1657 Chocolate House in South Lakeland

I'll keep this short. £6.50 for a small and not particularly tasty or fresh scone with jam and butter (no cream). What a rip-off - almost twice as expensive as pretty much every other café in town for a scone (I'm a Kendal resident and frequent café-goer). The other cafés' scones are better, too. Not impressed.

We went here on a wet Tuesday morning and had a really lovely time. The lady serving was absolutely lovely and very concerned with ensuring we had the nicest time and service possible. The hot chocolate is a definite recommend, and you can also pick some up from the adjoining shop. Thank you again! Thoroughly recommend.

The Tea House is absolutely gorgeous 5 star plus - very small, very genuine, and above quaint. The hot chocolate drinks are perfect and so are the chocolate cakes. Could not recommend more highly - just make a bee line for the experence.

Called in here on a rainy day whilst waiting for a bus connection, and received a sunny and friendly welcome. We always support small local businesses wherever we go. Lovely hot drinks and delicious cake! Enjoyed chatting with the lady.

A small tea or coffee room with chocolate shop on the lower floor. The owner was delightful telling us how important the customer was cake and a pot of tea where very good and clearly two other parties in at the same time we here regulars Highly recommended

Disappointing - three choice of cakes and some tray bakes, with a limited choice of drinks only. Hot chocolate had bearly any flavour, cakes were manufactured elsewhere, but were very nice. Such as shame as it could be so much better with a little expansion of the menu and attention to detail of the chocolate, as after all this is what they are advertising from the outside if the cafe!

After 2 very long years with covid not me the country 1657 Chocolate House is back at the time of writing they have a limited menu but you can't go wrong with the hot chocolate!!!

This is the second time I visted the shop. The first time was in 2019 and I had a very good experience, so I wanted to return. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because there wasn't as much variety in the shop as in 2019. I will come back gain though as I think it's worth it.

An excellent find for our family while visiting Kendal. A brilliant display & selection of chocolates. The shop has a great feel to it and the customer service was first class. A real credit to the owners in such difficult times we find ourselves in. Above all the chocolate is delicious.

My son and I went to the famous 1867 Chocolate Shop when in Kendal. The chocolate shop itself is very quaint, unique and a chocolate lovers paradise! It looks fresh and bright inside the shop and the items for sale look amazing, it's obvious the owners have put a lot of care into the shop! Felt safe visiting with the covid 19 practices in place. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The chocolates were delicious!!! My favourite ever the strawberry cream individual behind the counter!!! We will definitely be back next time we are in the area!

This really is the best chocolate ever! Knocks spots of its major brand competitors, just excellent quality chocolates with so much choice. It is the only place I buy from now for gifts….and myself 😉.

As a food critic an upstanding Lady of the country I was recommended to go here an by god will I be avoiding. AVOID AT ALL COST- as a food critic I wouldn’t recommend going to this chocolate house if I was you I’m regretting ever setting foot over the door in the first place, from the moment I stepped foot in the shop the guy behind the counter was rude and was more interested in my assistance dog than in my order in which he ended up leaving half of my order out an getting the other half wrong. Was a waste of my time an money coming in this shop, when I complained an asked for it to be sorted out I got a ‘nothing I can do about it’ when there clearly was two options refund or sending the rest of my correct order out considering they do delivery. I think that guy behind the counter needs to be re trained in people skills and customer service. Not only that but he packed all of my order in one bag which ended up all melting into one. Such a shame it’s gone down hill. And ignoring constructive criticism isn’t right either. So don’t bother emailing in if you have a problem. If I could give no stars I would have done because it doesn’t deserve any.

On my holidays I popped in having heard good things about this chocolate house but sad to say the chocolate is disappointing, if I was you I’d go to the supermarket an buy a Cadbury bar, you’ll find the quality is far better than here. The hot chocolate I’m sad to say tastes like it’s out of the packet. How this is suppose to be Belgian I don’t know.

I bought a Build Your Own chocolate box online. It was delivered quickly in a beautiful box with absolutely delicious hand crafted chocolates. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a great gift or an indulgent treat . These days it's a pleasure to be able to get luxury delivered to you !

Visited cafe today. We had a hot chocolate each and cream scone. Service was good and chocolate drinks were delicious. We then went into shop and stocked up. Great little shop. Will definitely return when next in area.

