Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil in Highland

We popped in after doing the Cape Wrath trip. We had fabulous drink, cake and chocs. Seriously it’s the best hot chocolate I’ve had. Not too sweet.

We had this place on our itinerary for our NC500 trip as we heard such good things about it, there was a good selection of cakes which were very nice. However the hot chocolate was quite disappointing, it tasted quite bitter, like unsweetened chocolate was melted in hot water. Maybe we just got an unlucky pour or maybe it’s supposed to taste that way, unfortunately we couldn’t finish it.

Obnoxious people. Would not recommend. Asked for a white coffee was told we should know before we go to the counter what we want!!! Left as we never felt so spoken down in all our travels around the world. Avoid!

Fabulous hot chocolate best ever and my white chocolate croissant was amazing staff really lovely definitely be going again xxx

Really disappointed, been coming here for years. The staff members today 1st August 2024 unwelcoming and unfriendly, especially the barista who seemed annoyed when I asked if he could re-make my hot chocolate as he gave me the wrong drink. The hot chocolate is extremely gone down hill, in a paper cup and a galaxy hot powder chocolate would of been better. It was basically warm milk and hardly any chocolate. Made to feel very unwelcome and bad atmosphere by staff on today. It makes me not want to return and ive been a loyal customer for 7 years. Thank you

Two great coffees and a hot chocolate. We also purchased some cakes and ham and cheese croissants. Hit the spot and bang on for lunch whilst on the NC500. Good wifi also as 4G signal pretty weak in the area.

Fantastic hot chocolate, friendly staff. We stopped off on our way around the NC500. Would definitely recommend to other travellers

So pleased this place was open when we visited Durness. We popped in for a light lunch and were not disappointed. The menu is small but very pleasant, we had the ham and cheese croissant for lunch, followed by the dark chocolate croissant and the white chocolate and toffee croissant, which were both delightful. I had the "best" hot chocolate, which was pretty damn good, and a mocha, my husband had a couple of lattes, which were very good. We purchased some of their chocolates for a later date. A warm welcome, good service and a pleasant hour, before a walk on the beautiful beach at Balnakeil. Big grins all around. Thank you and wishing you a really successful season.

Superb hot chocolate!! Get it while u can !! Good service , adequate surroundings !! Just right on a cold windy day !

We stopped off here on our adventures around Scotland after missing out on two years ago but they had closed for the season. Have to say I was massively disappointed. No atmosphere, paper cups and a completely over rated hot chocolate. It was burnt and had lumpy bits of skin from the milk in it. Save your money as at £5 a cup I’d rather have had a pint of Tennents from the campsite we were staying at up the road.

Amazing hot chocolate, with melted white and milk chocolate added. Beautiful and tasty croissants, savoury and sweet with lots of choices for other sweet treats, such as chocolates. Good quality and one of the best hot chocolate I've had. It's up there with a Prague hot chocolate, all it was missing was a dollop of cream (for those extra sweet tooths).

What a place.Heard of this cafe so had to try. The best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.Sat in the sun sipping whilst watching the planes do their bombing runs. A must visit if doing a tour of Scotland .

Very disappointing visit to Cocoa Mountain Durness Enjoyed visit to Dornoch branch so wanted to stop here. Hot chocolate was nothing special, had a bitter taste and served in paper cups. No service or even server telling us to collect drinks at the other counter Just had to work it out when she said no they don't bring it to table. The croissant was lovely but wish I hadn't bothered with the hot chocolate 😫

OMG This place is amazing. Great food and drinks and of course chocolate with a wonderful view. Friendly staff. A super find.

Comfortable and friendly cafe with excellent staff. The delicious coffee perfectly compliments the flavours of Cocoa Mountain‘s excellent artisan chocolate

Staff exceeded all expectations of customer service. The croissants were out of this world, fresh from the oven and delivered straight to our table even whilst busy and suffering from short staff. If you are planning to do the NC500 you MUST add both sites to your route. 100% the best hot chocolate I've ever had.

