Artisanal Goods by CAR — Restaurant in Pasadena

If you're a fan of all things chocolate and enjoy eating them with a cup of delicious coffee, you are going to LOVE this newly opened coffee shop. We happened to randomly drive past on our way to pick up some food - and at first I was thrown off by the "CAR", thinking it was a place for automobiles. But I saw it was followed by chocolate and I knew - I had to check it out. And there were a ton of people sitting outside, making it seem like a prime location.

We happened to stop by on a Saturday afternoon where there was also a small truck parked on the Catalina Ave side of the store that had a bunch of plants for sale. The interior is very nicely decorated - love the hanging lights, the tables and chairs; very comfortable and homey, drawing the customer in to have a cup of coffee.

The menu is simplistic. They offer coffee, pastries, and specialty drinks. Prices are fairly decent for a shop in Pasadena. What sets them apart from other coffee joints is that they are primarily focused on using their sourced cacao beans to make chocolate bars in the store. There are a ton of machines that are in various stages of the chocolate making process, so each chocolate bar is fresh. And the beans are sourced from different countries all over the world, making each one have a distinct flavor and taste.

I personally don't like chocolate that much nor am I a big coffee drinker, but I definitely wanted to try their chocolate latte ($6). I ordered this warm because I wanted that pretty coffee art on top. Sadly the heart wasn't as pronounced as I would have liked, but I do have to say that each sip of the latte warmed me up and gave me different flavor profiles that I did not expect. At first, all I tasted was chocolate, but the more I drank, the more the chocolate blended with the coffee, giving a slightly bitter, but earthy aroma. This was a super rich cup of coffee, so I could only drink a little at a time.

We also ordered a plain latte ($4.5); I think the taste was pretty good. It was smooth and silky, but there wasn't enough coffee flavor that rang out. My dad thought it was just okay.

What sets this place apart is the story behind the coffeeshop. I believe it's run by Haris. His brother was the one who gave us some samples of the various chocolate and explained more about the beans and their whole process of making the chocolate. And I think Haris also helped open up Rosebud Coffee, another coffeehouse whose social impact is amazing! He was making each drink one by one and ensuring that they come out to the quality...

Single Sourced Origin Caçao Bean Fair Trade ... Yes the real bean pods of cacao or chocolate...made on site here into chocolate bars !!! & Beautifully wrapped on site as well ... Car Artisan Chocolate Manufactory is 🌹🌹🌹 a Cafe 🌹... Yes sit in Car's very well appointed Tesla Steam Punk Industrial Era Spacious Interior ... Well Backed Chairs ... Sip Your Chocolate iced or cold caffeined or not Lättes or hot or Iced Espresso ... floor to ceiling windows ... mineral waters ... their own version of Artisan Avocado Toast runs around with Adobos to 'spike it' ... Great pairing with icey cold chocolate drink ... munch the home made chocolate bars many of which to select from with the taste notes you love ... Sit back & ponder ... It's Chocolateur Haute Design right here but in America !!! 🌹 P a s a d e n a 🌹 ... Haûte Chocolate ... Yes Cookies Yes Pastries very light on sweetness ... Like a phyllo dough Pastry / light glaze preserve atop ... Croissants like a phylloed dough again ... Ambience here is an American Dream brought to Life ... I mean do we always have to bow to Europe for Credit for Class ? ... Especially in this New Era Unfurling ... Sustainable Light Years Ahead ... Car's ... Just Skip Europe & Stay Close To Home 🌹 @ Car's {yes it's the owners' name...} Artisan Manufactory & Cafe ... An Artisan in America ... You know we used to make everything ourselves ... Made in America by an American 🍫 By Far the Very Best in Chocolate ASMR ... Ultra Chill Owner ...sounds of chocolate bars snapped ... Chill quiet jazz background music wafting ... stirring of drinks quietly Turn off your You Tube ... Just Be Here 🌹. .... Car's .... 🌹 P.S. Nibs Homemade too... I toss them in...

Edit - they got in touch and made everything right and then some. Great customer service! I got a regular croissant there today and predictably it was perfect.

Everything here is delicious! Which makes it even more sad when you order delivery and they leave out 1/3 of what you ordered.

I ordered 4-5 days ahead for Mother's Day - a 6-piece sampler plus three more pastries. On Mother's Day, we got the 6-piece sampler, but not the other three pastries.

Not too big of a deal (maybe $15 worth), but on principle I submitted a 'contact us' form on their website. I waited, and I got zero response. Then I called and spoke to someone who said they'd tell their manager. I waited a few days, and again, no response. They seem like they're pretty active on Instagram, so I sent them a message there. I sent them a message 5/17 and got a polite response asking for more information (what email I used, my phone number, etc.) three days later (5/20). I replied 5/23 and then again 5/28 with more specific info. I checked in again 5/30 and am writing this June 2nd.

Do they deserve 1 star? No, they deserve more. Everything they make is honestly so good and the interior has a great vibe. But if I order and pay for food, I'd like to have that food. If I make efforts to recover the funds for that food, I'd like it to be...