Choccobar in South Lakeland

Well what can I say!! I am sitting here writing this, with a mug of. hot chocolate we bought in a pouch!! We came down from Scotland to visit our family and we came to the. cafe for some lovely drinks and snacks!! The welcome we got was exceptional, warm and friendly! Nothing was too much and we were made to feel at home. even the owners lovely dog was very welcoming!! looking forward to our next trip down, We shall be back, xxx Hot chocolate coma perfect for mothers day xx

I came here for my usual yearly visit to the lakes for my birthday! I hadn’t been to choccobar in awhile so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’d liked it times before. It was so welcoming! The lady there at the time (guessing the owner) was really friendly and helpful! We brought our mini dachshund puppy and were glad we could bring him in. The thick hot chocolate was nice as ever and in my opinion had nice additions! It was such a friendly atmosphere I enjoyed it :) Sadly someone messed the toilet and I’d told the owner who was very thankful and was quick to clean it when she had time! (Very annoying someone would do that and not even tell anyone). I wish I could have had the waffle with ice cream and strawberries but my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I couldn’t finish it last time so I knew I wouldn’t this time. I will definitely be coming again! I love coming to the lakes and friendly places like this cafe make it so worth it.

This is not your average hot chocolate. I'm not a lover of 'normal' chocolate drinks, but this is far from the norm. Their chocolate is full of real chocolate and is totally delicious. Highly recommended!

We popped in for a hot chocolate having heard good things about it!! Yes, they're all true!! We were told that, unlike other establishments, they used Belgium chocolate to make their hot chocolate drink, rather than powder. I also have 'a thing' for Churro's. Unfortunately they had difficulty in purchasing cinnamon. Of course they weren't the same but were still nice enough. Hopefully, we'll pop back in soon and enjoy another hot chocolate and, maybe Churro's with cinnamon!! We were made to feel very welcome, by both human's and dogs!!

The place is lovely and relaxing and the lady whom served us was lovely, possibly the owner. However, it took such a long time for everything.. its a nice place so we didn't mind sitting and waiting too much, but its not somewhere youd stop if you needed something quick. On the menu it says they do paninis, but they're actually toasties. And unfortunately we ended up receiving the wrong one- got ham and cheese rather than mozzarella and basil.. not sure how, as it doesn't even sound the same. But we had been waiting so long, we didn't say anything as we didn't want to have to wait for another one to be made. The presentation and taste of our food and drinks were lovely, but the speed of service needs improving

Visited with a friend and enjoyed the outside seating. Cant get enough of chocolate so if your a fan i would recommend. Staff were nice

Ordered 2 hot drinks to take out - 1 hot chocolate and 1 green tea. Whilst the hot chocolate was tasty, the total price was almost £8! For 2 take out drinks, 1 being a teabag in hot water, I think that’s extortionate!

It was like I was drinking the very melted rich chocolate.The owners and the dogs were all friendly

I have been at the choccobar many times in the past when the owners were different (the owners who first created the choccobar). I used to love it, but now it's not as nice: in the past the large hot chocolate was served in a nice glass on a plate. There was some clotted cream in a lovely cup, and another cup with some fruits cut in pieces (raisins and strawberies), and a french biscuit. Today the chocolate was served in a cup bowl/cup?, the clotted cream was replaced by a whipped spray cream (the same as you find at the supermarket which is tasteless and not very good) and was served on piece of plastic cup??? I had 1 strawberry only (!) cut in 2, and the usual french biscuit. I has really gone down, and it is a shame because these little things: bad presentation, no fruits or just one, supermarket whipped spray cream served on a piece of plastic are making a huge difference in the experience. For this reason, I won't feel like going back there. A shame really. I hope the owners will read my review and serve their delicious hot Belgium chocolate as it used to be!

