Chocoa in Ballymena

So excited to finally go here with my daughter but the experience wasn't what I expected. For the prices there is no table service you have to order at the till. I was not advised correctly when asking about the Spanish hot chocolate. It isn't a drink it comes in a bowl for dipping biscuits in. I specifically asked was it like a normal hot chocolate you could drink and was told yes. I ordered coffee and 2 savoury pancakes. Paying by card I was asked to select what tip I wanted to leave. Feeling like I had no option I left one. Then we waited on our food. I had to go and order tea after the "drinks" arrived as the Spanish hot chocolate is not a drink and leave another tip. We waited again and after 35 minutes of waiting I asked for a refund. To be told that the food order hadn't been sent to the kitchen. We didn't have time to wait any longer. When the refund was being done they didn't ask what of your tip you would like refunded. I don't mind paying for service but we didn't get any. Can't review the food as we didn't get any of that. Won't be back. Sometimes best to stick to the places you know.

This is the best and most beautiful Salon in Ballymena. Food is well presented and of good quality. The cakes are scrumptious and service is very friendly. The flavour of the coffee is probably the best one can get anywhere. Decor is calming and sophisticated and that for Ballymena! My 5fth visit and it never disappoints.

If I lived in Ballymena I would be drinking coffee at this place every day. By far the best coffee! The food is beautifully presented and of excellent quality. Staff are always nice. The place decor is beautiful too and the cakes are delicious. I will be returning soon

Amazing food, great service! We had the special soup, fondue and Christmas sandwich and honestly it was one of the best, if not the best Christmas sandwich I’ve ever had! Would definitely recommend to anyone passing by😊

Had the joy of visiting Chocoa after stumbling across it on Social Media, marking it as a place to go and it certainly delivered on all aspects !! From the second you walk through the door this place oozes quality in every way from the stunning decor, the pleasant and immaculately turned out staff and the beautifully presented food which tastes even better than it looks. We had the Hot Chocolate, Mince Pies and Chocolate Muffins with Vanilla. It is Christmas, and if you want to experience one of those picture postcard type coffee shops you see in the movies, this is as close as you'll get. Had a nice chat with the owner on the way out to commend her on creating such a lovely experience and pleased to hear there is consideration of potential expansion in Belfast direction in near future.

Stunning surroundings and beautifully presented food and drinks. Love the hot chocolates and coffee in particular. Highly recommend, lovely relaxing atmosphere.

Horrible experience. Food was nice but didn’t get to enjoy it as the manager I assume was engaged in getting a young boy to sign something and wouldn't let him out until he did and was shouting across the whole cafe did “everyone hear that” absolutely horrified I won’t be back and I’ll be letting all my friends aware

Visited Chocoa at the start of this week and all I can say is Wow! There’s a reason this place gets all the hype it does…First of all considering how understaffed they very clearly were and how busy the place got just soon after we arrived, the staff, service and food could not have been any better…Food was delicious, desserts to die for and all very reasonably priced compared to other places considering the standard of food we received! My husband also tried the famous French hot chocolate, which he could not recommend enough. 100% will be returning, for being a small business offering the service and menu they do, you’d expect to see them in a place like Belfast!

Everyone raving about this place I thought we would check it out whilst staying in the area. Ambient experience was soon ruined by the staff. It was hard to grab their attention and when we finally did it was clear to see they had little to no customer service skill. Having said that, once our food arrived, it was delicious. We went for the brunch meal and brioche french toast, we were not dissapointed. Kids menu was nice but limited. I was also surprise to see they charge for a kids hot foam. Overall, great food but i wouldnt rush back for the experience.

This is our go to place whenever we visit from Belfast, the food is delicious, well presented and plentiful. The staff are very friendly and efficient, can’t wait until our next visit, normally for brunch, yummy.

Terrible. Service was so bad. No more interested in serving than the man in the moon. Tried to engage regarding delicious looking cakes to no avail. Very disappointing - saw this on hidden gems. Clearly i missed the gems.

This is a fabulous please. Nicely decorated and laid out. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable The food is beautifully presented and of great quality. The best things for me is the quality of the coffee. I have never tasted any coffee as good as theirs.

Disappointing. Had high hopes given the online pics. Toasted sandwich was stone cold and so dry Risotto was a plate of stodge. The building was loaded with condensation and felt cold and damp. Two orders of tea but one pot received. Overall completely Overpriced and overhyped. Didn’t sample any sweet things but they looked nice. Won’t return

Fantastic quality coffee and lovely cakes. Service was amazing from a lovely man working there. Would highly recommend.