I recommend a nice and friendly atmosphere. I often go to this cafe and I have to say that I go out happy every time, I love to order ice cream desserts there.

I called in to the tea room for the first time last Friday afternoon after paying a visit to the Chocolate House shop. I received a very warm welcome and my delicious Cortez hot chocolate with rum and homemade rum and raisin fudge arrived very quickly. The new owner was extremely friendly and chatty - I really wish her luck with her new venture. The cakes looked very tempting but I was due to have my evening meal in the hotel, so sadly had to give them a miss. A lovely quirky tea room with a warm and friendly atmosphere - I look forward to making a return visit.

Very good selection of cakes, which taste amazing. Fantastic choices for all hot chocolate lovers and the downstairs shop has a massive variety of sweet treats. Would highly recommend. Great service too.

stopped in here to try one of there 16 types of hot chocolate they have a great selection on the menu and If I had more time would have loved to try more of it well worth a visit

Yes. The chocolate is amazing but what was even more amazing was the quality of the cakes. They are amazingly light and moist. I have never tasted cake this good. I don't know what their recipe is but I wish I had it.

Visited with my mum for tea and scones. Was lovely. Ceilings are low if you are tall so beware! Cakes in the cabinet looked fab

Lovely old building which houses a tea room and a chocolate shop. We popped in for cake and drinks whilst in Kendal for the day. There is a huge list of hot chocolate options, many chocolate themed cakes and a couple of non chocolate options (scones, carrot cake, etc). There was a small mix up with our order caused by 1 of the cakes having the same name as 1 of the hot chocolates but it was quickly resolved. The staff were friendly and we all enjoyed our cakes. Afterwards we went down to the chocolate shop. So much chocolate! We bought some to take home...and some kendal mint cake.

Hay una cafetería y una tienda donde hay todas las cosas de chocolate. El edificio en sí es muy interesante, con vigas bajas y una escalera sinuosa. Hay un menú de chocolate caliente que puede complementarse con una cuchara de chocolate, qué lujo. Nos encantó esto y volvería otra vez es que vivimos localmente.

Title says it all, great service, amazing hot chocolate at a really fair price, will now be our go to place when we are in Kendal, can not wait for our next visit.

Uno de mis lugares favoritos en Kendal. En los últimos meses he estado aquí para almorzar con mi novio, mi mejor amiga, mi madre y un amigo visitante. Todo lo que hemos tenido ha sido genial, pero menciones especiales para:

We have visited on a number of occasions and we have never been disappointed. A beautiful quirky building hidden away in Kendal. Very traditional with a beautiful selection of chocolate sweets and treats.

Fue nuestra primera visita a Kendal y estábamos vagando por la ciudad cuando nos encontramos con este delicioso 'Chocolate Heaven'. Tomó mucho tiempo elegir qué bebida de chocolate y qué pastel acompañar, y el pastel de té tostado que mi esposo pidió era lo suficientemente grande como para que lo compartiéramos. Un viaje por la planta baja hasta el equivalente en chocolate de la Gruta de Santa fue suficiente para que nos quedemos boquiabiertos de alegría. Si alguna vez estamos en la zona, sin duda les haremos otra visita.

My lovey next door neighbours treated us to this experience gift for Christmas we had chosen Kendal as we have visited this lovely town before, on entering the shop we were greeted by lovely friendly faces and once they were aware of the reason for the visit they happily explained the planned hour visit to us, but what I enjoyed the most was the relaxed atmosphere they never rushed you and made you feel comfortable throughout and even though it was a busy time of day for them they made sure we were looked after I would recommend this if you are looking for a relaxing hour to spend with lovely people and amazing chocolate.

Got a chocolate experience as a gift was so excited as wifey and me live our chocolate and we were not disappointed- 16 different hot chocolates to choose from loads of choc gateaux to choose from then take home 100g of choc of ur choice from over 90!!!! Loved it will defo be going online to pick and choose more - defo worth a visit and reasonably priced

My first visit today. Very quirky and old fashioned interior but cosy and a perfect spot to sit quietly. The Countess Castlemain (ginger flavoured) was lovely, rich and thick. Fairly small portion for £2.50 in one size but not bad, especially compared to the watery tasteless hot chocolates at Costa Coffee - and the ginger flavour was very obvious. You'd pay a premium for that in most places, as you would for soya milk, which was happily given at no extra charge today. Dark chocolate teaspoon made a nice extra touch. So much choice - I'll be back to try more flavours and the cakes looked proper, too!