A visit to cocoa mountain is normally a highlight of my trip up north but very disappointed with the changes to disposable cups and an average hot chocolate today. Why do you not serve these in a mug with the chocolate overflowing down the side anymore? Very disappointing and no atmosphere in the shop either

We came after walking past. I loved the hot chocolate and got a crossiant too. Both were great and the service was very friendly.

Auf dem Weg zum Balnakeil Strand, haben wir hier kurz gehalten und uns heiße Schokolade und Brownies geholt. Beides sehr lecker und zu empfehlen! Die Atmosphäre fand ich allerdings weniger einladend. Drinnen hatte es einen ungemütlichen Faktor, daher haben wir uns dann raus gesetzt. Es ist ein guter Stopp für zwischendurch, aber mehr auch nicht.

Called in to break NC500 journey. Wasted our time and money ! Croissants were cold & definitely not fresh & no coffee available ? ? takes time to make good coffee & only two members of staff (we can’t all drink chocolate at 10am) tea was in paper cup with a tea bag & hot chocolate drink poorly presented (Not at all the experience we had in the Dornoch shop) Don’t mind at all paying a little more for good quality food & drink but this was very basic. Food displayed on front counter nothing covered up & hot chocolate splashed up the wall in two areas, visible & off putting. Looked dirty, how long does it take to clean up. Left feeling very disappointed. I would not recommend.

We arrived at lunchtime to find coffee was not available so opted for tea. Although we were sitting in, the tea amounted to a cardboard cup with hot water and a teabag. We also ordered two filled croissants which when we took the warm option were then (over) blasted in the microwave. No surprise the croissants were soggy. The coconut brownie was coconut only in name and the Rocky Road was definitely short of some aggregate. We will not be back. Bitterly disappointed having had a very different experience previously.

Delicious hand made chocolates and warming hot chocolate which is very welcome after a walk in Balnakeil beach!

We came here after a wander through the craft village, which was enjoyable. This is a nice spacious cafe, and very friendly staff. We had coffees, cold drinks and savoury croissants - all very enjoyable. And treated ourselves to one of their very delicious chocolates afterwards; managed to resist temptation to buy any of the big shards of chocolate, as it was such a hot day they would have melted!

Changed a lot since my first visit a few years ago. Disposable cups now . Chocolate looked good but mainly prepacked stuff. Not enough emphasis on the small chocolates. Staff member was ok but he wasn’t particularly personable. It a lot of ambience to be...

Arrived and no queues, although there were very limited parking spots left available. The building has little ambience for this experience. The menu is limited but it was ok for what we were after. The staff member that served us was lovely and welcoming. The...

Sat in the cafe for two hours. Had two great Americano coffees, reasonably priced. Used washroom and it was clean. Food on offer was limited and a croissant at +£3 per item is pushing it. Chocolate range of bars was nothing special. However for me,...

A good refuelling break after a long day of driving the NC500 to Durness. It's a good hot chocolate - not so sure about "The Best Hot Chocolate". Quick service.

Wir waren vor vier Jahren schon 'mal hier. Das Cocoa Mountain von heute hat damit gar nichts mehr zu tun....

Durchschnittliche Ware. Kakao war ok, Croissaint‘s etwas langweilig. Insgesamt überteuert. Preisleistungsverhältnis hat hier einfach nicht gestimmt. Ambiente ist wie in...

Hot chocolate was truly the best I have ever had and the croissant was delicious unfortunately it was let down by the atmosphere no real ambiance and the staff member wanted to be somewhere else.. no greetings or smiles.. however I went for the hot...

Good coffee and smells great inside. They have hot chocolate, Pattie’s and chocolates. It’s a little off the main road. Just follow the signs

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Sadly the food /drink is was just alright. Might have been that they were busy but hot drinks being hot is a bit of a must. Hopefully just a blip

This is a wonderful place to stop for coffee, hot cocoa, chocolate, and all kinds of baked goods including some savory ones. Staff is super friendly and very welcoming. We went there several times while we were staying in Durness and we highly recommend it....

We were really excited to some here after reading such good reviews, we were so disappointed, the hot chocolate was no different to one we would make at home apart from the bit of chocolate sauce on the top, we went for the caramel and...

