Kakawa Chocolate House — Restaurant in Santa Fe

The chocolate is admittedly delicious but the staff members we interacted with have to be some of the most abrupt, rude people we’ve ever had the displeasure of ordering from. Surly and insulting: we sampled their Chile Hot Chocolate, which was quite heavily spiced. My aunt asked for something slightly lower on the spice while still being chile forward, and in a condescending tone, she was told: “if you’re looking for something AMERICAN—“ My aunt happens to have lived in Mexico for years and has a high tolerance for spice; this surliness was unnecessary. A receipt was not offered, the staff was inattentive to questions, and the size of the actual hot chocolate was minuscule—practically the size of a shot glass. The mugs here are made in Mexico and Guatemala; why not New Mexican artists? The hype here is beyond me and I don’t care how the good the chocolate is; the staff either needs a brush-up on manners or to be wholly replaced. Very unhappy that a place my family was so looking forward to visiting and making purchases from was such an unpleasant experience.

Update to incorporate the owner’s response:

1. Despite your attempt to imply misunderstanding on our end, I maintain that your staff member was not referring to another beverage on the menu; the language used was “MORE American,” not “THE American” beverage.

Her tone was also incredibly rude and condescending. It is not a stretch to observe, as I stated earlier in my review, that she was implying a traditional chocolate beverage wasn’t to my aunt’s taste and that she should opt for something Americanized.

My aunt had selected the chile elixir intentionally because she wanted chile flavor and is familiar with it, otherwise she would have chosen the American or something similar.

Perhaps consider taking accountability for your staff’s affect and tone instead of assuming misunderstanding on your customer’s end.

2. The rest of your staff’s affect, not just the associate who helped us, can be described as surly, disinterested, rude, and abrupt. We came in at a busy time and almost left after browsing your shop and observing the way they interacted with other customers who were ordering.

3. 3 oz and 6 oz are both incredibly small sizes, a standard cup from any cafe being 8 oz, and for the price, other prospective patrons should be aware of just how small their beverage will be—rich or not. It is merely setting expectations for the product they will receive.

4. Your Guatemalan products were prominently positioned and one of the first things we noted when stepping into your store. As someone visiting New Mexico from out of state, it was disappointing to note that a Central American product was being promoted in a place where Native American and Mexican products could have been sold.

5. This has to be one of the only responses to a review I have ever seen, including ones posted by other people (not just me), where the owner has both attempted to shift blame off of their staff’s rude phrasing and also not said anything to the effect of “we hope you’ll visit again and have a more pleasant experience.”

It’s not just that you “weren’t for us”—it’s that your staff was inadvertently so off-putting that we collectively decided we wouldn’t visit again and that it was actually worth my taking the time to leave a negative review. It takes quite an unpleasant experience for us to feel that strongly, but clearly this was a lost opportunity for you to express your regret at our experience and speak to your staff about being more gracious in explaining your...

I have been to many, many chocolate places in my 50 years of life. (I even consider myself a bit of a chocolate snob. I don’t even bother with most major chocolate brands. Most aren’t worth consuming IMHO.) And usually, they fall very short of my higher than normal expectations for “tourist” things and I am generally disappointed. On our recent trip to Santa Fe, the family wanted to stop here. It wasn’t on my list of priorities but I went along for the ride. First, the scents of the elixirs when you first walk in caught my interest. Cute little shop with small tables and chairs. They do let you taste test the elixirs and there is a flight you can get as well. We tried all varieties, including the spicy ones with chile. The traditional americano was hands- down the favorite of all. If you go here, which you DEFINITELY should, the americano elixir is the MUST try item! Then, you will want a mix bag to go besides. They make up easy at home with almond milk over low heat and either a whisk or frother. The chocolate here is not milk chocolate. It is dark chocolate. My preference has always been the darker, the better. We also sampled some different truffles, which all were EXCELLENT flavor and quality. The taste combinations are all very well balanced. My absolute favorite was the caramels. You can literally taste the hand-made buttery creamy goodness in each bite. I took home one of every flavor. Again, the flavors of these unique caramels were all very delicately balanced. We also had to try a brownie, which was so rich and fudge-y. We also went back on our last day specifically for dessert to try the ice cream and sorbet. Unfortunately, you cannot taste the flavors. And no option for a flight cuz these are pre-packed in containers. We did get the chocolate, salted caramel and mango. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate ice cream but I would say this version is THE BEST chocolate I have ever had. It is sooo rich we tempered it with the salted caramel and mango flavors. It was like eating a molten lava cake in cold form. Super intense. The salted caramel was also exceptional on its own, but mango was still my personal fave. Such a light sorbet but still full on flavor. Obviously, the constant stream of all day traffic tells you the locals know what a gem this place is. And yes, it is a bit pricey. But I will tell you that you will get great value here. Seriously-Your tastebuds...

The customer service is the worse here. I was here on Monday. Me and my family came from out of town. This place is small and stays packed. First gentleman that helped me right away knew right away we've never been there and he helped us, and was kind. There was no line the first time so I didn't understand where it started or ended but some how I was standing in the right place. Second time I went back, that older gentleman wasn't there. I came back with my dishes as a courtesy so it wasn't left outside. I look back and I should have left them. The younger man just ignored me as I stood there what felt like 5 to 7 minutes, maybe longer. Then he finally said in an anxious and annoyed tone that sounded like he was trying to be nice but obviously was annoyed by me, said to leave my dishes in the bin [the bin I JUST learned about because I'm not from around here]. I got my husband to do it. He took someone else that was there after me and again ignored my presence as I stood by the cash register. He could have asked me to stand in the correct spot instead of ignoring me. I right away told him why did he skip me, and he told me to stand in line, that I had to go back in line just like the first time. There was no line first or second time, there is a line now that I've been waiting for him to even ACKNOWLEDGE me. So rude, such a place where I felt like I wasn't wanted around. He made me feel beneath him with his tone. It was like a bar atmosphere where you don't know if there's a line and you hope the bartender sees that you're next. I left, I felt like they preferred to help all their rich customers first before an out of towner. As a native New Yorker, their accents aren't from New Mexico [I lived in Albuquerquefor some time], I think they're from the North East with their accent, just to give you all a clue how rude some of these employees are. Some people from NYC are not the best with customer service. I rather go spend my money elsewhere. I recommend knowing all their rules, lines, and attitudes before coming here so you're prepared. Only thing I liked was the chocolate. Atmosphere was terrible, very small space and not enough seating and poor attitude/customer service. I've been to better chocolatiers in the country and this one gave me the worse feeling. I guess the right words are cocky...