Cocoa + Co. Coffee and Chocolate Cafe — Restaurant in Chicago

Stopped by Cocoa+ Co. to get a mid-afternoon drink and snack with some friends while we were in the area.

From the minute you step in, you can definitely tell that it's more on the upscale side. We initially headed here because the Yelp page looked promising, and the reviews raved about the quality. The staff is generally nice and helpful with offering suggestions, but weren't really friendly or welcoming, even though the place was pretty deserted at the time we stopped by. It definitely does look fancy and instagrammable, which may be part of its appeal.

I ordered a Chai Latte and had a slice of Banana Bread, while my friends opted for Coffees and other pastries. I can't speak too much to their experience, but mine was pretty mediocre. The Chai was not bad, but not special in any way either. The banana bread was kind of sub par, which is unfortunate because I was really yearning for some solid banana bread.

Overall I'd say this place is probably overhyped, but if I had to go back I'd try a Hot Chocolate and a different kind of pastry. I can only speak to my experience, but if I were you, I'd try another option, there's definitely no shortage...

For any and all chocolate lovers, this store is a nested shrine to cocoa. In this area, I don’t think another place could compare. I went in to try a coffee and pastry, as I was curious about the chocolate selection but wasn’t in the mood to drink chocolate. Since the store’s a bit small, the layout and flow is a little awkward with distancing in place. Nevertheless, had a slightly higher priced latte than I was used to (typical of La Colombe imo) and a very very good, unique pastry! As much as the pastry was delicious, I didn’t have a great experience. The first employee, though I was the only customer, was quite unhelpful and felt disinterested in answering any of my questions. It was hard to read or discern the menu for all the food and drink options. Thank goodness a second employee appeared to help me and recommend something to eat. As a chocolate store, I am excited by all the drinkable chocolate items! However, if I’m to visit again, it would be for those items specifically. Did not feel like I was welcome to explore the options available, even though I was a lone customer...

long story short, don't recommend this place. it felt unwelcoming and frankly racist. full story, i came here with my siblings in our traditional arab attire on our way to an event hoping to grab coffees but as soon as we walked in, the employee just stared at us very uncomfortably for probably 3-4 minutes unbroken.. i thought at first it may have been because they didn't know if we were ready to order yet (we stood far away from the menu against the wall by the entrance so we could choose what to order first so it didn't seem likely but i tried to give the benefit of the doubt and kept looking. then another group walked in past us and we told them to go ahead and order since we were still looking, they then passed us. while taking down their orders, the employee continued staring at us the whole time. eventually we decided it was better for us to go elsewhere so i just kind of looked back at them and they laughed as we left. it was a very uncomfortable experience. chicago has too many places to support...