One of the highlights of visiting Durness is a trip to Cocoa Mountain, was always good to chat with James and the staff over some delicious chocolates and a good rich mountain mocha. Sadly, it is now all closed, was hoping the cafe had relocated...

Im Juli 2016 war es unser erster Besuch dort (siehe auch Foto) und wir waren ganz begeistert was die Lage,...

We stopped for a quick break here and found the staff friendly the cookies lovely and the surroundings bright clean and inviting. Such a pity the coffee was barely lukewarm and let things down. Hopefully not normal but expensive for a coffee I couldn’t enjoy.

Best hot chocolate, and a great wee shop Recommend it as a good stop it was quiet busy when we were there but service was good and it was very clean

After visiting this place while on holiday and on returning home ,i received my card statement to find I had been charged twice . When I finally managed to contact them by phone I was told it often happens due to connection problems and was...

Durness is a confusing place: you walk up one road, up to a glamping spot, and you think that is it! However, carry on another 10 minutes, and you come to the Balnakeil craft village, and this is where Cocoa Mountain is. I didn't realise...

It's hard to believe how downhill this place has gone. Awful customer service, got my lukewarm microwaved croissant handed to me on a cheap paper bag. Hot chocolates in awful paper cups, staff couldn't be bothered. Tables and floors not cleaned and even the chocolates...

I was a bit worried after reading the review where vegans had felt unwelcome but the person that served me was very friendly and offered me the choice of either soy or oat milk. I went with soy and it was delicious, my mum also...

I can’t understand how this place is still attracting customers- apart from the fact it’s the only place open for miles around. Overpriced hot chocolate..would have probably been passable if it was hot. Person making the drinks was rude to those waiting ages and he...

Nice little cafe specialising in anything chocolate. The cafe is nice inside, the staff friendly and hot chocolate lovely. Don’t be put off by the building complex it sits in that looks like a derelict MOD facility from the 1050s.

This place is such a gem. The staff are super helpful and lots of good banter from them. The cakes, pastries and chocolates are simply mouth watering. The hot chocolate is absolutely heavenly and is super chocolatey - this isn’t any hot chocolate. Really good...

We stopped here after visiting nearby Smoo Cave on our NC500 road trip. I had read this was closed after Covid so was happy to hear it was open again. It was a little expensive for what it was but it’s all handmade and delicious!...

Sehr freundliches Personal. Hälften uns sehr bei der Auswahl der Chocolates. Parkplätze vorhanden. Auf dem Weg zum Beach einen Stop...

This was an unexpected visit but when we seen that they sold the best hot chocolate then we had to stop by. We weren’t even hungry or in need of something sweet but the hot chocolate was absolutely delicious. Probably not the best I’ve had...

The staff didn't seemed to be trained to well. The tables were filthy. The croissants were store bought. The milk was burned in our flat white. Shame because the chocolate was delicious.

Disappointing. I felt like we were sitting in a tired school canteen. The coffee and cakes are great (also served in takeaway cups) but the atmosphere and aesthetic of the cafe lets it down majorly. It would really benefit from some investment. I should add...

This is dire and dirty . If I had used the toilet prior to purchase I would have left. Omg yuk yuk yuk. Not sure when it was last cleaned. We purchased a coffee and a cake which was overpriced and mediocre at best, halfway...

Their 'The best' hot chocolate is really the best. Such a nice and cozy place, lovely people and a great location.

This is supposed to be an experience destination, but as an experience it was very average. We arrived at 10:30 on Thu 4th Aug and were served by a very grumpy young man. No pleasantries, not even a smile. Made us feel like we were...

We came with super high expectations. And the hot chocolate was awesome to be fair. However, very overpriced at £4.45 for a little cup. Delivered in a basic cheap cup, without any smiles or pleasantries we came away feeling like we'd almost intruded on them!...

Visited a number of times over the past 12 years, have always looked forward to a hot chocolate and some chocolate chasers after walking the dogs in the beach. When we visited last year I made allowances for the impact of covid on business practices,...

