MarieBelle & Cacao Bar Soho — Local services in New York

Claimed as a luxury chocolate brand, MarieBelle's products and packaging definitely fulfilled consumers' expectations, however not their customer service. My recent experience with their corporate in regards of my customized wedding favor order was disastrous. Given it is a customized order and on top of the busy holiday season approaching around the corner, I totally understood their factory must be busy and lead time might be longer. Of that, I tried to response as quickly as I could and even overnight my artwork to them the same day. After spending a week going back and forth with their corporate sales administrator, with her constant delayed replies, not answering phone calls, not responding to our concerns, and not keeping up with her promises, I was blindsided with a rush fee that was unmentioned of until when I've finally confirmed to move on with my order. My husband and I were shocked, and she offered to void the rush fee if we can push the delivery a day back and also to void the delivery fee if we are picking up the order at their factory. I then thought we are good to go after agreeing upon these terms but then it led to further frustrations! She sent us an invoice included the rush fee and also some other fee that we've previously asked to remove as we no longer needed that particular item. This information was sent to us towards the end of the day and we tried to reach out to her but the phone went straight to voice mailbox. The next day, she replied and explained that she cannot waive the rush fee at this point. I was very concerned and not confident in working with her anymore, and I reach out to the corporate to file a complaint. Called the customer service but they were not able to do anything and just hoping we can compromise with their pre-made chocolate options. The Vice President of Sales and Marketing reached out to me, stating that she's the person who confirmed the rush fee with her associate who has delayed the whole week of process. My husband and I were into deeper disappointment with this brand as the higher management assented the unprofessionalism of her team and not acknowledging to the fact that her associate has delayed the process, which then led to the rush fee. Moreover, the VP is proposing to postpone the delivery even further back to avoid the rush fee, which actually reminded us of how her associate had promised in her last email (that if we push for 1 more day, rush fee will be waived). I am not sure where the miscommunication was or if this is how Maribel actually runs her business (by delaying the order progress with inconsistent answers and misleading her clients into unexpected charges) but I have never had such a disastrous experience with any luxury brands in the past. All I wanted to express was, if fees were brought to my attention at the beginning, I will definitely work my way around it and will still be happy with MarieBelle, introducing these unique and phenomenal treats to my friends and...

This review is for the Bucketlisters wine pairing event.

We purchased tickets to the wine pairing event MarieBelle was having with Bucketlisters - $100 for two people.

The event page says the event is 4pm-6pm. It does not mention time slots or that you can show up at any time.

We showed up promptly at 4pm. The tiny dining room was filled up with people who were not doing the wine tasting event but just walk ins who wanted to have food/hot chocolate.

Other guests for the event showed up at the same time.

The server said that we would have to wait for a table to open up. He said that the event "doesn't start at 4pm, it starts any time between 4pm-6pm" which was not what the event page says and honestly just seemed like an excuse.

I also want to note 3 weeks before the event I called MarieBelle up and asked if I needed to reserve a table for the event and I was assured I didn't need to reserve a table and could just show up.

The staff was not really taking note of who showed up first, but luckily the other guests here for the event were all kind enough to keep track ourselves (which we shouldn't have to do).

The first guests did not enter the dining room for the wine pairing until about 4:30pm.

My friend and I were not seated until 4:45pm for the wine pairing with groups after us still waiting for a seat.

Staff handed out samples of hot chocolate to try and make up for the poor experience with waiting.

The wine pairing itself was good. The wines selected, the chocolates, the cheese and fruit were all enjoyable. But the mood had already been soured by the poor time management of this event.

In total, it was only about 45 minutes to go through the tasting. We waited to get in the same amount of time as the tasting itself.

This is the second Bucketlisters event I've been to that has been poorly managed and I won't go to another.

If MarieBelle knows that wine pairings are starting at 4pm, why would you seat other parties close to 4pm without giving them a time limit to be finished by 4pm? It just seems greedy and shows a lack of regard for those who have booked the event in advance.

Gratuity is not included with your event reservation and they make sure to note that before you leave.

There's one super tiny bathroom available for use in the restaurant if needed.

I don't think I'd come back to MarieBelle even though the food and chocolates were good because of the lack of customer service shown...

I recently stumbled into an ornate oasis tucked away in downtown Soho, formally called MarieBelle New York. 484 Broome Street is their flagship store decorated to resemble a hidden European Sanctuary, equipped with a backroom café and rich gelato bar. Enormous crystal chandeliers hung over the vast selection of delicacies ranging from chocolate bars and bites to ganache truffles, hot chocolate, and leaf teas. While rightfully overwhelmed by choice of treats, a polite associate offered me bite-sized samples coated in pure dark chocolate decorated with cocoa-based designs. With each flavor combination unique and every design eye-catching, these desserts are almost too aesthetically pleasing to eat and possess great gift-giving potential. Whether the occasion is a baby shower, a wedding party, or a casual Friday afternoon surprise, MarieBelle sells chocolates worthy of marveling over and more enjoyable to receive than anything from a registry. In retrospect, the craftsmanship of this product is unmatched, all packaging is pleasingly cohesive, and the overall attention to detail exceeded my expectations. The price is comparable to other chocolatiers, but honestly, you’re paying for an experience, not just a product. A blue tote full of melt-in-your-mouth truffles, paired with the most decadent hot chocolate I’ve ever consumed, propelled me in a border-line sugar coma on the subway back to my office, a bearable repercussion for such a good experience. If you haven’t been already, I highly recommend popping into one of their city locations as the perfect place for a...