Cosy tearoom with lots of character. The yummiest hot chocolates we have ever come across..!! Good choice of flavours, I chose Cherry and my partner banana, both of which were amazing. Great selection of cakes to choose from as well as savoury items on offer. Lovely little shop with the tastiest chocolates that we have experienced outside of Bruges.

Cosy cafe with helpful staff and an amazing range of chocolate at reasonable prices. Well worth a visit.

One of the places we take our visitors - great character, a wide range of interesting drinks (most with some link to chocolate), and friendly service.

Regular haunt of ours set in a lovely quirky old building. What ever you order is always good especially the many variations of hot chocolate if you are a fan. Can buy your loved one a lovely box of chocolates in the little shop underneath the cafe.

A quick sandwich lunch was elevated to a whole new level by the simple addition of a dark chocolate spoon with our coffee. A charming characterful building and a mind-boggling choice of chocolates makes this a must-visit place if you’re in Kendal

Visité de nuevo para chocolate caliente y pasteles. Me decepcionó que la renovación significara que el personal no estaba usando los trajes tradicionales, pero las bebidas eran tan buenas como siempre. Teníamos un Tower Garden y la bebida caramelly, que estaban calientes y deliciosas. Aunque demasiado caro, los pasteles también eran deliciosos.

Llamé cuando mi otra mitad notó la casa de chocolate desde el final de una calle mientras estábamos vagando por Kendal. Nos sentíamos en necesidad de algo de calidez y comodidad y esto se veía ideal.

El personal es muy amable y el servicio rápido. Desafortunadamente no lo hizo por mí. El chocolate caliente era agradable. Tenía el sabor a ron que venía con un pedazo de ron de sabor muy bueno y dulce de pasas de uva, pero para mí carecía del factor sorpresa. También comí el almuerzo ligero de camarones en maceta, un poco caro que sentía por lo que era. La tienda bien merece una visita.

We stopped off at the Chocolate House during our visit to Kendal and had a lovely time. The variety of hot chocolate and gateaux is amazing and delicious. A definite recommendation for those with a sweet tooth.

Visitamos Kendal el 18 de octubre de 2018, nos imaginamos una taza rápida y al caminar por el estrecho sendero de piedra hacia la puerta, al entrar, fue como dar un paso atrás en el tiempo.

I hate to write this, especially since the place is lovely and the people absolutely charming, so yes, do go in and have a go at the cakes, they might be much better, but being in a chocolate house we ordered hot chocolate, two different 'secret recipes', and they were both highly disappointing - the Aztec experience had a redeeming taste of cinnamon but the Dungeon tasted more like river water. Sorry about this rather negative review, but then again there are all sorts of good reasons to go and enjoy some of the food on offer.

Friendly staff and yummy chocolate. Lots to choose from. Fudge is delicious- should have bought more as it didn’t last long!

Friendly staff, lovely building and vast choice of chocolate. Tea room was very reasonably priced. Recommended to chocolate lovers.

Popped into this quaint little shop to buy some treats for my daughters 21st birthday and was greeted with a vast selection of chocolates! Staff were very friendly and helpful which made the task of choosing what to buy from their excellent selection a little easier. Definitely a must visit for chocoholics everywhere!

Charming and very friendly little shop and cafe.

Stopped here as seen a leaflet in our holiday cottage, so we had a wonderful chocolate cake which the lady recommended and very tasty it was,also a five spice hot chocolate which was amazing. Thanks

Stumbled into here with boasts of so many different types of hot chocolate, and they did not disappoint. Two hot chocs and a big slice of cake for £8 bargain! Warm and friendly service, definitely will return next time we are in Kendal

Dolci deliziosi serviti al piano di sopra, in un ambito molto intimo e curato, una vera tearoom, e al piano di soto una selezione di cioccolatini e barrette, e molto altro ancora, da comprare per portare a casa un po' di queste bonta'.