We have been here on previous visits to see family after today we will not be back. Premises looking tired needs undating, person serving the drinks was unwelcoming and seemed like she didn't want to be there. Very disappointed

Excellent Place to sit and to drink rallye a good hot chocolate. The staff was really friedlich and we liked the atmosphere there.

Very nice hot chocolate and a delicious chocolate croissant. Staff very pleasant unlike some other places we visited in the craft village.

Stopped in at Balnakiel Craft Village as part of our NC500 trip. We had booked and Air BnB in the village and it was my birthday the day we were due to arrive (9th June). I had read so much about Cocoa Mountain and the...

I have passed this Chocolate house many times, but on this occasion decided to give it a try. The Barista was friendly and made a great coffee for us. He even brought some biscuits for our collie. The coffee was great tasting and had that...

Hot Chocolate "Worlds best" is no better than Cadbury's options. Coffee worse than Starbucks which isn't saying much. Hand made chocolates nothing outstanding. Staff are disinterested.

Cafe currently closed due to shortage of staff. Separate cafe at Dornoch and online orders not affected. Shame but staff shortages are impacting a lot of hospitality businesses just now.

I visited with my husband and our 2 young kids. Half way thru drinking our over sweet hot chocolate and eating our overly sickly rockyroad. We overheard and witnessed what I can only assume was the 2 members of the management arguing over the price...

Difficult times for everyone but not opening on a Saturday difficult to understand how it can continue in business. Saw so many people disappointed many of whom had walked pls put message on phone or website if not open

We tried here as we were in the area and fancied a coffee, easy to get to, parking fine (we parked in the craft village) we went in, server was lovely and welcoming - infact all staff we encountered were welcoming. We checked out the...

Delicious treat for the way out of town. We had croissants and hot chocolate. A little pricey yes, but yummy and a nice treat. Good stop.

Having bought the NC500 book and looking for things to see and do as we went from place to place. We decided to try Cocoa Mountain, even a local lady from the Gin distillery told us to try it. We arrived and from the outside...

Arrived after a long journey. Me “where go we sit” Staff “sorry no seats due to Covid” Me “where do we put our drinks” Staff “sorry no tables due to Covid” Me “Can I use the toilet” Staff “sorry toilet is closed due to chemical...

We visited as part of our NC500 trip. After reading a mix of reviews we weren’t sure what to expect, but as chocolate lovers we couldn’t wait to visit. Lovely select of chocolates and the hot chocolates were amazing! We definitely recommend a stop here...

Rude staff. Poor service. Over priced average hot chocolate. The lady serving us launched the overpriced croissant at us through the hole in the Covid screen.

Lovely hot chocolate and great location for a cosy stop off after exploring in the outdoors. However, indoor seating was not available which was very disappointing and when asking the staff why they said “because we make more money this way” - we weren’t impressed...

We visited here for take away hot chocolate which was first class and have thought about it ever since. I would echo the other reviews though that 1 member of staff wasn't very welcoming and made us feel a bit awkward. Wouldn't stop me from...

Hot chocolate was delish but not sure it was worth the price tag. It's true you get what you pay for and it was great but I wouldn't go back for seconds! Went for the taster option which gets you some chocolates too - was...

Given the hype around this shop we were disappointed. Hot chocolate seemed very expensive for what it was. Only offered takeaway services as well. Hot chocolate is very sickly as well, my partner and I could have shared one quite happily.

Me and my friend were doing the NC500 and came across this shop. We decided to have a look around as it looked cute and welcoming. We are vegan so were not expecting to be able to buy anything but to our surprise they had...

We visited as part of our trip around Scotland including NC500 trip. The shop is a little empty now as covid has meant that they have had to suspend seating in the venue which was a little disappointing however we received the most friendly service...

So much hype, walked in to cold univiting empty shop, no seating, very little food or goods for sale. A chocolate drink will cost you £4.50, walked straight back out, ovethyped tourist trap.

Was really looking forward to coming here and planned it on my trip as part of the nc500. We arrived a couple minutes after the opening time and was greeted with telling us we were early. The woman serving us was very rude, wouldn’t return...

