Chocolate Cartel — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Anyone who LOVES chocolate will NOT be disappointed. And if you think you've had good chocolates, think again! Their truffles are what most will like. The flavors are so intense, but strangely not too intense. Just when you think the flavor is too much, the chocolate shines through to smooth out the intensity. And the flavors are not sugar induced like most other places. I have NEVER had better chocolate truffles. Would love to see them do a Cognac filled candy.

Their signature 90% dark chocolate bar is smooth and strong without being bitter and burnt flavored. Their Gelato is second to none with flavor so mouth punching it will split your lip. The reason? I asked...apparently they don't use mixes or flavor syrups. Everything is natural and made in-house. It shows.

Last but not least, the service. I went in explaining I was new to the area. The co-owner explained the history. When I came back with my better half, he put up with our indecision, labeled our hand-picked box of chocolate truffles, and gave us an anniversary gift on the house. I've had good service in my many travels, Chocolate Cartel is among the top performers...

Started out so good, then went downhill very quickly. I started off with a bag of double dark chocolate covered espresso beans. I thought I would pop one in my mouth every once in awhile as I worked. Oh but I was in for a terrible surprise. The flavor.....it made me want to keep eating them! I thought, the nerve of these people, they should know better! I quickly discarded the empty bag and moved on to the dark chocolate bar in the hopes of an awful bitter taste that would make me stop my chocolate eating obsession. Again, each bite was worse and worse! At this point, I am not even able to continue working and can only focus on the chocolate bar. Ok, I must stop this before it gets any worse. Milk chocolate covered almonds. Fingers crossed. Disappointed again. I can hear my doctor's voice in my head. Is this real? Am I real? Nothing has meaning any longer. I think my blood is now 99% chocolate and I must be giving off a chocolate scent as I see a gathering of co-workers outside of my office. I must hide the chocolate! They can't have any....it's all...

Holy cow, the other reviews were not kidding. Right now the l Chocolate Cartel's gelato is #1 in my heart. I haven't had some this good outside of Italy (they're sold under the name Van Rixel Bro's Gelato and Sorbet). Upon walking in, the place smells like heaven. You can get the chocolate bars and gelatos in Whole Foods, but come to the store for seasonal flavors and the truffles. After extensively traveling in Europe, Asia, and most of the US, I'm not kidding when I say I've found my favorite espresso gelato here in ABQ. Chatting with the chocolate masters, you can tell how devoted they are and I do believe you can taste the difference. I've visited twice now (and counting), and I'm going to keep visiting till I've tried every flavor at least twice. Other than the espresso gelato, there is also a caramel mocha, bananas foster, blueberry lavendar, and an array of sorbets...