A wonderful place.lovely food friendly staff and definitely a chocoholic's dream. Everything comes beautifully presented. Well definitely be returning.

Having been to Chocoa a few times and loved it, I told my sister and niece to join us today to see what I was talking about. We ordered at 1 minute past 2. At half 2 we asked could we actually get my nieces brownie and hot chocolate and my sister coffee as they had to leave at qtr to 3. They said there was just one chef and it would be with us soon. The chef doesnt do the coffee or lift the brownies out of the counter. They eventually gave the brownie and coffee to them at 25 to 3. Me and my husband were still waiting for our french toast at 2.50. Then the table next to us got their food and they had arrived after us. My sister brought this to one of the waitresses attention and she said oh ok. When she came back she said our order hadnt been put through. We told her to leave it at that stage of waiting nearly an hour. My sister explained that we understand places get busy but maybe explain that theres just one chef and there might be a wait when ordering. The lady responded , well we would expect our customers to let us know after half an hr if they havent got their food. Firstly we did explain that to the girl behind the till and secondly the people serving us should know when to bring out food and be aware of the tables without! The fact that she implied that we should have been enquiring about our food earlier(even though we did) shows the little respect she had for us and put the blame on us. We did receive a refund but the manner in which it was dealt with was not professional and I left disappointed, especially the fact I really loved here and was bringing new customers to experience it.

Amazing. Went in for lunch as I was visiting the area and needed something to eat. For a first visit the decor and service is perfect. I had a hot chocolate along with the red velvet pancakes. Both taste and presentation of the food was phenomenal. Cant wait to come back again!

We went to this cafe and ordered a special. We got 1 slice of bread with literally some over - cooked carrots on it. Plus 2 herbal teas. This cost us £26!!!!!! We were astounded by the 1) amount and quality of food 2) the price of the food 3) the cafe not knowing what it really is peddling. I do not recommend this cafe. Go elsewhere - there is more reasonably priced cafes where the food is much nicer and healthier.

Had high hopes for our visit but the price just couldn't justify the experience. £27 for 2 sandwiches and 2 cokes. The food was nice enough, but not enough to warrant the price. Wouldn't return unfortunately.

My mum and I came today for her birthday. We both enjoyed the savory wedding sweet toast special. The coffee was so good 😍

Took my son for hot chocolate and I had tea. What a beautiful experience, everything was to a lovely detail, the beautiful gold spoons and beautiful presented cheesecake. Will definitely be back for a treat . 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

What a wonderful surprise this lovely cafe is . Fabulous stylish coffee and a great chicken salad in a wonderful ambience and colour scheme . A little piece of heaven on a Monday . Thank you 😃

Saw Chocoa online and immediately knew we had to try this place.... It lived up to all expectations, the ambience, decor, friendly, polite staff that couldn't do enough to help, sensationally presented food, superb coffee and white hot chocolate, mouth-watering desserts and macaroons... I could...

Lovely breakfast, friendly staff and amazing coffee. White hot chocolate is great and dark chocolate mocha so tasty. Husband had French toast with bacon and maple syrup. And I had the poached eggs, avocado on sourdough bread. Absolutely out of this world. We will definitely...

Called in for a coffee stop when shopping. It is a nice small cafe opposite the tower centre so a good enough location. Lots of cakes and tray bakes which I will return again to try.

This is by far the best restaurant for miles. The food is always first class and the presentation impeccable! The staff are just all so lovely and so helpful and friendly! The inside decor is amazing and we always look forward to going. Give it...

Lovely place to sit and watch the world go by, the food is tasty, beautifully presented and reasonably priced, highly recommended.

If you have not been then this place is a must. The most beautiful decor,very friendly and attentive staff, such a lovely atmosphere with thee best hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Perfect for a girlie catch up, a lunch date or even grabbing a...

Love Chocoa! Friendly efficant staff, beautiful surroundings and excellent food... Not to mention the hot chocolate!! Amazing!

I love the loose leaf tea selection, and the desserts (orange lemon and lime cake is my favorite). Its lovely chilled atmosphere with clean and very comfortable surroundings. I also highly recommend the hot chocolates, once you've tried a Chocoa Hot Chocolate, you will never go anywhere else!!