The best hot chocolate ever! But the service has one pace and that's Snail slow. We've visited several times, feel like it's not worth the wait anymore. I don't understand the workings of what takes so long to serve basic nearly instant foods out of instant machinery such as waffle machine and sandwich toaster...these are things we have in the kitchen at home and 5 minutes tops the food is done. There's a lot of faffing about behind the counter and the staff really need to pick up the pace. Whilst we were seated waiting 14 minutes for a basic order that came with items missing, I saw another 2 tables who had waited quite a length of time and were muttering amongst themselves unhappily. It wasn't busy, so service should have been flying. But like I say...one pace and it's slow. However....go in a grab a takeaway hot chocolate that recipe is amazing!

Great churros and the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had - tasted like proper chocolate, melted and sweetened. Yummy!

I had heard about the hot chocolate here so was dying to try it. I arrived yesterday at Windermere but the cafe was closed. Went back early this morning,but again was closed. Came back to the car as we were parked in the little carpark next to it,just as we arrived the lady opened it, I was so made up. We were first inside. I did notice a very distinctive smell in there when I went in,it wasn't very pleasant but still I was determined to have my hot chocolate so I didnt let it put me off. We sat down and the lovely lady came over with a couple of menus. I would have chosen other items off the menu if I hadn't have already eaten just before. Everything sounded delicious. We ordered our hot chocolates and they did not disappoint. Very sweet and rich,perfect for a rainy morning. We also ordered 2 little rocky roads cakes to take home,can't wait to have them later on. Overall, a lovely little place. Just needs a little bit of TLC I think though. Would definitely return.

Where do I start! I have visited choccobar with my family a handful of times and the previous occasions were good. Following the pandemic we visited again as a family and had a really long wait for food (25 minutes) and it was established that our order was given to another table. Thinking that this may have been an off day we visited again this month. We ordered cream tea's but they'd run out of scones so we ordered panini but the panini wasn't a Panini it was just white bread. (a toastie). Next the drinks arrived before the food so the drinks were cold when the food arrived. And the place was like a wind tunnel with both doors open and no heating. The prices are high and the service is very poor, we will not be visiting again. I'm not one for knocking local businesses but we felt so strongly that is why I'm writing this negative review.

Best waffle in a very long time! I found this cafe on a website called ‘sightseeingcoeliac’ because my friend is gluten intolerant. And I am so glad we did because in the busy- ness of Bowness it can be difficult to pick the right place for everybody! The waffles and shakes and hot chocolate were really delicious. Staff were knowledgeable about gluten intolerance and coeliac and went the extra mile to reassure us that food prep areas would be separate. I highly recommend for a break between Beatrix and Boats!

Just had the best hot chocolate ever! My son thought it was amazing. Also the cafe owners were lovely. Definitely worth a visit

Waited 20 mins outside in the cold shade for 2 coffees & 1 teacake. Should have gone to Costa Coffee

Great place to stop and rest for a bite and excellent coffee/tea. Churros are to die for. We shared a plate and realized we needed a second once we tasted how exceptional they were! Don’t let the hidden placement fool you. Great service, welcoming staff.

What a shame to see some negative reviews about this place… when it’s a really great stop off on the walk up from Bowness to Windermere. We stopped in for a coffee and cake, of which they had a great selection, I wish I’d taken a photo. The atmosphere was modern, but relaxed, with country music playing (more Shania Twain, which was perfect as we’d been to see Shania the night before). Despite the venue being more geared toward specialist hot chocolates, the coffee and cakes were very nice and reasonably priced… service was speedy and friendly… Had a great conversation with lady who clearly loves Shania Twain (had a bit of a look of Shania too) and the young lad who was serving. Was a nice visit, and definitely worth a revisit next time we are in the lakes.

The best place I have ever been for a gluten free waffle, I would 100% recommend this place amazing staff and very welcoming!

Great service, staff who stay friendly even when really busy and excellent coffee. The stars were the churros with chocolate sauce - delicious!