Among the best hot chocolates I've ever had. I had the rum and my partner had the caramel. The flavours were fantastic and the accompanying fudge and sugar nibs (for the rum and caramel drink respectively) complemented the drinks well. Nice little shop. Very quaint.

If you like chocolate, while in Kendal this place is a must. The upstairs coffee/ tea house is really quaint, lovely and cosy. The chocolate gateaux’s are truly delicious, the aristocrat one is my personal favourite. The chocolate store down stairs is also amazing. The chocolate quality as well as choice is phenomenal. Don’t miss out on this place while in Kendal

Wide selection of flavoured hot chocolates. Cafe is in an old style building with a chocolate shop underneath with a wide selection of delicious looking chocolates. We had the mint and orange flavoured hot chocolate.

Had been bought an experience for Christmas and, as we we’re holidaying nearby decided to use it at the Chocolate House. We weren’t disappointed. We began with a beautiful, and very large, fruit platter to dip into, followed by an optional hot chocolate (or alternative tea/coffee) with around 15 different flavours to choose from and a beautiful, light piece of cake. Following that, we each chose 100g of chocolate to take away. I don’t know what the gift cost but I would certainly visit again as the main menu also looked delicious. Great couple of hours.

Great hot chocolate. Lovely staff who were really friendly and helpful. Lovely old building. Nice to visit

If you want to have a pleasant piece of punishment then go here.

Excellent selection of hot chocolates in all flavours, sandwiches and cakes. A must for us when we're in the area

Stopped in for a hot chocolate wad nice enough and not overly expensive. Staff were friendly. Visit the chocolate shop also

Amazing hot chocolate, cake and ice cream! Currently experiencing a chocolate coma. Me and my boyfriend loved it! Hot chocolates were so tasty and big I couldn’t finish drinking it. Fudge cake was amazing. I couldn’t decide between two flavours of ice cream so I got both and they were the biggest scoops- again I couldn’t actually finish! Very cute interior would definitely visit again and bring my mum here!

Lovely place to stop for lunch or drink / cake... Lots of character and friendly staff too. Plus always a great choice of cakes and chocolate related items of course.. Both of us enjoyed our sandwiches too..

Love this little cafe. It's a very quirky building utilising all three floors. I loved the uneven floors and low ceilings although not sure my husband did 🤕 ouch! Small choice on the menu but it's all fresh and of excellent quality. Bought cake to...

Stopped by for a coffee & slice of cake only to find that they serve about 18 kinds of hot chocolate- WOWZERS!

Visited today and was outstanding soup lovely crumpets delicious staff amazing friendly will visit again when in Kendal

Lovely light cake, I had one of the specials and partner had carrot cake. Both very tasty.

Called in for a quick drink as my partner loves Hot Chocolate. We have not been back to Kendal for a few years but this place did not disappoint. My wife's ginger hit chocolate was excellent and my ice cream now (run and raisin based) was so big I struggled to finish it but with a little will power I managed it as it was so good.

I used to come here every year with my family, it was always a lovely experience with good quality food & drink in quirky surroundings. I have just revisited 13 years later to the EXACT same standard. I am so impressed. I love this place, the staff are friendly, top marks all round! Highly recommend a visit.

Just had to be done, and I know I should not have but, when in Rome!!!!! Excelent selection of Chocolate drinks, other drinks are available, Great chocolate cakes even though I just had a little cake. There is a full range of non Chocolate eats but why would you? Not to be missed!!!!

The draw of chocolate products was too much and we called for a drink and some cake

Amazing cakes, lovely hot chocolate, very quaint little tea room with very attentive staff. The chocolate shop downstairs is also a must for any chocolate lover.

Have visited a few times over the years but more often for hot chocolate than anything else. Lunch was lovely, well filled tasty bread rolls with a salad garnish and chips. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend.

This is an amazing place. We (my wife and I) popped in for some hot chocolate and cake and if you want quirky, this is it. Hot chocolate top class. Cake to die for. We had a wonderful experience. What more can you say! Oh, and the did I mention that the cakes are truly amazing!

We visit Kendal just once per year.The 1657 is our first and favourite stop.Great choice of flavoured chocolate drinks; lovely cakes; and of course finished off with a trip downstairs to the chocolate shop!Just wish we lived closer.

