Chocolate Maven Bakery and Cafe, Santa Fe

There are no words for this place! You have to experience it yourself...everything we had at the cafe and brought with us on a picnic was the most wonderful thing I've eaten in years! Do Not miss this place and get there early...there will be a line waiting at the door for them to open.

Best croissants outside of France and THE best Breakfast Burritos. No bread like croissants that are a greasy mess. No mashed unrecognizably filled burritos. Find it and get some to go too.

Well after reading reviews of how wonderful Chocolate Maven is I figured I better give it a try, especially because I am a chocoholic and try chocolate where ever I travel, particularly brownies. I started out with the portabella melt, which was tasty but a bit greasy. The bread was full of butter and the combination of the ingredients was a bit slimy. I know a lot of people are in to greasy food so this may be a taste thing. I also ordered hot chocolate, specifically the Scharfenberger. I did think it was very cool that they had a selection of different types of hot chocolate to choose from, which excited me. The cocoa tasted like it had no sugar in it whatsoever. I love dark chocolate but chocolate with no sugar in it is not my cup of tea so to speak. Next I was ready for the brownie. Unfortunately, the brownie was dry and hard as a rock and had minimal chocolate flavor. I may have gotten the last of an old batch or something. Also, I was not a fan of their dense whipped cream. Ice cream may have helped as well. The fudge was really good and was the only thing that somewhat saved the dessert. I would give it the rating of adequate. Additionally, you are forced to watch the kitchen staff make baked goods through a glass pane. It didn't help that the kitchen was unattractive and ugly and that I saw two flies land right next to the cinammon roll dough. Didn't help the appetite. I'd rather not see behind the scenes.

Every time I travel I am looking for something as good as the Chocolate Maven, but when I come home to Santa Fe I realize there is nothing like it anywhere. The food is great. Yes. Again and again its delicious, totally high quality and trustworthy. The coffee is awesome. The desserts are killer. But what blows me away, and I think why I keep coming back, is the sense that the staff actually seems to like working here. They smile, not some idiotic forced thing, but they actually seem to enjoy it when I come in! And I think do they do that with everyone. And that

This is THE place for breakfast or brunch. Oh my god, the choices are just mouth watering! Strawberries and cream cr�pes, smoked trout Napoleon, peach compote french toast. It is almost painful to decide on just one item from the menu. Go early and go often. Oh and did I mention they are also a bakery with wicked desserts and cakes. Just go.

Why we love the Chocolate Maven: 1)The food is hands down the best in town. If you want a cheap breakfast made with canned ingredients go somewhere else. If you want delicious food made with top ingredients, this is it. 2)You actually get good old fashioned service with a smile (remember that!) 3) The place is fun, you get to watch the bakers in action. 4)The desserts are incredible. They just top off a perfect experience. We go here every chance we get.