La Casa del Cacao — Restaurant in Carmen

CacaoUtopia Wonderfully cosy and charming chocolate/coffee cafe owner operated by Belgian Master Chocliatier Cedric and his lively staff, in a tiny, very green, very unlikely location on a downtown side street in San Jose. However, A direct link in that CR does produce quality cocao. A museum-factory-workshop -laboratory that creates every item from the raw bean to your mouth, that will astound the true cocao lover..and who is not? Find potted cocao plants and historical artifacts and information to educate in all things chocolate. Make your own chocolate from scratch in the unique workshop he offers, great for the chocolate loving kid in all. The epiphany sublime milkshake gritty and intense, with a thick, dark bittersweet syrup drizzled in. Yeeow! His variety of handcrafted chocolate bars of Devine smoothness and pure sensation are direct descendants of the precise and complex specifications and processes evolved from generations of Belgian Masters, who sniff at Swiss poseurs, who can only claim imitation.. .(dont even think "milk chocolate"..abomination!) *I'd post some fine photos here but that G wants full...

A MUST-DO. 11/10 recommended!

While studying abroad in San Jose, my friends and I booked a chocolate making class with Cedric. Booking our time slot was very easy, you just message him on WhatsApp to decide on a date/time.

When we arrived at our time-slot, we were greeted by Cedric and his wife (who own the shop) and they gave us THE BEST hot chocolate ever. We were a group of 10 and fit comfortably at the table altogether. Cedric did the class in English (he may do it in other languages too- ask!). I don't want to ruin the rest of the class because you should experience it yourself but, an overview- it includes hot chocolate, brief history/origin of cacao, the steps to making cacao & chocolate, many fun facts, MANY samples (of cacao beans, cacao nibs, melted chocolate) and at the end you will make your own chocolate bar with toppings & deliciousness. The entire class was about an hour and a half (it may be shorter for a smaller group? Not sure).

THANK YOU to La Casa De Cacao for the experience!

There are public bathrooms in the building and Cedric...

We were looking for a chocolate tour, but we didn't have time in our itinerary for a day trip out of the city. I emailed the folks at La Casa del Cacao, and we were lucky enough to be able to attend their chocolate workshop from 5pm to about 6:30. It was a very short walk from our hotel, and the atmosphere was great. Cedric was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about chocolate, its origins and development over time. Our family was able to see and help make chocolate starting with the cacao pod, and Cedric was prepared with materials so we could experience each stage of what would normally be a lengthy process. We were able to taste sweetened and unsweetened cacao drinks, try the beans from the pod, peel and eat roasted beans, grind the nibs on a stone and in a grinder, mix it with sugar and milk and finally decorate our own delicious chocolate disks with some of the ground chocolate inside. It was just the type of cultural experience we hoped we'd get. If it fits into your schedule, do not miss...