Visited here on a Sunday afternoon as we have been previous years and really enjoyed the experience. However, on this occasion the same could NOT be said and we were deeply disappointed. When we arrived the cafe was empty and 3 members of staff. As we were not greeted by any, we sat down at the only table big enough for our party, despite it being covered with dirty plates. We waited for just under 10 minutes to see if a menu would be brought to us but one wasn’t so I had to go and get one myself. I wouldn’t mind but one of the members of staff was more interested in looking out the window and ignored us. We went to the bar to order, this was filled with dirty plates. A member of staff asked ‘George’ to remove the dishes from the till area on several occasions and he responded by shouting “WHAT?” back at her, before reluctantly removing them - very unprofessional. We ordered a strawberry skewer, a chocolate brownie and a Waffle. The strawberry skewer was very underwhelming, lack of chocolate on it compared to what I’ve had on previous times however, the chocolate brownie and waffles were very nice. Good to see the waffles are gluten free as this is hard to find. Overall it’s a shame to see what used to be a busy and thriving establishment turn into a dull and tired cafe. There just doesn’t seem to be any passion or energy. The place is seriously lacking in customer service skill and does not make you want to return. Will not be returning.

We popped in to chocco bar few days ago , and we were very disappointed. We had to wait 45 minutes for 3 waffles despite café was almost empty. Waffles were prepared by young girl who just started her shift.She didn't wash her hands, continuosly touching her hair and then our waffles with bare hands, putting all ingredients together without using gloves. Presentation of all the food was terrible, it looked like a child put sliced strawberries on the waffle and drizzled with chocolate... Generally place looks neglected there's old ,cracked chairs and damaged tables. Some of the tables were used for staffs bags and clothing... I'm even more disappointed, because I've been in here 7 years ago and everything was amazing,but not anymore! Sorry,but I won't be back!

Beautiful gluten free waffle, can’t even tell it was gluten free! I have been searching for a place like this since I realised I was coeliac.

Coffee ok but the long wait would put us off of coming again.only one person working doing everything,

Gluten free waffles are lovely, a little bit of a wait but worth it! Celiac myself no issues of cross contamination etc.

Lovely place offering gluten free waffles! The staff are lovely and the resident dog is such a lovely character! The toilets were clean. The whole place was well present, relaxed and friendly

The most amazing hot chocolate! Very friendly staff and a gorgeous resident dog! Would definitely recommend and note the opening time is 11am - we had to go away and come back as we were super keen!

Arrived at 11am opening was 10.30am, no tables set up and the lady proceeded with her phone ignoring us for long enough for us to leave. This was a revisit and we're very disappointed as we really enjoyed it here last time.

Lovely hot chocolate and desserts. Not surprisingly, my daughter loved it here. Good that you can add a flavour to the hot chocolate with plenty of flavours to choose from.

Best hot chocolate ever tried. Everything is freshly made. The terrace is nice and chilled. But, the hot chocolate, wow!

Was staying nearby and their menu looked good. Saw that they did a chocolate fondue that had to be booked the day before which sounded like we'd enjoy it! Tried calling but their phone number doesn't work. Had to wait until we were around to...

We were really looking forward to coming here after seeing the good reviews but we were left very disappointed. We nearly walked away as the closed sign was on the door and the board was inside, despite it being 30 mins after opening time. We...

Had the best gluten free waffles ever. My wife is gluten intolerant and was able to have her first waffle at a restaurant. We would highly recommend.

I really hate to leave bad reviews but sometimes there's no option. We first came here some years ago and we had waffles which were at the bottom of an absolute mountain of chocolate and cream - it was like nothing we had ever eaten...

We were a party of 7 and wanting to treat our Grandson to his fav waffle for his birthday. We arrived mid afternoon, only a couple of people in. 1 table waiting and another leaving. The lady advised us sorry we are not taking any...

Came here when visiting my partner’s hometown- lovely and considerate staff with great customer service! Remade my partner’s drink free of charge because he thought he’d accidentally ordered something alcoholic and were very understanding when he went to speak to them. Do give it a...

The BEST EVER hot chocolate with exceptional service from Rona & George. Place was gleaming, cannot wait to return to try more drinks and treats

Went in as a party of 5 and a dog. Waffles were lovely - really light. We were a bit awkward going off menu a bit but they could not have been more accommodating. I had a waffle with maple syrup which was amazing -...