Worth a visit: Amazing food and a large selection of hot drinks. Beautifully decorated with an excellent atmosphere

What an Absolutely amazing gem of a place, beautiful decor, with a very friendly atmosphere. They have a wide variety of yummy dishes to eat, from breakfast to brunch to lunch,or just a quick stop for a quick coffee and a slice of cake. And...

Love this place, beautiful decor, staffs attention to detail is outstanding. If you like a hot chocolate you’ll love there’s . From sweet treats to savoury food, pancake stacks and french toast all will take your breath away 😜

Friendly staff and excellent service. I visited with my sister for a coffee break and everything was perfect!

The best cafe!!! Love it here. The hot chocolates are all amazing. Surroundings are beautiful and relaxing. Food is always great.

I visit Chocoa regularly and the standard is always excellent!! Such a welcoming place with very friendly staff and the food and deserts are exquisite.Definitely the best place for a relaxing catch up with friends:))

The most amazing food, coffee and a large selection of desserts to cater for all. A beautiful relaxed atmosphere, beautiful decor with the most friendly helpful staff. Highly recommend.

Great service and great food, this place was recommended to me so I am just recommending to everyone else, enjoy 😁

A beautiful boutique cafe with a 5 star hotel feel, with modern interior decor and food presented in a stylish way that looked and tasted amazing. My whole family enjoyed the experience (especially the hot chocolate). Although expensive it was worth it and next time...

It’s a question of taste - and I haven’t factored this into scoring - the one star was lost was because of prices.As a vegetarian the food is limited for lunch. Avocados and poached egg were the premiere offerings - not that I eat either, but influences the title of the review. On reflection I should have gone for the garlic soup rather than settling for a scone. Mind you I liked the scone. My wife enjoyed her prawn thingy sandwich.It’s designed for a demographic and I get that. It’s just not mine.

I popped in to Chocoa this afternoon for coffee and a light snack. There were no single or small tables available, so I shared a large table with another lady. We were able to social distance.The procedure for ordering/serving was explained to me by an extremely helpful young server. My latte (in a cup, not a glass) was served to me very quickly, closely followed by my delicious pancake topped with berries.Scrumptious food. I would rate Chocoa very highly: great food, very comfortable and clean seating, and courteous and professional staff. Thank you to Mark. I will certainly recommend, and will definitely be returning.

This was our first visit and we were very impressed by the trendy interior.... not your typical Ballymena cafe! The menu did not show the prices of the daily specials so we had to ask the waitress. The bean chilli was £9.50 which I thought was a bit pricey. I had the roasted pepper soup which was delicious and to my surprise it arrived in a cocktail glass. Our only complaint was the slow service... having checked Triadvisor many others had made a similar comment.Yes we will come again... the desserts looked wow

This place is the best in Ballymena and beyond, and definitely wouldn't be out of place in London or Paris ! Such an amazing cafe, designed and decorated to an amazing standard.Once you try their hot chocolates, you'll never go anywhere else again!! Love coming here for a treat with my family for their famous foundue as well, a real treat and sure to impress.I'm not sure how some 'people' on here aren't impressed sitting in beautiful surroundings, enjoying gorgeous food and beverages but I suppose you can't always make a silk purse out of a pigs ear where some folk are concerned. The owners are lovely people that value all of their customers and truly go out of their way to make sure you have a great time, at least that has certainly been my experience and I've been coming here for about 18 months. Keep up the good work guys!

Came here with a few friends and was disappointed. I heard through the grapevine that it’s for ‘high end clientele’ so we decided to check out the place for ourselves. We just seen all regular people like ourselves in it. The food was decent but over priced. The name also suggests it is a chocolate themed cafe but it’s not.

Our family visited Chocoa for lunch. From the moment you walk in the door you are welcomed into the beautifully designed cafe. Our coffee's were fantastic - the best we had on our trip. Our food was fresh, aesthetically pleasing and more importantly delicious. Going to Chocoa was more than a meal it was an amazing experience.

Warm and welcoming surroundings. Great coffee!! The choice of food is outstanding with original ideas which can't be found anywhere else in town. My favourite coffee shop in Ballymena

Just plain rude!!!! It’s happened before, although the last time I couldn’t fault it. But this time the staff are so rude, and myself or my friends will never step foot in the place again. Please don’t go first thing in the morning.... these are not morning people, and definitely not friendly!!!!