Called in for a quick drink, my wife and me both had a hot chocolate we thought it would be rude not to lol. Best we've ever had, there's a great choice , I fancied about 5 different one's but finally decided on the orange, absolutely beautiful. ,

Remarkable old building with a chocolate shop downstairs and then cafe/ice cream/cake place upstairs. Friendly staff, yummy broccoli cheese soup and bread, and amazing hot cocoa. Various varieties of hot chocolate and lots of choices for dessert. Definitely recommend stoppying by for a bite to eat or drink.

Amazing cakes, hot chocolate and coffeea very quaint building on 3 floors the shop being at the bottom and the other two for chocolate and cake well worth a visit

The coffee shop is upstairs and the chocolate shop is downstairs , this is a very old building so there is small steps up and it is low ceilings but this adds to the character. Not all of seating so can get busy , helpful friendly staff , lovely chocolates in the shop lovely wrapped all ok with our visit thanks.

Lots of flavours of hot chocolate and very traditional and cute inside. Would have liked a little more hot coco late and it to be hotter. Otherwise it is a nice afternoon stop.

I visited with my mum, dad and brother on a rainy day, me and my mum especially hoping for a warm drink of hot chocolate and cake. My mum has a milk intolerance so when it came to ordering we asked the waitress if they had any milk alternatives to have with a hot chocolate like soya or almond milk. The waitress looked at my mum like she had two heads and proceeded to tell her that no they didn't. It is quite sad that some businesses still don't cater for those with allergies/intolerances. My mum had an orange juice and I had one of their speciality hot chocolates the 'Tower Garden' but I've got to say my mum wasn't missing out! The hot chocolate I ordered was supposedly 'rose flavoured chocolate' but apart from a strong smell of rose it tasted like your average instant hot chocolate and was very mediocre. My dad and brother got some hot chocolate fudge cake with their drinks and asked if instead of the whipped cream that came free with the cake they could each have a scoop of vanilla ice cream as an alternative. They ended up having just that but it wasn't till we were paying for our bill we found out that the waitress had conveniently forgot to mention that a scoop of ice cream instead of the free whipped cream was an extra charge of £1.45 each! On top of all this the waitress who served us failed to crack a smile throughout our visit. It is especially a shame when I love the quirky theme of the place along with the pretty decor and history of the building.

Wandering around Kendal, we fell over this little place of heaven. Downstairs, a fab array of chocolates which are amazing if a little expensive. Ground floor is a cafe with an upstairs snug. The hot choc menu is outstanding. Never seen so many variations to a hot chocolate. Coffee wasn't bad either. Well worth a stop off and a little drink and purchase. Lovely.

A great place to have a hot chocolate with a variety of flavours available. Friendly staff. Would definitely recommend.

For Chocoholics its worth a visit, Gorgeous selection of different hot chocolate drinks and then a vast selection of chocolates to buy in the little shop.

Awful experience - waste of time and money. Nearly all the advertised cakes were not available, the hot chocolates were very small and barely flavoured! Avoid!!

Went here with my son for a cake and drink. All the food and drink was lovely really yummy. The building is so beautiful I love it all low ceilings and wooden beams. Definitely recommend.

On a rainy August day we retreated into this tiny cafe and enjoyed cups of creamy hot chocolate flavoured with rose and cherry from the quite extensive menu of flavours (soup, panini, sandwiches, scones and cakes also available). The chocolate shop downstairs offered a tempting selection of classic and exotic chocolates which we took our time choosing from, finally picking such delights as lime and chilli and rhubarb and ginger. Well worth popping in.

Sehr lecker! Absolut empfehlenswert. Tolles Ambiente und sehr nette Mitarbeiter. Ein Muss, wenn man in Kendal ist.

We pop in here often for coffee and cake, or just to buy home made chocolates for a present.Access can be a bit steep - this is a very old building, but worth it. A favourite haunt in winter for hot chocolate near the fire. Light lunches available but the chocolate is the real draw!

The choice in the quaint cafe is great, chocolate heaven, the gateaux was great and the hot chocolate choice amazing! I was disappointed by the shop though, I think the advertisement in the brochures ect are misleading, the chocolate of 120 choices I thought would be homemade but all the chocolate is brought in (it's the same selection as from other shops I've seen) so this was very disappointing as I was expecting to be tasting and going home with a box filled with local homemade chocolate.