We decided we wanted to visit the chocco bar just before we went home after a few days in the lakes (last treat!) the owner seemed rather frazzled @11:45am we actually phoned them to see if they were open as there were 6 people all...

As a bit of a chocoloholic I pleaded to visit here. I’m glad we did because the luxury hot chocolates - when they eventually came - were lovely and gorgeously presented. The place smelt amazing and there were lots of chocolate flavour options that intrigued...

The food when it came was nice but the wait was unacceptable. No one seemed to be / wanted to be in charge. It took ages to even place the order, when it came stuff was missing and I had to ask twice for this...

We visited 7 years ago and came all the way from Cornwall to visit you again and what a MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT it was too!! Did not open until 11:30am after being advertised as opening at 9am with no opening times physically in the window. We...

The food was average. We had paninis, waffles and strawberry kebabs. The staff were incredibly rude and the service was really poor. Our food was virtually thrown at us, when it eventually arrived. Would not return and certainly not with my baby. The high chair...

Small independent cafe that is dog friendly. It was busy when we arrived and there was quite a wait for coffee. Wish we had their hot chocolate as it looked fantastic. Customers toilets are down some steep narrow stairs so not ideal if less mobile

Had the Gluten free waffles three times during our visit to Bowness, a really nice lunch experience. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and we really enjoyed our visits there. For anyone following a strict Gluten Free diet, if you order and emphasise...

Whilst the food was lovely (including GF waffles) we had to wait 40 minutes for coffees to arrive. They were cold so had to be returned. Altogether it took 55 minutes wait to serve 2 panini, one churros and one waffles. One member of staff...

Was always my go to place, i think i may opt for other places in future. Has the ownership changed in this place? Staff were always so attentive and service spot on but it felt very different today. On walking in no-one acknowledged my existence...

Delicious gluten free waffles, all waffles are gluten free, the toppings may not be. What a find, you must go there if in Bowness on Windermere.

Hot chocolate was 10/10, very luxurious and thick. I ordered a gluten free waffle with strawberries, Nutella and cream - it wasn’t stodgy and quite lightweight. Very tasty and would go back for another one. No glasses served with the Diet Coke though which was...

This used to be the place to go as we are local thought I'd take my family for a Treat. Was met by a young lad who whilst trying to take our order was constantly being interrupted by a scruffy young lad behind the counter...

Had high hopes as place listed as luxury. Ordered cream tea. Initially provided with "squirty" cream. When asked for refund was provided clotted cream which was frozen. On the plus side the hot chocolate was delicious

Called in here on a Sunday for the morning special (half a waffle with cinnamon sugar, chocolate and berries). Food took ages to arrive, despite the cafe not being very busy - even the drinks took 15 minutes+. Waffle arrived cold and there was a...

Lovely place for waffles and hot chocolate. We ordered a hot chocolate which was lovely. We also ordered a Belgian waffle with Biscoff. We wanted to order a panini but they had run out of them by 3pm, so had to settle for a toastie....

Stopped by to get a quick bite to eat and hardworking staff were very pleasant despite being busy and provided a great service and wonderful food, we will be returning.

Stumbled across this after a walk on a rainy day, , amazing waffles and great service. great treat for the kids, and even better that they were gluten free so I could join in 🙂

Having not been to Bowness for a bit we were so desperate to get back to ChoccoBar for some yummy waffles & super shakes. Wish we never bothered getting excited. This place was so lively & up beat. The staff so attentive & nothing was...

My son and I dropped in, drawn by the sign for chocolate. The cafe is tastefully designed and it has a friendly, relaxed vibe. The menu is amazing, so much to choose from. The hot chocolate is AMAZING, so tasty and delicious, definitely the best...

After I spotted that Chocco bar (it should be called Chocolate Heaven) served gluten free waffles we thought we’d have lunch in Bowness. We ordered and sat on one of the tables outside. My husbands Bannoffi milkshake and my decaf tea arrived pretty quickly. Then...

