this place because we’ve passed it multiple times but hadn’t gone in. Well, if you like chocolate, this is the place for you! They had all kinds of chocolate, including some very inventive mixes of flavors. I was truly impressed. It’s a little on the expensive side, but I think it’s worth it.
Oh, and the people who were working were AWESOME. They were starting to make some caramels, and they were like, «Here, take a taste of this.» Major bonus points in my book.

I haven’t visited the store, but my wife gave me some assorted chocolates for Valentine’s day from Kakao. Since she doesn’t like chocolate much, I’m not likely to visit, so I’m reviewing the chocolates I received.
I do not get the sea salt in chocolate at all. Whenever I ate one with salt I felt like someone had sabatoged my chocolate. Not good, at least for my taste. As for the rest, they were good, but nothing all that spectacular. I’m glad to see this business flourishing and making a name for itself, but I just wasn’t all that impressed.
Two and a half stars for me. Maybe someday I’ll find a reason to stop in and have something truly special.

If you love everything chocolate you have to make a trip to Kakao. I absolutely love their truffles… this is not your ordinary chocolate store so expect to pay accordingly. My favorites here are the Earl Grey truffle and the Coffee based one (forgot the name). Its like a shot of espresso with dark chocolate wrapped around it. OMG!
I also love their cocoa powder… I love to bake! Even though I am an amateur baker, I can tell there is a huge difference between using Kakao cocoa powder versus a store bought ghiradelli or hersheys for brownies, chocolate fudge etc… I don’t live in St. Louis anymore but the next time I visit I will buy a few packs to stock up!

Shopping for chocolate is exponentially more exciting now that «Chocolat» has warped our sensibilities. Geniuses, those movie makers, who brought every woman’s fantasy to life— Johnny Depp and a shit ton of chocolate. I digress.
Kakao sounds über fancy, and it is, which also means expensive. But yeah, even my weak-​ass palette was able to appreciate the difference between this stuff and a Hershey bar.
I got some unique STL gifts here, like bacon bark (which was great because apparently you’re not supposed to mail chocolate).
I would definitely come here again. Let’s face it. Kakao is to women what a full-​contact strip club is to men.
Oh, and their open kitchen just added to the whole «mmmmmmmmmmm magical chocolate» fantasy.
If you come in here to buy gifts, make sure you get something for yourself. It would be totally wrong and against God’s plan if you didn’t.

Oh this place is some serious chocolaty sweetness. Ahhh!
Melt in your mouth pieces of Heaven are made here. This being the original location and all, it’s locale is more than convenient to me. It’s a solid 4 blocks from my house. This could also become somewhat problematic though too. Homemade chocolate and a girl with a sweet tooth? Oh man…
Kakao has a pretty vast selection of chocolates. In some many reviews, people mentioned their sea salt caramels as the ‘must try’. I tried them, and I’ve got to say, they were pretty damn next to amazing!
You know what’s even more amazing, though? Their plain sea salt milk chocolate. They had some out for sampling, and I promise you, the look on the lady’s face when I was about to make my purchase was amusing. She gave me that deathly stare of ‘Are you going to pay for that too?” I pretty much nearly cleared off the sampling tray without much consideration.
I purchased about $ 30 worth of chocolate to take home to my family for the holidays. I got some peanut bacon brittle, pecan chocolates, of course my beloved sea salt milk chocolate, and a couple of milk chocolate suckers to take home to my niece and nephew.
I didn’t forget about getting myself a little something too. I escaped with 3 truffles. The Elvis which had bacon bits in milk chocolate, the sea salt caramel, and a regular dark chocolate truffle. So delish!
For the sake of it, I also bought their billy goat kickers for Jason. This consists of a couple of jalapeño chips dipped in chocolate. They were going for the whole ‘sweet and spicy’ contrast. I say this is a bit of a miss. I didn’t like it at all when we tried it. For sure, it is an interesting concept though.
A+ for QUALITY, SERVICE, and CREATIVITY
Kakao, thank you! Thank you for being in existence and providing exceptional quality tasting chocolate. I also appreciate that you didn’t make my wallet bleed. Good day!

WOW. I splurged on myself and bought three chocolates here. I only remember two of them but it make me go WOW.
The first one was the earl grey truffle. Fantastic. Great earl grey flavor… it made me want to bake a cake then and there.
The second one i had was the lavender truffle. it made me fall in love with lavender all over again. SO AMAZING! I love how there was a tiny piece of lavender on it too.
Expensive chocolate, but so wonderful. I’ll probably buy a few truffles for important people for christmas.