My wife and I have used this establishment a few times. We find the coffee and scones excellent. Unfortunately an our last two visits it felt like the staff couldn't get us out quick enough. The service was slow and when we were finished the table was cleared by I think the owner without so much as a 'bye your leave'I have found our exerience to be more pleasant and relaxed when the male manager is on duty

Unfortunately despite all the good reviews I've heard, myself and my brother agreed that it's one of the worse breakfast in Ballymena. Poached eggs were hard in the middle, the bread all tasted the same. They charged £2 for an extra egg. That's just ridiculous. You have to wait to be seated then you have to go up to the till to order. Nobody informed us of this so we sat waiting to be served. Service was slow. They brought our coffee out too earlier. The gentleman man who served us was pleasant but seemed to be rushed off his feet while others did very little. Nobody asked us how was our meal. Definitely not impressed.

Very happy with my experience here. Pleasant staff, great coffee and excellent food. Will be back..... for more brownie cheesecake.

Excellent service. Coffee and lattes great pressed coffe excellent Had smashed Advocado on toast twice. Scones jam and cream wonderful.

Popped in for weekday brunch . First visit and I was pleased with everything . Such a quirky place , very instagrammable ! I had the raspberry and white chocolate pancake stack , yum , yum , yum coffee was good too , I was tempted by the handmade chocolates on display and purchased some of these to take away .

Called here for an early morning tea and scone with my wife. Service, in my opinion, is slow even for an item like tea and a scone for whatever reason. Spoils the service, quicker service elsewhere within the town available.

What can we say about Chocoa that hasn’t already been said by others. It’s just the best chocolate experience by far, none of your tasteless powdered drinking chocolate here.

Good choice of interesting dishes and cakes. Had a delicious filled croissant for breakfast. Fast service and friendly staff.

Had heard lots about Chocoa but thought it wouldn’t be my sort of place as I’m not into very heavy chocolate desserts but it does so much more than that. To start with the decor was beautiful and felt more like a luxurious high-end hotel restaurant. The staff were so helpful and I have to say the most courteous I’ve encountered for a long time. The deserts and scones were so beautifully presented and tasted as good as they looked. What impressed me also was when they made a very minor mistake (which didn’t concern us in the slightest) the manager came over with several luxury chocolates. Now I have to say that in some establishments when I’ve brought an actual problem to the staff’s notice, I’ve got a grunt in reply! We will definitely be back, yes it is a little more expensive than the usual coffee shop, but then as they say, this is not just a coffee shop experience, this is a chocoa experience! (thanks m&s;!) Just what Ballymena needed!

We regularly visit Chocoa and have always found the staff courteous, friendly and helpful, they do know their stuff when it comes to high quality coffee and chocolate fare. It does appear as if some of the negative reviews posted on TA are people with a grudge or who just prefer something cheaper but off lesser quality, regretfully this is becoming a TA trend.

Wanted to check out this place for a long time but sorry I won't be back. Coffee and hot chocolate were pretty nice but to be honest I've had better. Thought there would be a larger array of treats but there wasn't. And the main reason I will not be back is the size of the desserts, for £5 each they were tiny!! You could eat them in three mouthfuls and taste wise they were nothing amazing, Ive actually had tastier treats at Bob and berts and they don't claim to be 'luxury'. 2 desserts 2 drinks and a kids smoothie for £19.20. On the plus side decor was lovely and staff were great.

Well where do I start...... I think that you judge a place by the staff and the warm friendly welcome you get!! Not last Friday morning!!! I met with friends for a catch up for breakfast and I’ve been a few times before and I couldn’t fault it. Unfortunately one member of staff must have got out of bed on the wrong side. She was so rude and disinterested!! Maybe it was because we were the first customers in through the door and she was the only staff member out.

Indulgent. Comfortable. Friendly. Good grub. Staff very pleasant. Apple wood smoked ciabatta is my personal favourite.

I visited today and I must say it is the most gorgeous coffee shop I have stepped foot into. Decor is beautiful and the food & coffee was delicious. Miles ahead of any others in the town and makes costa / starbucks look average at best. Staff were very kind & helpful too.

Wow!!! These people really know how to make a great breakfast!! Presentation was so good, but it’s all in the taste! Great place to meet for breakfast!!

On my second visit I was left most disappointed as my previous visit had been great. The lunch menu selection for vegeterian was poor. My bottle of elderflower lemonade had mould on the label. I will not be rushing back nor will my friends who I had brought for lunch.