After making Choccobar a must visit when in Bowness, this will be our last! Awful service. Stone cold churros after a forty-five minute wait. Our waffle didn’t even appear! I truly understand the pressures that the hospitality industry are under but a very apparent lack...

my wife and i decided to call in here on wednesday after visiting ambleside and windermere. even though they were quiet with only 3 or 4 customers already seated we decided to sit outside as we had our dog with us. wife went in to...

Had a really great gluten free waffle here with strawberries, chocolate sauce and cream. Enjoyed it so much we booked gluten free afternoon tea a couple of days later, which was incredible. Lovely sandwiches, pieces of waffles with dipping chocolate and strawberries, carrot cake, brownie...

Came here due to the reviews online. The reviews are very overrated. We ordered the hot chocolate. The taste was disappointing.

Visited here back in 2018 and have wanted to go back since. Unfortunately this time around it wasn't quite the same. The hot chocolate was lovely however there was no atmosphere and the service wasn't particularly friendly or welcoming. We also had to wait a...

We came here especially for churros after a hike. We ordered via the QR Code. We were then told there were no more churros. We were offered waffles as a replacement for 6 churros. The replacement was half a waffle. A huge disappointment. As a...

Picture the scene: A cold sunny day, sat outside, dipping hot fresh churros in to luscious hot chocolate. Wonderful.

The hot chocolate was delicious! However service took 40 minutes for what was just waffles and toppings for our food. The waffles were good thought! Place needed a good clean.

Second visit since before Covid (in two years) and hasn’t disappointed. Despite only one member of staff the service was friendly and prompt, and the hot chocolate is perhaps the best we’ve ever had. Saw a previous review complaining about the size, if you don’t...

If you're a fan of chocolate (or not to be honest!) then this cafe is well worth a visit. The luxury hot chocolate was amazing and the cream tea scone was delicious. The rest of our party had panini's and waffles and all thoroughly enjoyed...

Booked a table for 5 of us in advance. We had mixture of sweet and savoury. Can definitely recommend the ham and cheese panini and the pictures say it all for me about waffles, AMAZING 🥰. The service was exceptional, welcoming and sincere. If you...

We went to chocco bar and absolutely loved it. The gluten free waffles were delicious. So light and fluffy. The best part was the owner and the staff were so lovely and accommodating. We decided to go there 2 days in a row and on...

We have visited Choccobar on multiple occasions over the last 5 years, maybe even more, and have never been disappointed with the service or hot chocolate. We can only presume the business has changed hands, the old owner is no longer there and the service...

We were staying in Winderemere for few days and we asked our host for suggestions as to where to go for some sweet treat and he recommended this place. Absolutely amazing. The hot chocolate, the churros, the waffle, everything was gorgeous. Can't wait to go...

Stumbled across this cafe whilst shopping and couldn’t have been more delighted in our find. I had the luxurious hot chocolate and it came with some lovely nibbles and was the perfect treat on a cold afternoon! Staff were lovely and can’t argue with the...

Wow, what a great place. Fantastic hot chocolate, served with all the trimmings! Nice location for people watching and a friendly owner… enjoy!

Had a lovely lunch here after a day out on Windermere. We (family of 6) really enjoyed a selection of churros and waffles. The lemon meringue waffle was amazing!

Quite possibly the best Mocha I've had! Sat outside, we felt very continental! Lovely to watch the world go by, sat under the cover while it chucked it down. A lovely brew indeed.

Stopped for a Diet Coke break as we are both watching our waistlines and couldn't resist the churros and waffles. Bang goes the diet 🤦‍♂️ Absolutely superb. Won't get any better, so if you are in Bowness you simply must visit!

Came today whilst holidaying in Windermere after seeing so many people recommending this place for coeliacs. The BEST gluten free waffles I have ever tasted! Amazing variety of choice and very welcoming staff. The strawberry, ice cream and Nutella waffle was to die for... Thank...