Chocolate chocolate chocolate heaven. Love choice, great food we had filled rolls and hot chocolate mine was a highway man bloody lovely. Very clean great staff need to go back tomorrow for the cake

I was looking forward to having a soya or almond milk hot chocolate at this café, as we saw it on a late evening stroll whilst it was closed. But even though I took Almond milk with me the next day, they were unable to make a vegan hot chocolate. It seems that despite appearances, old building, traditional tea room decor, the hot chocolates are prepared from bought in ready mixed powders, which may or may not contain dairy. The person we met with was polite and apologised for the situation. But I felt that I had been fooled by the appearance of the café, where I thought the chocolate would be carefully sourced and prepared on the premises, not in a factory and delivered in a lorry. We expect I think now restaurants and cafés to use local ingredients, where possible, make the food or drinks on the premises, as all this benefits local producers and ups the skills of the people who work in the trade. As a vegan I know that there are many places I can't eat, but more businesses are waking up to the fact that more and more people care about animals and the environment and are catering for them.

We visited today, just an amazing experience, the hot chocolate drinks are to die for as is the food and chocolates, you must try them.

An outstanding range of really excellent wonderful chocolates. Really quaint surroundings and very pleasant staff. A severe difficulty in access though for anyone who has mobility issues - guess to be expected in an ancient building - just send someone inside to buy your chocolate eh?!

This is a must if you are in Kendal, we have been several times. The cakes are wonderful and a good choice of fillings/flavours.

We were waiting for our tire to be fixed - found this place, which (almost) made me glad we had the flat tire! We had a hot chocolate - no way to describe it except Excellent! And I'm pretty picky about my hot chocolate. Bought some chocolates downstairs in the little shop - be sure and buy their chocolates, not the prepackaged ones.

The staffs are very friendly and accommodating. There is a wide selections of chocolate products in the shop and tea room.I ordered the Kings Ransom cake and Kings Delight choco drink and I loved it! It was a fab tea! The taste was just right for me. Will surely recommend this to chocolate lovers out there!

Could not resist walking in to this shop when passing, great selection of chocolates forget the diet! After had to go upstairs for the lovely hot chocolate, so many different ones to choose from, will return.

Lovely stop for chocolate and cake Delightful environment lovely choice for hot chocolate really relaxed and great little chocolate shop downstairs

good place to stop for lunch or a quick snack, the chocolate drinks are well worth having, but you may have to wait for a seat as it is very popular

Very atmospheric building! Loved it. The hot chocolate was lovely, and I'm not that keen on hot chocolate usually. There was one gluten free cake on offer. Asked staff for directions and given a complete description so we didn't get lost walking to our next point of interest.

Lovely little place so much historic content also, staff were very nice as well , I had potted Morcombe shrimps and chocolate and ginger drink sorry to see they dis continued the Parma violat chocolate but we are talking 9 years ago so can't complain .All in all a nice experience .

A lovely quaint old house in the centre of Kendal- we stumbled across it. A whole page of amazing hot chocolates to choose from, delicious cakes and an Aladdin's cave of goodies in the shop downstairs. Worth a detour if you are in Kendal. We loved it. Very tasty sandwiches too on the savoury side. Reasonable prices - a lovely little find.

Heard a lot about this establishment but a visit was amazing. So many chocolate drinks to choose from, cake was fresh and service polite and friendly. The shop downstairs was like an Aladdins cave. Bought far too much it whole family enjoyed. A definite must visit when in the area. Beautiful historic building too.

Every time I visit Kendal I go to this wonderful old, quaint cafe where chocolate dominates. It's not easily accessible with narrow spiral stairs but if you manage to get in, it's a wonderful place for refreshment or meeting friends. Cakes, biscuits, snacks, drinks beyond standard fayre. A mega choide of special chocolate drinks, and the chance to book a chocoholics nightmare! Everything about chocolate, tasters, and all for £15 if you want to overdose on sweetness. I love the dainty china and little pots, the undulating floorboards and misshaped walls due to the age of the property. It's a gem.