What a sin, in previous years we have enjoyed the great ambience and products, went yesterday to find a shell with two machines knocking out drinks and shocking selection of food. Sorry to report the staff were also very disappointing no eye contact no engagement...

Stopped here after hearing about it through the internet and word of mouth. The chocolates looked nice but they were super expensive - I wouldn't give them the money. Tried the hot chocolate instead but I didn't like it at all and neither did my...

Chocolates are as good as always but sadly the mocha had lost its way. No way the mocha experience it used to be, or the hidden gem of a place it was years ago, and I don’t think you can even blame Covid for that....

Visited here especially on my birthday for a famous hot chocolate. Unfortunately the coffee machine had been broken for a while so there were no hot drinks when we arrived. It would have been good if there was a backup for hot drinks, or to...

Absolutely amazing hot chocolate, totally worth the £4.45 and also the bars of chocolate are great too! Service was great and the covid procedures seemed very well adhered too. If you’re doing the NC500 definitely add this into your itinerary!

Friends who did the NC500 last year raved about Cocoa Mountain and told us my friends and I that we must visit on our trip to the Far North of Scotland. Sadly we were disappointed as the 'best hot chocolate in the world' for which...

We had takeaway coffees and cookies but resisted the chocolates which looked delicious. Shame the toilets weren't open yet.

My husband and I travelled to Cocoa Mountain as part of our NC500 trip. We were able to find it easily and secure free parking outside. It was clear that in covid times they had taken many precautions including removing tables and chairs, closing the...

Walked from camp site & there was NO hot drinks. Choice of choc not as expected… What they did have was overpriced… DISAPPOINTED!!🍫

So everyone says lots about this place afraid very disappointed it was a limited little coffee shop with hardly any stock, no hot drinks available and low and behold 2 customers walk out with 2 hot cappuccinos. So on asking staff do you have hot...

Had Hot Chocolate, tea and cakes here. All was delicious and it was a lovely day sitting outside enjoying it.

Our visit was a let down. We looked forward to enjoying the “Best Hot Chocolate” and we didn’t enjoy it at all. It was all very overpriced. Would not recommend 👎🏻

Travelled from Inverness to visit the wonderful landscape of Durness. Of course, like so many others we had heard about Cocoa Mountain. Firstly, this place is in the most wonderful setting and the beach below is stunning. Yes the hot chocolate is good, however the...

Very dissapointing visit. Drove to Durness to purposly visit here and was met with a very unhelpful employee with an awful attitude. Would not reccommend coming here as we did not have a good experiance at all and is very overpriced.

Went for a hot chocolate and a mocha. Would definitely recommend the hot chocolate. Mocha wasn't good. Seemed overpriced and staff seemed quite busy even without customers.

Jurys out on this one, we had some lovely hot chocolate which may be the best Hot Chocolate we had, we purchased White, Dark and Milk Chocolate to take home but felt the Milk and White was poor quality (i know white isnt chocolate) but...

Great find on the NC500 with what is probably t e best hot chocolate our family have ever tasted. Nice chocolate shop and cafe in the very north of Scotland. Well worth a visit.

Honestly although a little expensive, the hot chocolate's are worth it as they were possibly the best hot chocolates we have ever had. We also bought some of the chocolate bars which were equally delicious!

Well we arrived and omg the hot chocolate is lush an deffinetly a must do stop the chocolates are fantastic too it is pricey but well worth the money so good we purchased the tin of hot chocolate Cadbury’s is out window now lol

People were lying when they said this place sells the best hot chocolate! This place was rammed when we got there so we had to queue for a while but well worth it. Near the till they sell some interesting flavours of chocolate. In hindsight...

For all the people writing negative reviews I am truly shocked! If you’re expecting a quick hot chocolate then I suggest you go to a vending machine. I visited whilst on the NC500 and had anticipated good things, it did not disappoint. The hot chocolate...

Large group of us stopped here as part of the NC500. We phoned ahead so not to surprise them, and they had the HC ready in perfect time. Hot chocolate was good, and all the other chocolate products as well. Can’t fault the service or...