Called here yesterday with hubby just for couple of coffees and milkshake.Young man who served us was really pleasant.He was run off his feet and we saw him dealing with what seemed like the customers from hell..so rude and changing their orders every 5 mins.He...

Came here as they offered gluten free waffles which made two coaliac children very happy. Fantastic service, we were really looked after by a lively gentleman. The waffles were delicious and the hot chocolate to die for. Wish we had one closer to home. Thank...

Such a shame to have to write a negative review. This was my 3rd time coming and it was anything but delightful compared to 2016 and 2018 when I last came here. The food was okay but very overpriced. The staff were slow, unenthusiastic and...

We travelled a good distance to experience the supposed chocolate haven and was unimpressed on all counts after visiting this place. The food was OK, the waffles were nice but I wasn’t expecting squeezy cream out of a can on our waffles (fresh cream perhaps...

Visited for breakfast, beautiful gluten-free waffles a must have for adults and kids alike. Friendly staff and COVID safe. Well worth a visit!

Family of 4 visited for brunch. After seeing the reviews we had high expectations of chocolate heaven. But, it was not what we expected at all. The coffee is nice. The waffles alone are light and fluffy. I ordered the waffle with Dark Cherries, grated...

Looked this upon Trip, as you do. We don’t normally drink hot choc but fancied something different after just getting off a lovely boat ride. We managed to secure a seat outside and how lovely that was. The family next to us had puppies and...

This place is amazing we sat outside. The waitress was so lovely and welcoming I had hot chocolate poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was so delicious. The hot chocolate is very chocolatey!! My boyfriend isn’t a massive chocolate fan but he...

Cool, clean and well spaced interior with friendly staff. Amazing hot chocolate (so many to choose from but I had the original) beautifully served with fruit , cream and lady’s finger , lovely churros with thick chocolate sauce and very good mocha. The waffles looked...

We visit once a year and this place never disappoints. Amazing original hot chocolate with fruit and lady’s fingers to dip, milkshakes are yummy and the cream teas are great.

We had a little wait but the waffles were amazing and the service top notch. The owners very friendly and very good customer service skills. Would recommend to anyone for a treat

Although this lovely little chocolate cafe bar offers all sorts of chocy delicacies it also serves a lovely pot of tea too, ( which can be hard to find). The staff were lovely and friendly. They also a nice clean facilities too...also hard to find...

I enjoyed my coffee and churros here, quite tasty fairly priced. We were allowed in a little before opening for seating which was nice. Waffle was average

Bought one of these too share on a recent stay at Windermere and was lovely and tasty, delicious and fresh and plenty for both of us.

A great place to indulge in chocolate desserts. Sandwiches are delicious, the hot chocolate drink is very indulgent and the waffles come in a variety of flavours which suit any taste.

A whole place dedicated to chocolate - could not resist. The choices are amazing and the hot chocolate was the best I have ever had. The waffles were also amazing -tried the chocolate and strawberries. Husband had the churros which were delicious too. Definitely worth...

Delicious waffles - the best I’ve ever had. The strawberries were super fresh and the staff really nice.

After reading some reviews we booked here for a treat at the end of a week walking in the Lakes. We were not disappointed at all, everything was delicious, staff were friendly and welcoming to us and our wet dog. Glad we booked as it...

Summary is good product, poor organisation, service was friendly enough but don’t expect it to be slick. I haven’t been harsher as we are all doing our best in current circumstances. We couldn’t get through on the phone to book. We queued for a table...

The food speaks for itself one example you try it! Churros were amazing and must have the Cartmel Caramel sauce (well worth the extra 50p). Waffles, with strawberries, cream and chocolate...wow!! For me anyway, also just as important was the great coffee (double espresso) and...

This was my second visit, the staff were lovely, food was fresh and tasty. The staff made us feel very special and we will definitely be visiting again.

We love visiting choco bar and we were so happy to finally get back! We always get the waffles and they didn’t disappoint. The staff are lovely too!