This place is really nice and spacious and very pleasant.
I loved checking out the assorted chocolate but it was waaay out of my budget.
However, I do love the sea salt caramels… I’ve tried many sea salt caramels that were terrible and this wasn’t one of them!
If I get a fancy job someday, I’m comin’ back.

A box of chocolates from Kakao is not your grandma’s Whitman’s Sampler. Bön bons here are handmade, not that sweet (hallelujah!) and feature layered flavors.
In short, Kakao makes some truly fine chocolate. The kind of chocolate that makes a chatterbox like me fall into instant silence as soon as it hits my tongue. Because yes, if you like chocolate, it really is that good.
Service was fantastic. Friendly, prompt, genuine, informative. We were told that Kakao is opening another store soon in Maplewood, near Schlafly, Penzey’s, Vom Fass, etc. Wow, it’s going to be a tasty shopping powerhouse over there!
If you’re looking for a gift for that someone who has everything, think about getting them some chocolates from Kakao. This is definitely at the top of my list of locally produced treats that make great gifts.

Had to revisit the very next day after my first visit. We ate all our gifts, and thought of others who would enjoy these fabulous chocolate treats.
Today the customer service was incredible. Everyone there had their A-​Game on which made for a pleasant shopping experience.
I made my purchase and as I was leaving, hand on the door knob they spoke of the Egg Nog Truffles that were just coming out. I turned and said, «did I hear Egg Nog?». I love Egg Nog, and these Truffles are bursting with flavor.
Chocolate lovers you’ve got to go visit this place, it is amazing.

I have been intending to go to Kakao for awhile now for some holiday gifts and stocking stuffers, and was psyched to see that they have extended hours for the holiday were open today (Sunday). I went down to the shop, excited to see what they had, only having experienced their deliciousness at Unilocal parties before. I came out of the trip with lots of goodies for friends & family and of course, for myself :)
We were greeted immediately when we entered and offered samples of the hot chocolate (dark variety). It was amazing! They have 4 different flavors, and I bought some milk chocolate and the mint chocolate too. They come packaged in what looks like a Chinese take out container with a ribbon. No need to wrap them up, score!
There were so many goodies to choose from, including some holiday themed stuff and everything was packaged up nicely, from small treats to bigger boxes. I selected several small treats for my hubby and his brother and for my secret Santa at work. I also bought a couple truffles from the case. They had a lot of interesting flavors, and I went with lavender, chai, and mint. They are melt in your mouth delicious!
One of the people I was buying for doesn’t eat chocolate, and I got him some fruit jelly looking treats. This place has some options for the non chocolate eater.
The owner was nice and friendly, and the employees seemed happy to be there and chat with us. I am so glad to patronize a place like this and get great, locally made treats instead of the boring stuff you can find in any box store!

I’m not a big fan of the word «mouthgasm» and reserve it only for special foodie occasions. Trust me, I’m no food slut… OK, maybe just a little. But without a doubt, Kakao’s sea salt caramels are worthy of a mouthgasm nod.
What’s a sea salt caramel, you ask? Take homemade caramel (and yes, I can taste the difference!), cover it in chocolate and sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on top. Savory, rich, delicious goodness I tell you!
One of the best things about Kakao is the owner, Brian, one of the sweetest (no pun intended) men in St. Louis. He’s one of those people who only says nice things about others… guess his Mama taught him well! And he’s always up for letting you sample the goods!
For as good as the chocolate is at Kakao, I’m surprised about the prices. It’s very affordable! Mailed a variety of chocolate, caramels and bark to a co-​worker in San Fran and it actually cost more to ship the goodies than the goodies themselves cost. The average piece of candy is about $ 3 – 5. Take that, Fannie May!
Brian and I have chatted a little about bringing Unilocalers here in the fall to a wine/​chocolate sampling party. Anyone interested?

Ug, talk about disappointing. I wish we could just make comments about businesses without rating… (3 seems to be fair)
I wasn’t in town for the pre-Valentine’s Day tasting where you get 3 samples for $ 5; quite a deal if you ask me! I have tried to come here twice and they always seem to be closed. The second time I noticed a sign was put up «Open by reservation.» Well I wish that were there the first time around! I found a scoring parking spot right in front and thought it was the day to spoil my temptations and salivating mouth that were calling for some dark chocolate or hand-​dipped truffles of chai tea or raspberry… Turned down!
So, to get to the point, if you plan on visiting here RSVP FIRST at
. Don’t ask… It’s a bit bizarre.