The menu is lovely and has a good range of food. I had the French toast with bacon and maple syrup, my daughter had the French toast with caramelized hazelnuts and bananas. Both dishes were delicious and arrived promptly. The staff were efficient and friendly. My daughter had the dark hot chocolate which was truly amazing but a bit of a sweet overload pairing with the French toast but there was no problem transferring this to a takeaway cup. The only issue for me was the Americano wasn't great it tasted slightly watery. Overall though a lovely place for lunch I would recommend, not badly priced either

Excellent staff but limited range of food however what they do have is first class-decor is excellent and a great place to relax with a cup of coffee in nice surroundings

Had brunch here . We had 3 different meals , and everyone of them were delicious. The surroundings were lovely , and staff very polite . Great selection on menu , or just have a scone or delicious cake . Will definitely be back

Just passing through through Ballymena and found this by chance. Very impressed with the cake selection. Sandwich menu missing veggie option so I opted for chicken and apple smoked cheese without the chicken, it was extremely tasty. Good coffee and a selection of organic loose leaf teas. I'd highly recommend a visit.

The beautiful extrior attracted myself and my father to go inside and have a look at what was on offer. The amazing sweet treats in the cabinet won us over straight away! We had, possibly the best, red velvet cake with one coffee and a tea. I couldn't believe the presentation of the cakes. It was beautiful and really made our trip. The unique way the tea was served was also a highlight. I cannot rave about this place enough! On a separate visit, we arrived for breakfast and the staff went out of their way to ensure that something could be made for one of my family members. Amazing staff, the owner was wonderful and the food was out of this world. Will be back again and again! So reasonably priced for the wonderful food and presentation.

We enjoyed breakfast at Chocoa. Lovely selection to choose from all of which were 'healthy'. Good ambiance. Staff polite. Interesting art work to view and purchase. Creative entrance floor! Well worth a visit.

Lunch today with family in this recently change of location restaurant. Very busy and really nice modern place, well decorated. Good menu with nice variety of lunches, attractive cakes and tray bakes in chiller cabinet. Order at check out and pay, given bottle with number. Drinks brought quickly to table in attractive glass teapot and glass cup and saucers. Free refills. Coffees looked great. Food arrived quickly, well presented and very good quality. Cakes well presented with cream and chocolate pot. Absolutely beautiful and I will definitely return.

A great cafe, with the best cakes and sweet dishes. Open late most days of the week. Clean loos. very helpful staff for tourist questions

Travelling through town, needed to stop for lunch. Sadly, walked to some dreadful places before stumbling upon this little gem. Beautifully decorated and filled with light, it was just what we needed. Like past reviews, however, the name denotes one will walk into a chocolate wonderland but this is just not the case.

I understand this cafe has only been open for 4 weeks so may still be experiencing a few teething problems, but despite this I was left disappointed by the service and the overall quality. The hot chocolate and tea were fine, but when one of the scones arrived, some of the raspberries on the plate were blue moulded. I know raspberries can go off easily, but staff should have noticed them when they were putting them on the plate. One of the other desserts also had a bug crawling around the plate, again indicating the fruit hadn’t been properly washed. When you notice this it just puts you off eating anything more. Staff also didn’t bring us any cutlery and we had to ask for this. Furthermore, some of the waitresses wearing plastic gloves continued to fix their hair whilst wearing these which defeats the purpose and is far from hygienic.

Had the most wonderful cake and hot chocolate. The staff were lovely and the service was very quick! The aesthetic was very cute.

Just been and had a House White Hot chocolate to take out.

We stopped here for a coffee and treat as it had outside seating. It was nice and on greenvale street so handy between the 2 shopping centres.

Given this is advertised outside as a couture chocolate house I expected to walk into an amazing chocolate experience. Instead there are non-homemade scones and cakes (think Starbucks variety). The coffee was good but I did expect more chocolate smells/options given it’s name.

Chwila wytchnienia w przytulnej kawiarni z pysznymi ciastami plus dobra kawa i czekolada. Miła obsługa.

Called in here for coffee last week. My 2 friends had great coffee and I had the best hot chocolate ever. Will be back on our next trip to Ballymena

Perfect Assam tea in glass teapot drawn perfectly on the heat from a tea-light stand .. and a fruit flapjack to die for ..

This is the third time visiting this lovely cafe. Each time I’ve brought different people with me and I’ve loved their reactions. Everything is served with such attention and tastes amazing.